Plainfield Democratic Headquarters Office

Next week volunteers are invited to the Plainfield Democratic Headquarters on Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 6:00pm.

At this Initial meeting we will discuss scheduling for the office and our representatives for the Obama people, Charles Eke and Rasheed Burney will give us updates on their trip to Denver from the Democratic National Convention.

Out of this meeting we will be planning the Official opening of the Headquarters. My goal is to work with the Obama people, the Lautenberg and Frank Pallone staff on the Federal level our County Freeholder candidates and our local candidates. I will not be drawn into any negative campaigning that would hurt my ability to get all of the votes out for this Democratic line. I feel that this is not the time to get involved in any local petty politics which would potentially side track one of the most critical elections in our country’s history.

Update on Muhlenberg Hospital

This past week I decided not to attend the Democratic National Convention and instead stay in the 22nd District to deal with some important issues that I felt was important to the taxpayers of my District.

There is a lot of false information being circulated that does not help with my ability to work with the City, potential buyers and the POP Organization. These individuals are more concerned with being critical of the Mayor and Council than bringing solutions to the problems. Some of the issues we have discussed this week, Transportation; there is no transportation on weekends. The schedule is included in today’s blog and unfortunately has no telephone number to call for assistance. We all agree this has to be improved. Also, there was a comment this week in reference to new developers having to start from scratch with the application process. Unfortunately, some people have a problem printing the truth because in prior meetings we had with the Commissioner of Health this issue would be handled differently and the developers would not have to start from scratch.

The issue concerning the Medical Enterprise Zone in the City of Plainfield was never brought to my attention. I checked with other Legislators in Central Jersey and also the Department of Health and the last thing they were aware of was the half-million dollars that Plainfield lost in grant money due to no one from the past administration communicating with the folks in Trenton. I would like to get that information on the Medical Enterprise Zone so I can follow-up and share this with the public.

I am the same Legislator who responded to the request from Muhlenberg and the Snider family when they needed 4 million dollars to build the nursing school. I and Linda Stender stepped up to make it happen. On the average over the last 8 years I have been able to acquire 2 – 4 million dollars in grants per year. My question to any local or County Freeholders from Plainfield. What have you done?

The Mayor, Commissioner and I are meeting next week to discuss issues that have been brought to my attention by the people in the community and POP Organization. I am hoping in the future that we can talk about the present and future because talking about the past does not serve the City.


New Transportation Services Available to Former Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center Patients

JFK/Muhlenberg Campus Shuttle
Beginning August 14th, 2008, Solaris Health Systems will operate a shuttle service to and from the main entrance at the Muhlenberg Campus to the main entrance at JFK Medical Center from Noon to 8:30 pm daily. The shuttle will depart the Muhlenberg campus on the hour and will depart the JFK campus on the half hour. Appointments are not necessary. This service is free of charge to patients and visitors. Daily schedule is as follows:

Departing Muhlenberg
12:00pm - 1:00pm - 2:00pm - 3:00pm - 4:00pm - 5:00pm - 6:00pm - 7 :00pm - 8:00pm

Arrival at JFK
12:20pm - 1:20pm - 2:20pm - 3:20pm - 4:20pm - 5:20pm - 6:20pm - 7:20pm - 8:20pm

Departing JFK
12:30pm - 1:30pm - 2:30pm - 3:30pm - 4:30pm - 5:30pm - 6:30pm - 7:30pm - 8:30pm

Arrival at Muhlenberg
12:50pm - 1:50pm - 2:50pm - 3:50pm - 4:50pm - 5:50pm - 6:50pm - 7:50pm - 8:50pm


Medical Taxi Service

Beginning August 14, 2008, the Tri-County Red Cross will provide free* Medical Taxi service to JFK Medical Center patients for hospital based services that are no longer available on the Muhlenberg Campus. This service will be provided to patients living in Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center’s primary and secondary service area so they can access non-emergent services at JFK Medical Center. This transportation service will be available at no-cost to our patients and may be scheduled at the time appointments are made for services at JFK. The transportation is available Monday through Friday between the hours of 6 am to 5 pm and is provided door-to-door. Patients in wheelchairs can be accommodated. Patients in need of this service should request it when they call to schedule an appointment at the hospital.

*fees for missed appointments may apply

Taxi Vouchers to and from Trinitas hospital
Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth has assumed responsibility Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center’s inpatient mental health programs and acute care services to obstetrics patients of the Neighborhood Health Services Corporation’s Plainfield area patients. Solaris Health System has engaged Taxi & Limo One to provide taxi vouchers for 24 hour taxi service to and from Trinitas hospital for these patients. Vouchers are available at the Neighborhood Health Services Corporation – Plainfield, Trinitas Hospital, and the SED at the Muhlenberg Campus. Patients will require pre-approval and an authorization code number from clinical staff at any of these locations prior to calling Taxi & Limo One for a taxi.

Group Homes

I thought it was important today that I share with you an email that I received from Bill Hatfield. Just last year when issues like this were brought to my attention we were able to stop the sale of real estate because these types of transactions do not help the City of Plainfield. I shared my concerns with Councilman Cory Storch, and obviously, he has done nothing about it. Councilman Storch professionally knows all of the players and how the process works and my concern is he more concerned about his relationship with these groups than what is good for the City of Plainfield. So today, I am asking publicly that Council Member Stroch give me a complete investigation of this matter so I can speak to the appropriate authorities in Trenton. For these are the kinds of issues where council members who have experience in these matters should step up to the plate. Since he has been a councilperson, I have yet to hear him challenge these organizations who have taken advantage of the City of Plainfield.

That is why I sponsored new legislation, which deals with affordable housing in every community. So organizations cannot say they cannot afford to purchase these properties in other municipalities. For the record, I have no problem with organizations that offer these types of services but I have a problem with these organizations targeting Plainfield as a community that they can afford to purchase properties. Therefore, what I am doing is including the message that was emailed to me concerning this matter. I am looking forward to people of the City of Plainfield holding the Councilman accountable for dealing with this issue. Because everyone in the State of New Jersey knows that, he is very aware of this issue and understands how decisions are made. So far, the decisions that have been made have not been favorable toward Plainfield.

Referenced Email noted above:

From: whetfield@comcast.net

Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 7:40 PM

Subject: Rashid Burney; Cory Storch; Green, Ams. D.O.; HANW Committee

It is imperative that this communique be forward to Assemblyman Jerry Green immediately. Follow-up with a phone call. I would aslo reach out to Storch & Burney as well.
Bill Hetfield

-------------- Original message -------------- From: "HANW Committee" hanw@plainfieldwatch.org

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: (no subject)
From: MEChanda2@aol.com
Date: Mon, August 18, 2008 6:56 pm
To: hanw@plainfieldwatch.org

Dear Neighbors,

Bill Kruse of Hillside Ave has recently brought the following to our attention, and we thought that you too would want to know.

The Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey has recently purchased the house at 1025 Hillside Ave. This organization is in the process of converting the former private home into an institutional / residential / nursing home. Since the CP organization is non-profit the property will not be responsible for paying property taxes. According to Ms. Cathy Leiber of CP, the organization has also purchased a residence on Field Avenue in Plainfield which will enjoy the same tax free privileges.

As of last week when Bill Kruse visited the Code Enforcement, the City Clerk, and Tax Department at the City Hall, the sale had not been recorded and the records still list the name of the previous owner. However, it appears that the State has passed a Statute that enables organizations having the character of CP to pu rchase, without limitation, any and all residences they may elect in any municipality in the State. As to the protection of a Historic District (this house is not part of the District, but is adjacent to houses that are) it appears that CP can alter the interior to construct as many bedrooms as Code permits, and there are no restraints as long as they do not modify the exterior of the structure. CP has engaged Monarch Construction to perform the alterations and that organization has already applied for permission to install ramps for the handicapped. This application will be approved.

The home will be serviced by vans transporting the patients to and from vocational jobs and medical services. There will be a daytime caretaker. Relatives and friends can of course visit.

It appears as though the 2 homes acquired by CP will diminish Plainfield's tax rolls by about $24,000. It is possible that this organization will want to continue to purchase homes for a similar purpose in Plainfield.

Bill has requested a list of the number of residential properties which already have exempt tax status, and will advise you of the number when received, and what the implications are to our taxes.

HANW Committee

Critical Issues within the Western part of the 22nd District

Tonight I will be meeting with the Chief of Police and elected officials in Dunellen to give them my support in dealing with the string of burglaries and attempted burglaries and rash of vandalism to cars that have been reported in the Boro. I will be listening to their concerns and offering any support I can give on the State or County level. Also, I will be calling for a meeting in the near future to deal with these issues. The towns I will be inviting to that meeting are from the Western part of my District. They are Dunellen, Middlesex Boro, Greenbrook, North Plainfield, Fanwood, Scotch Plains and Plainfield. It is important that we work together as one unit as each of these towns is within 10 minutes of each other. It is important that we set-up a strategy so that we can not only share information but also talk about using manpower to deal with these issues. Each of these Municipalities should show the same concern because these issues could occur in each of these towns.

Working with Law Enforcement on a State and County level it is important that we take advantage of whatever resources they can give toward making the quality of life that the people in the Western part of my District can feel safe in their neighborhoods.

If you have any information that would help for this group feel free to contact my office.

Healthcare Task Force OB Services Sub Committee Recommendations

In continuing with my commitment to give you information on the issues that I am working on please note the following document.


Draft
Assemblyman Green’s Healthcare Task Force
OB Services Sub Committee
Recommendations

Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield provides an array of medical and clinical service in Plainfield and the surrounding community as an acute care hospital. One of their primary services is obstetrics and gynecology (OB) delivering approximately 1200 babies annually. With the impending closure of the hospital there is an urgent need to systemically address the need for service in this community and assure that no single hospital is overburden with filling the gap in these services.

This sub-committee has been charged with identifying ways and resources to assist patients and caregivers in the delivery of OB services in this region.

The sub-committee on obstetrics and gynecology (OB) consisted of representation from the following surrounding institutions:

Solaris Health System
Somerset Health Center
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Saint Peter’s Healthcare System
Atlantic Health System
Plainfield Rescue Squad
Plainfield Neighborhood Health Center

The delivery of OB services in this community is centered on the Neighbor Health
Center, their Midwife Program and a collaboration agreement with Muhlenberg Regional
Hospital. It was critical to the discussion to have a clear understanding of how the health
center and the hospital carried out their respective responsibilities.

We learned that the health center accounts for approximately 800 of the 1200 births at Muhlenberg and employs midwives to deliver regular births and OB physicians to deliver high risk babies. Robert Wood Johnson provides 21 hours of weekly onsite services to the center and 24/7 back-up supervisory coverage at Muhlenberg. The Midwives Program is not a contractual agreement with Muhlenberg, but they are credentialed and have privileges. It was also noted that the program has been successful.

It was recommended by the health center that JKF accept the majority of the center’s patients and the remainder be picked-up by the remaining hospitals. At this point it was estimated that individual hospital capacity ranged from a low of 200 to a high of 400 and we confirmed that none of the participating hospitals use midwives. This led to many other questions so we proposed that a list of question be prepared and shared in order to move the process forward. (List of questions and responses attached)

After discussing the responses to the questions it was concluded that the midwives model was not conducive to multi-hospital participation and not all hospitals were interested in a
midwives program. Additionally we were able to further define each hospitals capacity as follows: JFK has capacity for 150, Overlook has capacity for 150, Saint Peter’s has capacity for 200 with a concentration on high risk), RWJ has capacity for 200-300 of the 800 births coming from the health center and Somerset has no capacity. After further discussion there was consensus on the following issues for which recommendations are being presented.

o There needs to be developed a model for distribution of patient coming from the health center.
Recommendation — Conceptually assign patients to hospital on a calendar format. Where hospitals will be assigned a day and patients seen on that day will go there. Maintaining flexibility for hospitals reaching capacity and being able to shift assignments accordingly

o Uniform process of information for patients, physicians and hospitals.
Recommendation — Develop an electronic system that would enable the sharing of information between the health center and participating hospitals to include patient record, protocols and processes.

o In order to develop a distribution model and a system for the exchange of information and uniform protocols the committee
Recommends — Creating a committee with clinical representation of all participating hospital and the health center to create a workable model for all.

It is critical to understand that while we can create the model to address the gaps in OB services to this community we first and foremost must address the issue of compensation for the services deliver. While all of the hospitals on the task force are willing partners one issue must be abundantly clear - no hospital will engage in any model that does not make economic sense or threatens the financial stability of its institution.

Therefore we future recommend the following:

Ø Charity Care must be restored at minimum to cover services provided for this community
Ø We must seek assurances for presumptive Medicaid eligibility for mothers to cover cost of birth.
Ø Assemblyman Green should draft legislation that would make these services eligible as part of the criteria for the Governor’s proposed Hospital Stabilization Fund.


List of questions submitted on behalf of NHSC to the sub-committee on OB services of the Muhlenberg Taskforce for the discussion of the potential transition of our OB program.

1. What is the hospitals capacity?
(SPUH) 200 births annually with a focus on high risk
(OH) We are expecting 200-250 deliveries from Newark based Obstetricians. Any increase in an unassigned patient population would be cared for by the OH OB/Gyn hospitalists. Their volume has exceeded our initial expectations and this would therefore require hiring of additional staff. Basically, the capacity issue would be directly related to this work group along with the Healthstart nursing and administrative staff. Our present Healthstart Clinic space is not adequate to support any further increase.

2. Is the hospital willing to continue the current midwife model?
(SPUH) Saint Peter’s University Hospital is not in a position to take on the responsibility of the midwife program. We are of the opinion that the midwife program model does not work with multiple hospitals.
(OH) AH and OH are familiar with midwivery models. We don’t believe that is a hindrance and is worthy of consideration if appropriate on site board certified OB/Gyn physician coverage is in place at the Health Center. The larger issue is that OH cannot accept the volume discussed during our phone meeting or half of the present volume.

3. If no to (2) above, what would the hospital propose?
(SPUH) Saint Peter’s proposes that the center assign patients to hospitals after patients have been given the opportunity to select, by assigning hospitals according to the day of the week (i.e.: Monday — hospital A, Tuesday — hospital B, Wednesday — hospital C etc.)
(OH) We would be interested in learning what JFK proposes as an alternative.

4. Where will services be done: prenatal, L&D, post partum?
(SPUH) Saint Peter’s proposes that the center continue to provide prenatal and post partum services. L&D would be provided by the assigned hospital.
(OH) At OH indigent or unassigned care starts in our Healthstart clinic and then follows the appropriate path. We would not suggest that OH could in any way absorb this volume.

5. Who will be the collaborative physician for the midwives?
(SPUH) Saint Peter’s is not in a position to provide these services but believes they need to be provided.
(OH) If the Health Center were to remain then we would suggest that the collaborating physicians be those board certified OB/Gyn on site working with them.

6. If the hospital continues the midwife model: will the midwifes deliver?
(SPUH) Not at Saint Peter’s
(OH) We don’t see how this would be productive and or a good use of their time as it is not our impression that any one hospital can take this on for this collaboration to be effective.

7. How does your residency program work with any model of care?
(SPUH) Actively involved.
(OH) AH residency program initiates this July so too early to comment

8. How do they handle abortion and tubal ligation and IUD requests?
(SPUH) Not performed at Saint Peter’s University Hospital.
(OH) These requests in our clinic environment, JUD’s are accomplished through our clinic, tubal ligations are performed by the hospitalists and they will do them during c/section or electively, abortions have been sent to outside agencies.

9. Do we change the model of care on this side if they are the collaborative provider?
(SPUH) This needs further clarification.
(OH) Please clarify this question.

10. Can we see their midwife and OB/GYN protocol books?
(SPUH) Saint Peter’s does not have a midwife program. However, we propose that a monitoring committee be established with representation from each hospital willing to participate in providing 05 services along with the health center to establish best practices and protocols. The goal would be that protocols would be uniform in all locations.
(OH) If a working relationship is established we would be happy to share protocols.

11. How do we get around the 15 minutes to care’ for women in trouble at the MRMC satellite ER? If the satellite ER is not there? If the patient gets in trouble here at NHC Plainfield or Elizabeth?
(SPUH) Patient should go to nearest emergency department.
(OH) Excellent question and one to be answered by senior leadership for the health care system.

12. How quickly can the switch occur and will they be able to get current prenatal records from MRMC?
(SPUH) Saint Peter’s suggest patients be given updated medical records. We also suggest that the use of Electronic Medical Records should be considered at all with the monitoring committee in charge of its development.’
(OH) NO ANSWER

13. Will they have a doc onsite here for dcc only visits?
(SPUH) Saint Peter’s is not in a position to provide this service.
(OH) NO ANSWER

14. What is the process for addressing risk management cases?
(SPUH) The issue of risk management should be addressed by the monitoring committee.
(OH) NO ANSWER


--------------------------
(SPUH) Saint Peter’s University Hospital
(OH) Overlook Hospital

Health Care Task Force - Transportation Subcommittee Report

To continue with my commitment to give you information on the issues that I am working on please note the following document.


Assemblyman Green’s Health Care Task Force
Transportation Subcommittee Report

Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center is the only acute care hospital located in the City of Plainfield, a state designated medically underserved community. Although at least seven other hospitals and one federally qualified health center serve the City residents’ health care needs, many families without access to private transportation currently have difficulty accessing these health care providers. Additional public and private transportation services should be provided in the community to provide enhanced access to any of the area hospitals or the federally qualified health center that best fits residents’ health care needs.

The subcommittee concluded that these enhanced services should be prioritized in two ways. At present, the subcommittee and the full Task Force should focus their efforts on supplementing transportation services for residents specifically in need of services created by the pending closure of Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center. However, once those needs are addressed, the subcommittee recommends that the Task Force consider additional options to improve transportation to all area safety-net health care providers.

The Transportation Subcommittee has prepared the following recommendation to Assemblyman
Green’s Health Care Task Force for consideration to supplement transportation services for
residents specifically in need of services created by the pending closure of Muhlenberg Regional
Medical Center.

Emergency Services
The closure of acute care services at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center is going to place an increasing financial and operational burden on the Plainfield Rescue Squad. Although Muhlenberg will continue to operate a satellite emergency room that will be capable of treating most emergency medical conditions, DHSS regulations warn that persons in need of advanced life support; persons in an altered mental state or intoxicated; and persons over 20 weeks pregnant with symptoms of pregnancy should not be seen at the Muhlenberg satellite ED. The rescue squad will be required to transport these patients to one of the seven other area hospitals that currently serve Plainfield. The additional travel time required to transport these patients out of the City will require the Rescue Squad to add capacity.

The squad currently operates one ambulance to handle over 6,000 annual calls. It maintains a paid staff of EMT’ s during the daytime, and relies upon volunteer services to cover calls on the evenings and weekends. Ninety-eight percent of the Plainfield Rescue Squad’s revenue is generated from billing patients for services provided, however reimbursement from private and governmental payers like Medicare and Medicaid are not adequate to cover the costs expanding capacity to meet this demand and many patients do not have any health insurance to cover this cost.

Recommendations

Several Task Force member hospitals are all licensed EMS providers capable of providing
backup (second call) basic life support services for local EMS providers, including the Plainfield
Rescue Squad. These providers have offered to work with the Squad to negotiate an
arrangement to provide these services. This will ensure that the closure of Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center does not have an adverse impact on the availability of basic life support ambulance services to the City residents.

NOTE: The Plainfield Rescue Squad and Somerset Medical Center EMS have met to discuss this upcoming challenge and have agreed to work towards strengthening their current mutual aid agreements. (Somerset Medical Center EMS currently provides primary daytime basic life support coverage to South Plainfield and Green Brook — both municipalities are part of Plainfield’s mutual aid plan). The agencies will maintain open lines of communications and look for ways to work together to meet the needs of their communities.

Ambulatory Non-emergent Transportation
According to Solaris Health System, at least 2,700 patients access Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center each year by taxi or public transportation. Although many of these trips were to the emergency room, which will remain open at the medical center following the closure of acute care services, the Medical Center currently offers dozens of services that will be relocated to JFK Medical Center and other area hospitals post-closure.

Currently, Plainfield residents can access Somerset Medical Center via train on the Raritan Valley Line for a cost of $10.25 round trip and 20 mm travel time (including $4 cab ride from the Somerville Train Station to the Medical Center). Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center is accessible via NJ Transit Bus #819 from Downtown Plainfield for $2.70 and 15 mm travel time. Trinitas Hospital is accessible via NJ Transit bus #59 from Downtown Plainfield for 45 minutes a fair of $6.40 round trip. Although helpful, these limited public transportation options should be expanded to accommodate Plainfield area residents.


Recommendations

The subcommittee proposes to address these issues through the expansion of existing public
transportation services and through offering a new shuttle service to transport patients from the
Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center campus to the next closest hospital, JFK Medical Center in
Edison.

Public Transportation:
New Jersey Transit should reroute Transit bus #819 to JFK Medical Center (located less than 1 mile off its existing route) and to the Neighborhood Jealth Center Plainfield (located several blocks from the existing route). This route alteration would create a non-stop, reliable and inexpensive public transportation service between downtown Plainfield, the Neighborhood Health Center Plainfield, the SED at MRMC and JFK Medical Center.

Furthermore, the subcommittee recommends that NJ Transit alter the route of bus #59 to stop at to the Neighborhood Health Center Plainfield currently located several blocks from a stop on that route) to provide enhanced access to the Neighborhood Health Center Plainfield and Trinitas Hospital for Plainfield area residents.

Private Shuttle Service
Following the closure of acute care services at MRMC, Solaris will operate a free continuous loop shuttle service to and from the SED at Muhlenberg and JFK Medical Center. The shuttle will operate seven days a week from noon until 8 pm (coinciding with JFK Medical Center’s visitation hours). However, Solaris Health System plans to closely monitor utilization of this service and will adjust hours of operation as necessary to meet demand. This service will accommodate both patients who require non-emergent services at JFK Medical Center and individuals who wish to visit family members and friends who have been admitted to that hospital for care. No appointment will be necessary to ride the shuttle.

On-demand Transportation
Increasing public transportation access to area health care providers and the Solaris shuttle will provide city residents with new options to access safety-net providers following the closure of acute care services at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center, but public transportation is often not an attractive or appropriate option for some patients. Expended public bus service and Solaris Health System’s proposed shuttle will help patients access services at JFK Medical Center and Trinitas hospital, but the subcommittee recognizes that many patients currently utilize taxi services to travel to area hospitals or the Neighborhood Health Center Plainfield when their condition is not serious enough to call 911 for an ambulance. A taxi ride from most areas of Plainfield to Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center currently costs about $20. However, taxi service ftçj surrounding municipalities or to other area hospitals can cost as much as $70 round- trip — a major expense for many families. The subcommittee proposes that the Task Force seek to establish a medical taxi service for Plainfield Area Residents to travel to and from any of the area’s safety net providers for non-emergency health care services.

The Tn-County Red Cross currently provides a medical taxi service for patients who require a ride to and from scheduled doctor and non-emergent hospital appointments. The service is the only one of its kind in the region that: trains drivers and dispatchers in first aid and CPR to respond to ambulatory patients in an emergency; offers low-cost services; crosses county lines based on patient need; and is operated by a well-known non-profit entity. However, the Red Cross does not currently have the resources to expand capacity for the service.

The Red Cross has prepared a preliminary cost estimate to add the necessary capacity to expand this program to meet the needs of Plainfield residents to access all of the area’s hospitals and the Neighborhood Health Center Plainfield; roughly $70,000 per year per vehicle plus capital costs for vehicle purchases and driver training. However, the subcommittee did not have the expertise to estimate the number of cars that would be necessary to meet the demand for the program and recommends that the Task Force request assistance from DOT or an independent transportation consultant to assess projected demand for the program and better estimate costs.

We recommend that the Task Force seek start-up funding for this program from Governor Corzine’s proposed Hospital Stabilization Fund, which is intended to help prevent hospital closures or fund services or programs that will meet the healthcare needs of communities affected by hospital closures. Ongoing operations could be funded by a patient cost-share, government or private grant funds or contributions from task force members.

Note: Solaris Health System has agreed to contact with the Tn-County Red Cross to provide this service free-of-charge to patients seeking non-emergent transportation to JFK Medical Center following the closure of Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center.

Conclusion

The Transportation Subcommittee members voted unanimously to support this transportation plan, which we believe will meet the transportation needs of residents of the City of Plainfield and surrounding communities following the closure of acute care services at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center.

Transportation Subcommittee members also agreed that Assemblyman Green’s Health Care Task Force has presented unprecedented new opportunities for the region’s hospitals, the Neighborhood Health Center Plainfield, Union County, Union County College and other task force members to work collaboratively to address our community’s needs beyond those created by the pending closure of one hospital. We recommend that Assemblyman Green remission the Transportation Subcommittee to begin to address larger transportation needs in the City of Plainfield. We also recommend that the Assemblyman invite a representative of the New Jersey Department of Transportation in join this effort.

Assembly News Release: Hospital Bills

NEWS RELEASE
www.assemblydems.com

FOR RELEASE: CONTACT:
August 8, 2008 Alescia Teel
(609) 292-7065

GOVERNOR PENS INTO LAW PACKAGE OF BILLS
TO IMPROVE HOSPITAL EFFICIENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY
Measures Will Help To Stabilize Financial Health of State’s Hospitals

(TRENTON) – Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed into law a multi-bill legislative package aimed at stabilizing the long-term financial health of the state’s hospital industry to stave-off future hospital closings.

The measures were sponsored by Assembly members Herb Conaway, MD, Ralph R. Caputo, Albert Coutinho, Jerry Green, Linda Greenstein, Gary Schaer, Grace Spencer, Connie Wagner and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

“When avoidable financial hardships force hospitals to shut their doors, New Jerseyans in need are forced to travel longer distances to receive immediate medical care,” said Conaway (D-Burlington), chairman of the Assembly health committee and a practicing physician. “We cannot allow fiscal issues to cause another hospital to close its doors and further jeopardize the quality and availability of health care in New Jersey.”

The multi-bill package will enhance the fiscal transparency, accountability, and efficiency at general hospitals across New Jersey.

The new laws will help to counteract some of the significant issues feeding the current hospital fiscal crunch. The first measure (A-2606) – sponsored by Wagner (D-Bergen), Conaway, and Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer) – will require all general hospital board trustees to complete a training program approved by the commissioner of the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

“Hospital trustees must be trained in their role and responsibilities to ensure that a hospital is operating efficiently and managing its finances responsibly,” said Wagner. “Appropriate education and training are key to ensuring that hospital boards are staffed with the most capable and knowledgeable individuals to prevent mismanagement of precious hospital resources.”

The second measure (A-2607) – sponsored by Green (D-Union), Conaway, Coutinho (D-Essex) and Spencer (D-Essex) – will require every New Jersey hospital to hold at least one annual public meeting to allow the community to discuss concerns related to the delivery of health services. “It is imperative that New Jersey communities are part of the decision-making process regarding the delivery of health care services to ensure that hospitals are providing quality care to the communities that rely on its services the most,” said Green.

“Local hospitals have a responsibility to serve the needs of area residents first and foremost,” said Coutinho. “Decisions regarding how health care is delivered should not be made in a vacuum – the local community deserves to have a voice in the process.”

“Hospital officials need to ensure an open public dialogue regarding programs and services that can ensure the community’s health care needs are being met,” said Spencer.

Conaway, Caputo (D-Essex), Watson Coleman (D-Mercer), Schaer (D-Bergen/Passaic), Coutinho, and Spencer sponsored another bill (A-2608), which will authorize the state Department of Health and Senior Services to perform enhanced monitoring of financial performance and intervene in cases where a hospital is found to be in fiscal distress.

“Closer scrutiny of how health care dollars are spent at hospitals in dire financial straits can help turn around poor management and prevent a hospital from shutting its doors for good,” said Caputo.

“Audits and monitoring by state officials will bring accountability and transparency to New Jersey’s healthcare industry,” said Watson Coleman. “The state has a responsibility to step in and hold hospitals accountable for how health care dollars are spent and managed.”

“Giving state officials the power to intervene at the first sign of financial distress can help prevent the closing of yet another New Jersey health care facility,” said Schaer. “We must do everything to ensure that hospitals already operating in the red are being doubly responsible with their finances.”

The final measure (A-2609) – sponsored by Conaway (D-Burlington) and Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden) -- will prohibit hospitals from charging uninsured patients an amount greater than 15 percent of the Medicare rate while creating a sliding-scale based on income to determine how much an uninsured patient is charged for services rendered.

All of the measures are based on recommendations for improving the fiscal accountability and financial health of the state’s hospital industry from the New Jersey Commission on Rationalizing Health Care Resources. The commission released its final report earlier this year.

Today’s Comment: Potential Buyers for Muhlenberg Would want an Active License

I wanted to take this opportunity to support the ongoing efforts that Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs is taking to try to save Muhlenberg Hospital, and to inform my readers about what possibilities still exist in terms of the future of medical care being offered at the Muhlenberg Campus.

Currently, the mayor is in talks with a serious potential investor who might be interested in keeping Muhlenberg open as an acute care hospital. I myself am aware of two other potential buyers, and we’ll be meeting with one of them later this week. All of these three have the necessary financial backing and management experience to run Muhlenberg. Two of these three have made it clear that they want the hospital’s license to remain active for 60 days to have time to complete their proposals. In the hopes of making this happen, the mayor and I plan to meet with Commissioner Howard as soon as possible to discuss the need for the license to remain active to attract these potential buyers, and to give them time to do their homework and really prepare their proposals. Considering, as I told you in my posting on August 6th, the license for the Memorial Medical Center in South Amboy, which closed in 1999, was kept active for approximately two years, we think that it isn’t too much to be asking for just a few months. Our hope is that the commissioner can put everything on hold for at least 60 days to give these groups a little more time to examine the situation and prepare bids.

Solaris did not make finding potential buyers a top priority, so now we must. It’s clear that keeping the license active won’t affect Solaris’ plans for closure: they’ve already essentially downsized services at Muhlenberg and have begun moving out equipment. We’re only asking for this extension in the status of the license to give potential buyers the time that they need.

These are the types of things that we plan to communicate to the Commissioner shortly. We’ll keep you posted on any decisions or progress made.

Assemblyman Green's Mental Health Committee - Recommendations

To continue with my commitment to give you information on the issues that I am working on please note the following document.


DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS
(4/7/08)
ASSEMLYMAN GERALD GREEN’S
MENTAL HEALTH SUBCOMMITTEE


The Mental Health Subcommittee wants to prevent/minimize negative impact, associated with the closure of Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center’s (MRMC) Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. We believe that MRMC is and will continue to lose, specialized Mental Health staff as employees seek employment opportunities elsewhere. These staff losses may limit the Hospital’s ability to accept some inpatient mental health patients prior to the closure of acute care services at the Hospital. Thus, we recommend timely action to facilitate the transfer of services to other area providers prior to the closure of MRMC. Within this context, we make the following recommendations:

I. Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Beds + Psychiatric Emergency Services
a. Closed Beds (S.T.C.F.)

Subcommittee recommends that the Division of Mental Health Services/DHS, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Senior Services, redirect Middlesex County involuntary admissions away from Trinitas Hospital to a Middlesex County Inpatient Provider.

Impact — This proposed change would allow Trinitas Hospital to essentially replace 6 of the 8 dedicated involuntary closed psychiatric beds (S.T.C.F.) offered by MRMC in a rapid fashion.

b. Additional Closed Involuntary Psychiatric Beds

Subcommittee recommends that Trinitas Hospital’s C.N. Application for adding 2 adult closed psychiatric beds be awarded ASAP.

Impact — Adding 2 additional closed psychiatric beds at Trinitas Hospital will allow the Hospital to essentially replace all 8 closed adult psychiatric beds (STCF) offered at MRMC. Thus, Plainfield residents who require closed JSTCF level of care will have access to this service.

c. Adult Open Inpatient Psychiatric Beds

MRMC operates 16 voluntary beds and the Subcommittee has determined that generally, local providers (Union, Middlesex and Somerset) reportedly are operating their voluntary beds at high occupancy. No provider has the ability to add voluntary beds without construction which, generally, would be a 9 to 12 month process.

Impact — The loss of 16 licensed adult open acute beds in Plainfield (occupancy approximately 50%) may create immediate access issues for this type of service. The Screening Center must be able to access open beds in the County and from neighboring Middlesex and Somerset County Providers.


DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS (CONT’D.) - Page 2
(4/7/08)

Recommendation — Subcommittee requests that Solaris not request a de-licensing of these beds. The DOHSS & DHS/DMHS must examine the need for open acute beds in the Plainfield region and take appropriate action to meet that need.

d. Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES)

The subcommittee recommends that Psychiatric Emergency Services function and related contract (PES, site-based and Mobile) be transferred to Trinitas Hospital. This timely transfer will allow Trinitas time to interview existing MRMC staff for positions and to fill any current vacancies. Trinitas will also have time to develop relationships and process with surrounding hospitals operating voluntary inpatient psychiatric units, as well as with providers of outpatient services in the area. The subcommittee further recommends that since the psychiatric crisis service, while based in Plainfield, will largely be delivered in a variety of settings (Medical ERS, Family Health Center, that a phased redesign of the Psychiatric Emergency Service (PES) system is required. A redesigned PES system should include the following components:

Longer Term Recommendations - Adding hospital diversion, respite and increased post emergency follow-up components to Psychiatric ER, as recommended by the Governors Taskforce on Mental Health, would improve local system capability for diversion of people in crisis from inpatient psychiatric services. This could be accomplished through a competitive RFP or RU process. This promises better outcomes for persons served and alleviates some of the burden from a soon to be overstressed local acute care system.

Adding a crisis stabilization unit in front of the ER is an emerging best practice that has proven effective in other states. It could be positioned so that people who present with psychiatric emergencies but no co-occurring medical problems could avoid unnecessary, costly and intrusive medical clearance procedures. Staffing could include persons with personal experience with mental illness, another emerging best practice.

Impact — Transfer of the PES and the related contract allows continuation of critical infrastructure, which is necessary to handle psychiatric crisis’ to operate without interruption.

e. Replacement Inpatient Psychiatric Beds

Trinitas Hospital is stepping up in a crisis situation by volunteering to temporarily release 6 CN approved closed acute beds (STCF) to Middlesex County.


DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS (CONT’D.) - Page 3
(4/7/08)

Subcommittee recommends that the DOHSS/DHS work with Trinitas to add these 6 closed beds to its existing licensed number (21) and provide the capital to operationalize these beds.

II. Child/Adolescent Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Services (CIOP)

MRMC wishes to discontinue the operation of its CIOP that is operated on-site at the hospital by United Family and Children’s Services. Hospital reimbursement on a cost-basis allows the intensive program to operate. In order to maintain this service with existing reimbursement, which is likely to be revised, effective 1/2009.

Subcommittee recommends that the Departments of DHS/DCF allow the transfer of this program to Trinitas Hospital and that the latter continue to operate the program under an existing subcontract with UF&C until at least 12/31/08.

III. Intoxicated Patients

The subcommittee is very concerned about how intoxicated individuals who formerly were evaluated at the Muhlenberg Medical Emergency Room will be handled given the planned closure of the full service Emergency Department at MRMC.

Recommendation — The subcommittee is aware that the City of Plainfield has a task force focused on the issue of dealing with intoxicated persons in the city. Since the issue will likely be of greater concern after the closure of MRMC, we respectfully suggest that the Task Force accelerate the development and implementation of solutions to address this significant concern.

IV. Transportation

The subcommittee believes that the issue of transportation has various components. In addition, a subcommittee has been organized to identify issues and solutions associated with transportation. The MH subcommittee recommends that the subcommittee for transportation address this concern. The most significant transportation issue we perceive is the ambulance transport to Elizabeth of potentially committable patients. Based upon current data, approximately 350 individuals are committed to MRMC annually. Thus, on average, one trip per day. The subcommittee believes that current process where sending entity facilitates transport will be adequate to respond to this need.

V. Ambulatory Mental Health Services

The anticipated closure of MRMC’s inpatient psychiatric unit may impact on demands for ambulatory MH services.

Subcommittee recommendations that Union County Psychiatric Clinic, the primary provider to this population, assess potential impact and articulate these concerns in the process mentioned below as well as other appropriate existing county and state mental health processes.

VI. Implementation of Recommendations

The exposure of subcommittee members suggest that a team effort is required to guide successful implementation of a potentially redesigned psychiatric acute care system (inpatient, PES/Screening). Thus, the subcommittee recommends that it continue to operate and expand/contact, where appropriate, after the immediate task of developing recommendation is complete.


JL/nfr
Draft Recommendations

Today’s Comment: Affordable Housing within the District and the State

Normally, I would prefer not to reply to an unsigned blog comment. But due to the nature of this person’s comments and the fact that I am passionately involved in this subject within our state, I want to give the following commentary.

I received the following comments from a citizen of Plainfield:

“Jerry,I have lived in Plainfield for 21 years. I bought a beautiful home built in 1924 and have lovingly restored it to his original glory. I bought my home at, what was, at the time (1987) the top of the market, but I had a strong belief that over time, people would see Plainfield as an undiscovered gem within the state of prohibitive housing prices. I thought that this would bring about a renaissance of sorts - following in the footsteps of other towns such as Hoboken, Montclair, and now, Jersey City.
Sadly, this has not happened. Every opportunity in Plainfield has been rejected -- the administration fails to raise up the town and instead 'cashes' in on enticing those who can't afford to live elsewhere. We have accepted the affordable housing from other towns, we allow multiple dwelling establishments that are not safe, we fill retail spaces downtown with dollar stores, hair salons, quasi-restaurants, tattoo parlors and bail bondsmen. In 20 years, the town has deteriorated -- from the roads to our failing students and the charity cases that have forced the hospital to close. When you have such an economic imbalance within a town, no one wins. What do you plan to do about it??? Can you address that issue?”


As part of Democratic leadership, affordable housing has been an issue all over New Jersey. I am proud to have sponsored Bill A-500 (see the full description, below) and I want to lay out some facts on this legislation.

Towns like Plainfield should not have to carry the burden of affordable housing for an entire district, while towns such as Watchung, for example, pass their low-income residents off. We have public servants from other municipalities such as firefighters, police officers and teachers living in Plainfield because surrounding towns don’t have housing affordable enough for even them. What’s worse, Plainfield already has more than its share of group homes, half-way houses and the Park Hotel, which offers temporary housing and has become essentially a low-income hotel. It’s understandable that Plainfield residents would ask why other towns aren’t taking on their fair share of the same.

This legislation makes it so that each municipality has to provide its share of affordable housing—sharing the responsibility to provide low-income residents with housing across the state.

Here in Plainfield, by working with the current administration, we have tried to develop solutions for the problems that already exist. For example, when a home is purchased and turned into a group home, it is eventually removed from the tax rolls, meaning taxpayers like you and I have to pay more to cover the lost tax revenue. That’s why, working with the current administration, we’ve stopped adding these tax-free sources of lost revenue in the city.

I have created this blog to keep the citizens of the 22nd District informed of the issues or concerns that are critical to our community. If you have any ideas about this issue, do not hesitate to contact me or my office.


Please note the following News Release - Bill, ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR Assembly, No. 500.

www.assemblydems.com

For Release: Contact:
July 17, 2008 Press Office
(609) 292-7065

A-500: FACT VS. FICTION

Fiction: A-500 will increase a town's affordable housing obligations.
FACT: COAH's revised third-round regulations are entirely separate from A-500 and were not voted on by the Legislature. COAH's latest rules increased the affordable housing ratios from one affordable unit for every eight market-rate units to one affordable unit for every four market-rate units for residential construction and from one affordable unit for every 25 jobs created to one affordable unit for every 16 jobs created for nonresidential construction. These ratios were adopted by COAH in early June 2008 and are unrelated to A-500.

Fiction: A-500 will make it more expensive to do business in New Jersey.
FACT: A-500 will make development costs more manageable and predictable than the current COAH framework. Currently, developer fees are negotiated on a town-by-town basis, and can add as much as 10 percent to the cost of a project. Such fees threaten to impede economic development across the state. That is why A-500 implements a flat, statewide 2.5 percent fee. According to the Office of Legislative Services, this fee is expected to generate approximately $164 million annually.

Fiction: The new 2.5 percent nonresidential development fee will not cover the cost of producing the affordable housing generated from nonresidential construction.
FACT: Municipalities have a multitude of options at their disposal to meet their affordable housing obligations, many of which cost a town little or no money. By offering density bonuses and increased set asides, towns can make it possible for private developers to completely subsidize the cost of constructing significant numbers of affordable housing units. Municipalities also can extend expiring affordability controls on already existing affordable housing, at little or no cost. Moreover, COAH offers a package of bonus credits to towns for a variety of housing units, including previously constructed projects.

It is estimated that roughly $150 million derived from developer fees sits idle in municipal affordable housing trust funds statewide. Towns can use this money to "buy down" for-sale, market rate units - a process that can cost as little as $20,000 per unit, substantially less than the cost of constructing an entirely new home. Accessory apartments - such as those over a garage or in the ground-floor of a house - also count toward a town's COAH obligation and can cost as little as $20,000 per unit, too.

Fiction: A-500 will promote sprawl.
FACT: A-500 recognizes that certain regions of the state may not be right for high-density development. Under A-500, municipalities located in the Highlands, Pinelands, Meadowlands, and Fort Monmouth and Atlantic City areas will be able to coordinate to provide affordable housing based upon regional concerns. This will allow the proper balance to be struck with regard to environmental considerations and accessibility to public transportation.

Fiction: A-500 will force towns that don't have sufficient developable land to meet their affordable housing obligations anyway.
FACT: A-500 will codify COAH's vacant land adjustment, which allows towns with a lack of available, developable land to have their affordable housing obligations lowered. COAH regulations currently allow towns to apply for a vacant land adjustment. Memorializing the vacant land adjustment in state law will ensure this tool will continue to assist towns in complying with their obligations. COAH also offers towns the option of applying for durational adjustments, which temporarily absolve towns of affordable housing obligations based on insufficient water and sewer until such infrastructure becomes available.

Fiction: A-500 had no broad base of support.
FACT: A-500 was actively supported by a diverse coalition of mayors, realtors and developers, building and construction trade unions, faith-based organizations, housing advocates, environmentalists, planners, and the business community. All of these groups realized the importance of policy that reinforces the constitutional responsibility of towns to comply with their affordable housing obligations. Equally as important, these stakeholders realized the benefit sound housing policy could have for growing the state's economy and creating good jobs.

Fiction: A-500 will make it more difficult for towns to become COAH-compliant.
FACT: A-500 recognizes that many municipalities have been assigned unrealistic affordable housing obligations under COAH's revised third round rules. That is why the codification of the vacant land adjustment is essential to giving COAH and municipalities the tools they need to manage the impact of the revised third-round rules.

Fiction: COAH's revised regulations ignore the State Plan.
FACT: DCA Commissioner Doria has launched an important effort to revise the State Plan. One of the primary goals of the State Plan is to reconcile differences and conflicts in DCA and DEP regulations, particularly as they relate to the construction of housing and waste-water rules. A draft plan is expected to be unveiled in September, with six public hearings to be held throughout October and November, and final adoption by the State Planning Commission this December.

Fiction: A-500 is the final word on affordable housing reform by the Legislature.
FACT: The administration and Assembly and Senate leadership will hold a series of meetings over the coming months with key stakeholders to receive input on round-three concerns. Together, we will address concerns without comprising the constitutional obligation that every town has to provide affordable housing.

School System Solutions within the 22nd District

Because of how important our schools are, I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss some examples of the problems within our schools that I have been able to help resolve.

When the new school funding formula came out, I sat down with Superintendents in my district, including Dr. Bailey of Plainfield, and we were able to discuss our differences and ensure that the new funding formula did not hurt the children of the 22nd district.

There was an emergency problem with Plainfield High School needing some major repairs. Because Dr. Bailey and I were able to work together to clarify the problems, the state gave us $600,000 for these emergency repairs.

Before Dr. Bailey became the interim school superintendent, this level of communication did not exist. This lack of communication created other problems. For example, when the state recently determined funding for school construction in Plainfield, a lack of communication between Superintendent Carter’s administration, the School Board and those of us representing this area in Trenton resulted in the state using its own determinations to fund critical repairs for Woodland Elementary and Cook Elementary Schools, rather than meeting the desires of the citizens of Plainfield for funding for the high school or middle schools.

This was not an acceptable situation to me or Senator Nick Scutari. This missed opportunity puts us in a position where we will be receiving less money than we had anticipated.

So far, the state has committed $17+ million which can be used for Woodland or Cook Elementary School. I’m hoping to have open lines of communication with the Schools Development Authority and with the Plainfield Board of Education on how to best spend the $17+ million on either or both elementary schools. The agreement between Plainfield and the state for this money means that right now, funding for the high school and middle schools is not a top priority. I’m working with the current Superintendent and Members of the School Board to deal with school construction so that a lack of communication will not occur again as it had in the past.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Bailey for reaching out and working with me, and with state and county officials to help move the Plainfield school district in the right direction. Also, I have met the current superintendent, Dr. Gallon, and I am very impressed with his vision for the education of the children of Plainfield. I am hoping that the Board of Education and community will work with him to carry out his vision.

Hospital License Remains Active After Formally Being closed!

It was brought to my attention today that the license for the Memorial Medical Center in South Amboy, which ceased operations around 1999, was kept "active" by former NJDHSS Commissioner Grant, Assistant Commissioner Terence French, and the Director, Rosanna Dufgalla. It remained active until approximately June of 2001.

The request to maintain the license at Muhlenberg is similar to the request that was granted for the Memorial Medical Center. It is certainly interesting that a license was allowed to remain active in one situation and not in another where the two requests seem to be so much alike.

This is an issue that the Mayor and Council will definitely be discussing with the Health Commissioner. It is our hope to keep the active status of the license so that when we do find a buyer, the license should not be treated as “new,” which would mean new regulations. That could be a major problem for any new developer potentially interested in buying and running the hospital.

Just as this concern is something that needs to be addressed, the citizens of Plainfield and its elected officials need to list any issues like this that we have with the situation at Muhlenberg and take those to the Commissioner. This needs to be done before the State and Solaris finalize any financial agreement where the state would back bonds to put Solaris in a better financial position. One of the major concerns that we have stressed from the beginning was that money from these state-backed bonds should be set aside to ensure that
Solaris meets the commitments it has made to our city.

So, if you have any concerns about these issues, please contact Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, Councilwoman Linda Carter, Councilman Rashid Burney, or Councilman Bill Reid, so that we can bring all of these concerns to the attention of the Commissioner as soon as possible.

Bill A-2607/S-1794 signing on Friday, August 8, 2008 10:00am

Today I was informed by Governor Corzine’s office that he will soon be signing a bill that I sponsored along with some other related bills.

The signing will take place on Friday of this week at 10:00am at the Outpatient Services Auditorium, 2nd floor at Robert Wood Johnson-Hamilton, located at One Hamilton Health Place in Hamilton, NJ.

The following bills will be signed:

- A-2607/S-1794 Requires each general hospital and State psychiatric hospital to annually conduct public meetings for the community it serves.
- A-2609/S-1797 Prohibits hospitals from charging certain uninsured persons more than 15% greater than applicable Medicare rate
- S-1795/A-2606 Requires training for all trustees of general hospitals
- S-1796/A-2608 Authorizes enhanced DHSS monitoring of hospital financial performance and intervention in management of identified distressed hospitals.

Thank you for supporting me in the passage of this legislation.

Today’s Comment: What Makes my Blog Different?

From day one, I’ve tried to make my blog different. I’ve made a conscious decision not to get involved with negative blogging or negative blog comments. I am very proud that nothing has gone out on this blog that did not come from my mind. Still, there are those out there who, rather than take up debating the issues or offering solutions to the problems that we face, would rather imply that I am not writing my blog myself or that I am hiding comments from my readers, for whatever reasons.

If you have a problem with me, a politician who is looked at as a leader in my district and at the state level, trying to be positive and show a positive side of politics to my readers, that’s honestly not my problem- it’s yours. And I don’t want to feed into it. I have tried to take the high road here and so far, I think I have done well to talk about the solutions I am working on.

Bernice Paglia had some comments about my page recently on her blog, Plaintalker: “Also the writer of the blog notes receiving a lot of comments, but we notice none are published. So far, Plaintalker has published all comments, naughty or nice.” I shouldn’t have to answer to Bernice or anyone else about my abilities to speak, write or use common sense. I have a vision for this blog that includes responsible, positive discussion and solutions. I never promised readers that I would post all of their comments, especially when a few are anonymous, negative and off topic. For the many that have been none of those things, I believe I have the option of responding directly to those people or writing on their questions at a later time.

If we’re talking about what we don’t see on each other’s blogs, I haven’t seen Plaintalker offer any solutions. That’s because that’s not her style of reporting and that’s not what her blog is about. Her blog is very different from mine for many reasons and I believe we both have the right to keep our blogs the way we decide to.

Blogs are very different than newspapers and I think we should all remember that. You know, I have been interviewed by many, many reporters and I have only seen this level of negativity on these local blogs. I believe that no matter how the news comes out, people will always see through those who try to make people feel like they are on top of the issues, like they know something other people don’t know. I decided to do a blog because the ones that I read weren’t always talking about facts. Sometimes they got it right, and sometimes they got it half right, and other times they were allowed to put a rumor or a question out as though it were real news.

I have an advantage that I think makes my blog different: I’m a politician, and sometimes I’m privy to facts very early on that my readers might not know about. I wanted to start this blog as a place where I could, as quickly as possible, make sure that this information gets out to the people. I think this is a good model because normally the news has to travel through the reporter to the people, and that’s where the people sometimes suffer. Often, either they don’t get the facts because of the reporter’s personal bias or because the politicians didn’t trust the reporters to get the facts to the people without spinning them. Technology is helping people hear directly from the sources of news and I think this is a good thing, one that I want to embrace and I hope my readers appreciate. I have to think that part of the reason that I am being attacked for this blog is because the level of direct access to facts that I can provide to my readers scares people who are used to being the middlemen.

I would challenge anyone to debate me on the real issues that affect Plainfield, my district or even the state and our country. I have my own opinions and no one needs to be there to tell me what to say. I recently taped an interview for Channel 9 in which I debated a Republican colleague on the issue of the Speaker’s affordable housing bill. I felt I said what I wanted to say about it, and anyone who watched the interview could tell you there was no one in my ear- no one writing my arguments for me. I find it offensive that I should even have to argue this after everything I have accomplished and worked for. I don’t think it speaks well of those who accuse me of not being able to write.

I want this to be a place where I can give readers all the information that I can give, both to inform readers’ opinions and to back up my own. On that note, I’ve included a scan of the actual letter from Commissioner Howard’s office which helps give some background to the issues about Muhlenberg that I’ve been discussing in my previous few posts.

It’s things like this that I really hope to include as often as possible on my blog.

Of course, there are things as a politician that I find out that I can’t immediately alert people about, with good reason. Take, for instance, some recent rumors going around that I knew about the Muhlenberg closing long before the general public and held on to that information for some type of political gain. The truth is that when those of us present at the meeting with the State and Solaris reached an agreement for a $4.5 million advance on charity care funding to keep the hospital open for another six months, those present also agreed not to talk about what was going on publically to avoid scaring off potential buyers- something we are still trying to accomplish. Even still, I decided to come forward when two separate, major developers approached me to say that they didn’t feel Solaris was serious about finding a legitimate buyer. I find the whole accusation that this is something that I hid very odd because of how many times and for how long I have been trying to convince the public of the seriousness of the situation at Muhlenberg. It was at the City Council meeting on the first of this year that I publically said the situation was at crisis levels, and the literature and mailings that have come out of my office have addresses the problems at Muhlenberg for at least that long. In an effort to back up everything that I’m telling you here, I would add that Mr. John McGee, CEO for Solaris, can vouch for the facts as I’ve described them here.

I sincerely hope that this is the last time I have to use this blog for anything other than talk about real issues, and I hope that those people interested in getting the facts directly can at least appreciate what I am trying to do here.

Today’s Comment: Responding to Recent Editorials

This past week on the Editorial page of the Courier News, we’ve heard from some people in Edison who feel very strongly about the closure of Muhlenberg Hospital. But it’s clear from reading their opinions that these people don’t have all of the necessary information. For people to blame the current administration for the closure of Muhlenberg Hospital, I feel, is unfair and doesn’t consider all of the facts.

Unfortunately, it’s become clear that I should bring up some history on the subject to help get the facts out there.

First of all, I want it known that the Mayor and the City Council here in Plainfield have been working with me very closely over the past year on this issue. When Solaris first informed the city and state of the possible closure, it was Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and I who worked to get $4.5 million to keep it open for the last six months.

Years ago, I was told by some members of the Catholic community to watch out, because all urban hospitals were in danger of closing due to financial losses from charity care. What I was told at that time has held true: there have been ten major hospitals closures in our area in just the past year. At around the time that I started hearing these things, I sat down with Solaris and the former administration to talk about a plan to keep Muhlenberg Hospital open. The former administration stated at that time that they didn’t want to get involved.

When Solaris finally announced the closing publically, it came as no surprise to anyone who was aware of the decision made by the former administration and the Muhlenberg Advisory board.

We, meaning the current Mayor, her administration, City Council, some community members and myself, have fought very hard to save Muhlenberg. That’s why we fought to keep its license active for three years while we might look for a buyer. Unfortunately, today I received a letter from the Commissioner of Health explaining why the license can’t remain active, a letter which I intend to share with you in detail over the next few days. We’ve also asked the state to allow the city to have our own advisory board with the power to make decisions about the future of the Muhlenberg campus and to make certain that Solaris makes good on its promises to be responsible for the continued access to quality healthcare services for our citizens and the citizens of surrounding communities. The Mayor, City Council and I are going to meet with the State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Heather Howard, in the near future to discuss why she has not given the city what we want in terms of our own advisory board.

For all of this work, I feel that the City Council, the Mayor and her administration have done a fantastic job. I have promised not to be negative in my blog and to make this a positive blog that offers my solutions for discussion, rather than just hash out old problems and divisions, but I do want to say that I find it embarrassing when I read emails going out to the entire community which are very negative toward this administration and this City Council when they all have been working hard with other area hospitals to ensure healthcare services are still available for this community and those surrounding it.

Not only this, but they have worked to ensure that Solaris will continue to provide access to healthcare services for our citizens—right now, Solaris will have to pay for the availability of these services as required by the task force—but also they have worked to require Solaris to maintain the Muhlenberg Campus responsibly as we look for a new buyer, and the Mayor, the council and I have worked with the State to make certain that Solaris seeks out and accepts any fair offer. As it now stands, Solaris will have to work with the State to find a buyer for the campus responsibly, or else risk losing their license for JFK Medical Center.

In the meantime, as I discussed in my last posting, watching what has happened with the Muhlenberg closing motivated me to sponsor bill A2607, which will force hospitals to be more open with the communities that they serve by requiring yearly public meetings. From here on out, Solaris will have to communicate to Plainfield through these yearly meetings how it continues to meet the city’s needs, as required by the State.

In the spirit of keeping this blog positive, I won’t give my personal reasons as to why I feel Solaris will not go the extra mile to help find a buyer to continue services at Muhlenberg.

The most important fact to keep in mind when you have all of these groups asking why we can’t keep Muhlenberg open, or why can’t the city buy the hospital, is that any group who might buy the hospital would have to show how they would cover all expenses. Whatever group purchases the hospital would be responsible for providing the services I’ve described here- at a cost to that group. We are not prepared to let Solaris off the hook at the expense of the Plainfield taxpayer. This is why I feel that Plainfield is in much better shape than Irvington, who, because they did not take these kinds of steps, they are left with an empty hospital and the financial burden of providing their citizens with what we are requiring Solaris to provide for us.

I find it odd that a citizen of Edison would tell Plainfield’s taxpayers to support spending $10 million for a consultant, and another $20 million to condemn the Muhlenberg campus, and to assume responsibilities for the future of the campus (currently the responsibility of Solaris.) The State of New Jersey is being asked to back over $100 million in bonds for Solaris to close Muhlenberg, something that I think that these editorial writers out of Edison would not ask their own community members to back if they were in the same situation.

I hope that Solaris will not wait until this becomes a burden and that they will deal in a fair manner to help us find a buyer who won’t be a competitor to Solaris but who can provide what we need, including acute care and any other services to generate profit to offset some of the losses that have occurred at Muhlenberg over the years, rather than pass those burdens on to the taxpayer.

So, this issue is far from over, and as the Mayor and I work with Solaris to get what the city needs, I will continue to bring you any new information on an ongoing basis.

Bill A2607, and beyond…

In my last posting, I made a point of mentioning bill A2607, which I sponsored, which would have helped us tremendously in our recent dealings with Solaris regarding Muhlenberg Hospital. It is my understanding that the governor will be signing this bill into law sometime soon.
The bill is as follows:

“This bill is intended to provide members of the community served by each general hospital in this State with periodic opportunities to discuss issues relating to hospital operations and community concerns with the administrators and board of trustees of that facility.

The bill provides specifically as follows:

· A general hospital must, at least annually, conduct a public meeting to discuss issues relating to the operation of the hospital and concerns of the community with respect to the delivery of services at the hospital.

· The hospital is to ensure that:
-- at a minimum, the chief executive officer of the hospital, the chairman of the hospital board of trustees, and at least 25% of the members of the hospital board of trustees are present at the meeting and available to respond to questions from members of the public;
-- the meeting is open to members of the public and organized so as to provide the community served by the hospital with information about the operation of the hospital, and to provide an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions and raise issues of concern to them;
-- public notice of the meeting is provided: at least 14 days prior to the date of the meeting by posting written notice in the hospital in a conspicuous location that is available to the public, and by publishing the notice in a daily or weekly newspaper of general circulation in the service area of the hospital; and at least 30 days prior to the date of the meeting by posting notice on the Internet website of that hospital; and
-- the hospital provides notice of the meeting to the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) at least 30 days prior to the date of the meeting.

· DHSS is to post the notice of each such annual public meeting on its website.

· The bill takes effect on the 60th day following enactment.”

Just as I am giving readers the opportunity to read about this bill, I intend to use this blog to inform my readers about different bills that may affect their lives as soon as they become available- even before they reach this stage, when there is still time for discussion or even amendment.

In the future, please look to this page to read about new pieces of legislation, what these bills would do and who is sponsoring them. I look forward not only to informing readers about these but also hearing their reactions to them.