The elections are over. In Plainfield nothing has been
solved; the Council has gone from Bad to Bad.
Now it is time to turn back to a favorite and also neglected
subject; Health Care.
In the area of facilities there has been some major developments
in the past few months. This should be of interest for Planfielders epe3cially
both elements of its Government; since no 50000 inhabitant community should not
be without acute care facilities.
Two big urban non-profit hospitals are in the throes of
being transformed into part of profit oriented corporations. East Orange
General and St. Michaels in Newark are on the way to join the Bayonne Medical
Center, Meadowland Hospital, and Hoboken University Medical Center as
northern/central New Jersey for profits. A bid for St Clares was recently dropped.
Meadowland Hospital has been the subject of some recent controversy.
These hospitals are or were still active when they were
acquired, not abandoned as in the case of Muhlenberg.
There also has been interest in Medical Malls in old
hospital buildings. A recent Times article hi-lighted the old Barnett Medical
Center. (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/realestate/commercial/repurposing-closed-hospitals-as-for-profit-medical-malls.html.)
It is worth reading.
There can be no action either way has long as JFK is allowed
to control the campus.
The recent merger/absorption of the Somerset Medical Center
into the RWJ Hospital complex can only be beneficial for that community and
hospital. Unlike the ill-advised Muhlenberg merger with JFK there will not
be a hidden agenda to close the petitioning
hospital and seize its assets including Foundation funds.
An indication of good faith in the RWJ/Somerset arrangement
is the assimillation of the Somerset Medical staff by RWJ.
When JFK and Muhlenberg joined no attempt was made to have
cross
staff privileges which would be the mark of a true partnership.
The other health care
subject is the VA mess and what it should tell us about our ACA care. That will
be “blogged” later this week.
Many thanks for the amazing essay I really gained a lot of info. That I was searching for
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's too late but how to get JFK's foot out of Muhlenberg's back once and for all? How to influence
ReplyDeletea community that no company should hold its fate in their hands.
Is a 600 unit apartment,condo,complex really needed when this is a town that has a great number of foreclosed stock, not to mention at least two other multi unit projects? I have more questions than answers but thank you Doc for this information.