A3043-THE GREEN & SUMTER BILL

More about the Charter is on tap but will have to wait at least to Friday. Your suggestions will be appreciated by me and I am sure that the Charter Commission reads all the b logs for comments.

Understand that my Department/Division lineup is only a suggestion. There may be needed realignment and even contraction of the number of divisions into super divisions especially where a division has less than; let us say, three employees. Alan Goldstein’s suggestion on Departments/Divisions is worthy of consideration dependent on the function of the various divisions.

There are other foci of interest for the next few days; including the Council Agenda session, as well as external events.

With that in mind I was disturbed by Assemblyman and Chairman of the Plainfield Democrat Committee Green’s Tuesday’s blog dedicated to a bill he had sponsored which the Assembly approved Monday.

On the surface it seems to be in Plainfield’s interest since its purpose is stated “to help transform ailing or obsolete health care facilities into productive health care centers once again.”

It purpose is to ease the way for “commercial based health facilities to locate in a closed hospital. It is designed to block any replacement hospital occupying the site of a closed facility.

Read it carefully and one will note the key provisions are counter-productive to Plainfield’s need for an acute care facility. In fact it would close the door forever.  

From Greens blog : “The bill (A-3043) would grant corporation business tax credits to developers who make certain capital investments for repurposing qualified health care facilities”***“The bill restricts the function of a repurposed facility to a non-acute health care and health support services center, and requires a credit applicant to demonstrate that such an investment will not destabilize the supply and delivery of acute health care services in its market”.

Interpretation :A developer or for profit health facility entrepreneur will get subsidy to establish a long term or chronic care facility which is a glorified nursing home to render in house care at rates lower that of an acute care hospital. There will be no surgery available unless a same day surgical facility is licensed. There can also be doctors and other health care “providers” , offices in the premises plus a walk in and urgent care center in lieu of an ER with access to critical in hospital care.

Why does my gut tell me that this must be aimed at Plainfield so that there will never be any possibility of a renewed hospital at Muhlenberg. There will be tax breaks for a commercial operation to place a convalescent and rehabilitation facility and/or chronic care in the Muhlenberg shell.This bill contains a legal obstruction to reopen a hospital in Plainfield.

This bill will benefit JFK (Solaris) by forever eliminating the possibility of any acute care hospital being reestablished at Muhlenberg. A 50,000 population community with at least another 30,000 in the immediate area doesn’t need another nursing home;it needs an acute care hospital.