Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla will join the CarePoint Board during Monday’s meeting to advance greater transparency and oversight over the operations of Hoboken University Medical Center after it was announced that layoffs could be coming.
Mayor Bhalla will be the City of Hoboken’s official representative during th meeting on Monday, September 23rd. The move aims to provide the City with greater insight and also strengthen the flow of information between the New Jersey Department of Health, CarePoint’s leadership group, the Board, and elected officials.
Last week’s vote by the CarePoint Board to explore financial restructuring options, which may include bankruptcy, led directly to the Mayor wanting to be directly involved with the Board. CarePoint Health issued WARN notices recently to all employees at HUMC, Christ Hospital in Jersey City, and the Bayonne Medical Center, giving them 90 days’ notice of potential layoffs. 2,600 employees are impacted and received the notices.
Mayor Bhalla issued the following statement: “While I have the utmost confidence in my appointee to the CarePoint Board, and have had several discussions with CarePoint leadership, there is a substantial breakdown in communication among hospital leadership, the board, and elected officials. There is a need for greater transparency and by joining the Board, I will be directly involved in discussions about the operation of the hospital, so that I can strongly and effectively advocate for the residents I represent. My utmost priority is to ensure the health and safety of residents and make certain that Hoboken University Medical Center and the CarePoint system remain open and fully operational to provide the essential medical care my community relies on.”