Mayor Davis' $100 Million+ Eminent Domain Plan For Bayonne Medical Center Is Preposterous

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May 03, 2021, 14:36 ET

BAYONNE, N.J., May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the owner of the Bayonne Medical Center real estate, currently leased to CarePoint Health, Hudson Regional Hospital not only objects to the absurd notion that eminent domain is a legal or appropriate mechanism to foreclose on our property, we view as preposterous Mayor Jimmy Davis' support of its takeover by an inexperienced operator that has made inadequate disclosures of its financial capacity and whose certificate of need application has been stopped in its tracks at the Department of Health.

CarePoint Health, which admits that it is organizationally and financially troubled in its own Department of Health filings, has hand-picked BMC Hospital LLC as its successor to operate Bayonne Medical Center despite Hudson Regional Hospital's clear position as the most rational management solution. BMC Hospital LLC is a shell entity that was founded by the owners of Surgicore, a for-profit entity that runs a string of surgery centers but have never operated an acute care facility. Yet Surgicore's owners have attracted the support of Mayor Jimmy Davis to the point that he is asking taxpayers for $100 million to fund an ill-advised boondoggle where the property is taken by eminent domain and leased to Surgicore's owners at a discount. For more complete details visit www.hudsonregionalhospital.com/bayonnetragedy/.

Hudson Regional Hospital has gone to great expense to defend itself in frivolous legal actions designed to impede our aspirations to operate Bayonne Medical Center, in an entirely privately-funded acquisition that is clearly the most advantageous future for the hospital. Over the past several days, Hudson Regional Hospital has entered into discussions with municipal officials and representatives of CarePoint and Surgicore, only to become even more alarmed over their vision for healthcare in Bayonne.

As a result we are commencing a plan to engage the residents of Bayonne in a dialogue that reveals threats to their healthcare system and a profound waste of taxpayer money. Among other activity, we have issued a letter to the Bayonne City Council expressing our dismay over the concept that eminent domain is an appropriate vehicle to foreclose on our property, especially when BMC Hospital LLC's filings indicate that they expect to operate their first foray into acute care as a for-profit enterprise that receives a discounted rent from City of Bayonne, whose taxpayers will bear the cost of the bonds issued to foreclose on the site, and who will guarantee payment on the bonds if BMC Hospital LLC fails.

For many months now, Hudson Regional Hospital, the most esteemed acute care facility in Hudson County, has expressed its interest in operating Bayonne Medical Center with the same quality services as we operate Hudson Regional Hospital. We provide care in-network to 95% of all New Jersey residents and will save jobs which would be in jeopardy under poor management, and we require zero expenditure of public money to do so. As we have stated before, in our best interests as the property owner, we do not believe that BMC Hospital LLC is qualified to operate Bayonne Medical Center and we are presently in court to terminate their deal and to evict CarePoint from the premises for material lapses under its lease.

We have made our position abundantly clear to the Department of Health and all local officials. But beyond our interest as a property owner, our commitment to Hudson County's healthcare marketplace demands that we take a protective posture in this scenario. The public's understanding and involvement in the process has become unavoidably necessary and while it has never been our intention to disrupt Bayonne's political process, at this point we are left with no choice but to take preventative action. The consequences from this ill-conceived, highly suspect proposed transaction cannot be allowed to proceed unabated. We, like the residents of Bayonne, want to ensure that Bayonne Medical Center is always high performing, and will back up this pledge to the community when we are able to operate the hospital in addition to owning the land.

For more information, visit http://www.hudsonregionalhospital.com/bayonnetragedy or click here for copies of the letter being posted to the web site and mailed today to all Bayonne residents.

About Hudson Regional Hospital
Hudson Regional Hospital acquired its facility from Meadowlands Hospital in January 2018, with the mission to build a healthier community by providing exceptional care for all Hudson County residents through a significant investment in new technology including the Institute of Robotic Surgery featuring the Da Vinci XI Robotic System, ExcelsiusGPS and the Mazor Robotic Guidance System and access to more physician groups including some of the best physicians in the NYC-metro area.

Hudson Regional Hospital's ER team provides around-the-clock comprehensive emergency care services that include short wait times, EMS/Ambulance On-Site 24/7, a fully-equipped EMS Lounge, 24/7 Access to Specialty Physicians and a multi-lingual staff.

In 2020 Hudson Regional Hospital was designated the Hudson County COVID-19 Testing Site by the County Executive's office and became the first site in New Jersey to provide organized by-appointment only COVID testing for Hudson County residents and emergency workers. Hudson Regional Hospital has been named Castle Connolly Medical NJ's Best Top Hospitals and its Institute for Robotic Surgery has received the Surgical Review Corporation's Center for Excellence award.

SOURCE Hudson Regional Hospital