But the 100-year-old hospital's operations might end soon, as LibertyHealth Systems, the health care organization that operates it, filed with the state on June 27 to eventually close Greenville as a regular hospital.
The next day, LibertyHealth received a "certificate of need" from the state. The certificate technically allows LibertyHealth to close all regular care and offer different health services, but there are conditions they must meet first.
There actually had been talks about changing the focus of the facility for months before the June 27 filing. Since April, LibertyHealth had talked about closing the hospital's emergency room in another 12 to 18 months, and to ending all regular care in six to nine months.
But they still would like to offer in-patient behavioral and addiction services, detoxification programs, and outpatient dialysis.
State officials must now decide whether to approve such an arrangement.
In any case, the hospital staff and local officials have sought a second opinion to maintain the 100-bed hospital and its emergency room.
Outgoing State Assemblyman Louis Manzo (NJ-31st Dist.), who represents the Greenville area of the city that gives the hospital its name, asked for $10 million in the recently passed state budget to enable LibertyHealth to relocate their behavioral and addiction services from their over-crowded Jersey City Medical Center to Greenville Hospital.
Last week, Manzo could not be reached for comment on whether or not he was successful in getting that $10 million.
And there was a rally in front of the hospital on June 30, where over 200 people gathered to hear testimony from those wanting to prevent any changes to the hospital.
They included a number of city officials, including Mayor Jerramiah Healy, as well as City Council members Viola Richardson, Mary Spinello, Steven Fulop, Willie Flood, and Peter Brennan.
Dr. Muhammad Ahmad, a cardiologist at the hospital for over 25 years, said he was "very sad" to hear LibertyHealth is looking to close the hospital and bring in addiction and behavioral health services.
"It's not an ideal location for drug rehab and psych patients, because it is near a school," Ahmad said. "It should be in another location."Financial problems
Stephen Kirby, acting CEO and president for LibertyHealth, said recently that about 19 percent of the patients from the Greenville area use Greenville Hospital, while 33 percent of those residents use the larger Jersey City Medical Center.
"There is declining volume for Greenville [Hospital] as people are bypassing it for the Medical Center," Kirby said.
Kirby also pointed out that the Medical Center is already offering the same medical services as Greenville, and that LibertyHealth could save at least $3 million a year by eliminating "duplication of services."
LibertyHealth owns Greenville Hospital, Jersey City Medical Center, and the Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus.
"Health care is fraught with duplication, which is not good for any hospital's financial well-being," Kirby said.
Several hospitals in Hudson County have closed facilities or had severe financial problems in the last few years, due to a lack of adequate reimbursement from insurance companies and from the state's Charity Care funds for the poor. Hospitals are required to offer emergency care to injured people whether they are insured or not.
In addition, hospitals have to compete with private medical facilities that specialize in services like ultrasound and can make a profit. Thus, hospitals have to change and specialize in order to stay solvent.
Last year, the city of Hoboken was forced to take over their St. Mary Hospital rather than having it close due to financial problems. In Jersey City, St. Francis Hospital closed in the last three years. The location is now being turned into condos. People walk to it
Minnie Torres is one of the organizers of the June 30 rally. Torres, a resident of the Greenville section of the city, works with senior citizens as a volunteer with Jersey City-based Hudson Hospice Volunteers, Inc.
Many of Torres' clients are or have been patients of Greenville Hospital, and they live within close proximity to the hospital.
Before the rally, Torres spoke of the impact the closing of the hospital would have upon not just the seniors, but also others in the community.
"There are many people who come to this hospital who walk or take a short trip on a bus," Torres said. "What happens if they have to wait on an ambulance to go to the Medical Center or Bayonne Hospital?"
Torres continued, "God forbid there is 9/11-type emergency situation in this area and Greenville Hospital is closed." Torres plans to speak at the next City Council meeting on July 18. Bayonne fan in a wheelchair
Among the marchers in the rally was Thomas Jasper, a resident of Second Street in Bayonne. He is confined to his motorized wheelchair due to severe back pain. Jasper said Greenville Hospital is the "only one he goes to" for the past 15 years, as opposed to Bayonne Medical Center on 29th Street in Bayonne.
"They have better service and more respect for the patients," said Jasper.
Dr. Ahmad said LibertyHealth was not addressing the problem properly, and should be looking at issues such as reimbursement from insurance companies and the amount of Charity Care expenses incurred by LibertyHealth. Hospital on short list
But the cost-cutting is in line with what LibertyHealth has been pursuing since September after a report commissioned by the former president of LibertyHealth, Dr. Jonathan Metsch, called for cutting staff and various services at the Medical Center, as well as attracting more private care physicians and a better-paying clientele. After the report came out, Metsch resigned.
The report was requested by state health officials after Metsch asked for $3 million more in aid per month in order for that hospital to continue to operate.
Kirby pointed out Greenville Hospital has been on a "short list" of hospitals that the state has been looking to close for some time.
He also cited a recently released interim report by Gov. Jon Corzine's Commission on Rationalizing New Jersey's Health Care Resources. The commission was appointed in October to study the financial viability of hospitals across the state and whether or not they should receive state aid. The final report, which does not name any hospitals specifically, will be issued in December. Plan to save it
At the rally, longtime Greenville Hospital staffer Dr. Medhat El-Amir said he and his fellow doctors are working on a plan to save Greenville Hospital for closing acute care, but would not reveal any details.
Mayor Healy said he would continue discussions with LibertyHealth in the future.
John McKeegan, spokesperson for LibertyHealth, said there will have to be public hearings on their future plans.
Also, they have to wait for the state to commit $10 million for capital improvements to the hospital to accommodate any new services. Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com
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