Plainfield Assemblyman Jerry Green is one wily politician. Which makes it all the more important to parse today's news (see here) that Jerry has a 'serious developer' who will outline a plan to rescue beleaguered Muhlenberg hospital by having the city become the owner and 'streamlining' it so that it does not compete with JFK or RWJ -- and all this two weeks before a primary election in which Green's political status is (by proxy) on trial.
So, what to make of Jerry's proposal?
It raises more questions than it answers, but here are some that Plainfielders may want to ask on Wednesday evening, when Jerry's developer -- make that SERIOUS developer -- Drew Piscatelli outlines his proposal for Muhlenberg.
- WILL MUHLENBERG CLOSE BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE? I am told that Solaris cannot even contemplate anything except a sale as an acute-care hospital until after the State grants a certificate of need to close the hospital. So much for the patients, medical and support staffs.
- HOW WILL THE CITY COME TO 'OWN' THE HOSPITAL? And how will it pay the $2 million/month carrying charges? And why is Plainfield ownership better than ownership by 13 communities -- which Jerry refused to consider earlier?
- WHERE DID THE $18M PRICETAG COME FROM? How did Jerry come up with $18M? What happened to the $48M Solaris talks about?
- IF THE 'NEW' MUHLENBERG IS NOT TO COMPETE WITH JFK or RWJ, WHAT WILL IT OFFER? Will there be actual 'non-compete' agreements with the other hospitals forbidding the 'new' Muhlenberg from cutting into any of their (profitable) businesses?
- WHERE WILL THE MANAGEMENT TEAM COME FROM? What does 'Whoever will step up' mean? Does that mean the Mayor's management team? Her communications team? Who?
- HOW WOULD A 'DOCTOR'S SHOPPING MALL' WORK? Will they just have offices? And why would they move their offices there? What about the doctors' offices already on Park Avenue? Would they become vacant properties?
- WHAT ABOUT CHARITY CARE? You know, the people without insurace, who aren't going to go away just because Solaris wants to close Muhlenberg? Where will they go?
- WILL THE HOSPITAL BE TURNED INTO AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY AS PISCATELLI PLANNED ELSEWHERE? Jerry's 'serious developer' has a track record elsewhere. Has anybody checked it out? How has he done in South Amboy? In Millville?
- WHAT IF SOLARIS DOES NOT SHARE ASSEMBLYMAN GREEN'S VISION? Who holds the winning cards here?
Without even going into why Jerry's dog-and-pony show is immediately followed by a forum for his candidates in the June Primary.
-- Dan Damon
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11 comments:
Hello Dan,
I opened my email a little while ago to see that Joan Hervey sent me an email about a forum tomorrow following the meeting about Muhlenberg. It's by a group calling itself Women for Progress in Plainfield. Do you know who this group is? Is it a gay and lesbian group in town? If so, I have never heard of them and I thought I knew who all the LGBTI groups were.
I have heard other rumors about Piscatelli coming in to build an assisted living facility. Jerry Green takes a LOT of money from building contractors, electrical contractors, developers, real estate contractors, and companies and corporate interests that do business in the city. The Star Ledge has a website called New Jersey By the Numbers where you can go to see who has given money to campaigns. So far they have the information up until 2005. You have to go to the state to get more recent years. I am sure they could tell a story. As it is, if you look up Jerry Green's contributions you can see that he received money from many builders, contractor PACs and individuals associated with them. You will also see names from many healthcare PACs and some names you will be very familiar with.
A political action committee called Builders PAC gave Green $8,200 in February of 2005 and another $8,200 in September of 2005.
Many people believe that the plan all along was to turn Muhlenberg into one of these high-profit facilities. Lets see what happens. Can Green promise the people that he won't allow it to become an assisted-living facility? This question and many others about Piscatelli and the builders and health PACs that donate to Jerry Green should be asked at the forum you mentioned.
Look at the recent contract bid to finish the city hall facade made by Watertrol. This company and its prinicipals have given thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to Jerry Green's political campaigns and allies. Here is the link to the web site. On the right there is a list of Star Ledger databases. Click on Campaign Contributions and then enter "Jerry Green" and "22nd" and you will get to a list of his political donors and to some of assemblymwoman Stenders. You can do this for all the state legislators. Remember, follow the money.
http://www.nj.com/news/bythenumbers/
Dan and Anonymous,
I rec'd the same email from Joan Hervey as well, It took me back to an email I rec'd from Joan two years back when AL McWilliams and Sharon Robinson-Briggs ran for Mayor and her handlers did not want her to attend the League of Women’s Voters forum. They came up with a group called "Women Across the City" and held a forum on the same night. This is just the same group with a different name. For shame Joan
Dan,
To think that Jerry Green, after all the years that he as run this city, would be part of something that would have a positive and lasting impact on Plainfield is beyond plausibility. Under his leadership,this self serving politician has done everthing to discourage empowerment of the black community and the market place. He has done nothing and will continue only to do what will keep him and his factotums in power - so that they can continue to feed upon Plainfield tax dollars. This latest grandstanding, over the saving of Muhlenberg, is an embarrassment and an insult to Plainfield.
Remove SHARON! from office.
Go to: http://www.nj.gov/oag/elections/Election-recall-information/recall_petition_forms-instructions-1.23.08.pdf
Regarding the earlier post about the group Women for Progress in Plainfield I read a brief bit about it in today's Courier. It is listed as a nonprofit organization but there is no mention of its members, board of trustees, or even the event organizers. This is puzzling, as nonprofits are supposed to be registered with the state. There is no state listing either. I checked on the lists of non-profits in the city and there is no listing for them. There is also no contact information in the press release about this group, which is VERY unusual. Is this yet another one of Jerry Green's "sham" organizations set up to promote his political candidates? If not, why do they not mention their names and the group's mission, goals and what they have done for progress in the community? If so, it sure does smell. It will backfire on him in a bad way. I plan to go just to see if the same old stale divisive political cronies and faces that usually surround Jerry are there. You can usually tell by the tone of the event. I remember a few years ago a group called Women Across the City, also a fake nonprofit group. It will be immediately clear if this is some more political grandstanding on the backs of the residents of Plainfield who are truly concerned about Plainfield. If so, shame on Jerry Green, his candidates, and all these so-called Women for Progress in Plainfield. Jerry Green has for years shown that he will go beneath the gutter to get his candidates elected. Let's see if this is more of the same.
Dan,
What I don't understand about this whole situation; if the Charity Care provided by the hospital is responsible for the enormous deficits, which, in turn, have resulted in its impending shut-down - what will change in that equation with a take-over by the city? i won't make any snide remarks about our city's inability to govern itself let alone a hospital.
I agree with the previous poster about assisted living. The units still at the hospital are in place for an assisted living facility. Assisted living facility residents wouldn't have to leave to get the dialysis and other treatments. What are the names of the contractors Piscatelli works with? Have any of them contributed to Jerry Green? Is the fix in? The amount of money Jerry Green gets from politically connected builders and the other groups mentioned in post #2 is PHENOMENAL! I couldn't believe the names I was reading. Why do they give? Do we really think they want nothing in return? Jerry is delivering this city over to developers who then give him money. The developers get consulting contracts and then give money to support Jerry's reelection campaigns. None of this would happen if we had real pay-to-play legislation. Jerry doesn't want that though.
The fact is, Muhlenberg is not being shut down because of charity care. We checked Muhlenberg's 2006 financials ... it's in the black.
The hospital is being shut down because Solaris wants all the profitable medical practices at JFK, wants to shunt the charity care off to all the surrounding hospitals, and wants to use Muhlenberg campus for other purposes.
So, are you saying that Muhlenberg was not losing money as reported??
Of course Muhlenberg is losing money. What is the title of the post? Is this about saving Muhlenberg or is it about Jerry?
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