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Sign on Watchung Avenue lawn during debate over Muhlenberg's closure. |
Meetings are not normally disclosed to the public, but this one was announced at Wednesday's City Council Town Hall meeting at Cedarbrook School.
Showing posts with label Solaris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solaris. Show all posts
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Muhlenberg advisory committee meets tonight
Meetings are not normally disclosed to the public, but this one was announced at Wednesday's City Council Town Hall meeting at Cedarbrook School.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Solaris cuts staffing at Muhlenberg campus
Sources among Muhlenberg activists tell me that an LPN (licensed practical nurse) was transferred from the SED to the JFK facility, thus reducing staff coverage in Plainfield.
Additionally, these sources say the housekeeping staff for the entire campus was cut by half, and a maintenance worker who was hoping to retire after completing his FIFTY-FIFTH YEAR OF SERVICE this summer was summarily laid off, in addition to two persons in Medical Records.
Cuts such as these only underscore the financial difficulties Solaris seems to be facing.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
JFK Hospital pats self on the back in full-page ad. Should it?
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Aerial view of JFK Medical Center in Edison (Google). |
Such ads, unless they are tied in to a special issue or emphasis by the paper, often represent a response to unsettling news about the subject institution in the community.
In this case, it could be as a result of the hasty and unexpected departure of Solaris' CEO John McGee (see my post here), quickly followed by the termination of forty administrators, including fundraising staff (see here), both underscoring impressions in the community that Solaris is a financially troubled institution.
The ad touts various care specialties at JFK that have won recognition (those familiar with the history of Solaris will find bitter irony in JFK getting credit for angioplasty and stroke care -- areas in which Muhlenberg led the state).
As part of touting the construction under way at JFK's Edison facility, the ad says --
...[o]ur brand new Emergency Pavilion will bring the life-saving speed and efficiency of our current emergency room into an environment that is based on a patient-centered design. The new Pavilion will include private rooms, specialty treatment areas and rapid access to the emergency specialists..Plainfielders who have experienced the tender mercies of JFK's current emergency room might beg to differ.
There are complaints that treatment in the current ER is given with anything but speed and conditions are so crowded that patients often spend up to a day or more on a gurney in a hall instead of a room.
And this with a separate Satellite Emergency Department at the Muhlenberg campus!
If Solaris thought it would escape the noose of charity care by separating itself as much as possible from the Plainfield patient base (deliveries routed to Trinitas in Elizabeth, much care shunted to the Neighborhood Health Center, trauma to RWJ), it has no doubt come as a bitter surprise to find that charity care among its own Edison patient base has swollen so dramatically.
Plainfielders have fretted over the fate of the Muhlenberg SED, to which Solaris is only committed into 2013, per the closure agreement with the State.
However, given the continuing fiscal pressures on JFK and its own growing charity care, it seems to me at least likely that Solaris will do everything within its power to ensure that the Muhlenberg SED STAYS OPEN and its patient load is NOT SHIFTED to JFK.
Just don't expect any flowery full-page ads explaining it.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Solaris lays off forty
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Sign that once graced the entry to Muhlenberg Hospital. |
This comes on the heels of the sudden and unexpected exit of CEO John McGee a week ago Friday.
All of the positions are at Solaris' Edison headquarters, I am told.
There are unconfirmed whispers that the slimming down is in preparation for a takeover by another, larger healthcare outfit.
Others say 'as if'!
I'm of the school that thinks the layoffs are just another indication of the continuing financial problems at the healthcare company rather than any possible takeover.
One sign of the hard times is that 'development' (read 'fundraising') personnel are among those being laid off.
It's as if a dairy farmer were to lay off the milkmaids.
Hardly a winning move.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Muhlenberg: McGee's sudden departure from Solaris raises eyebrows
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Ernestine's switchboard lit up over the weekend. |
The sudden resignation last Friday of John McGee, CEO of Solaris, parent company of Plainfield's former Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center (now a Satellite Emergency Department of JFK), had eyebrows flying.
What no handing-off-of-the-baton photo? No celebratory banquet (or even luncheon)? No gold watch?
Did he jump? Or was he pushed? became all the talk of the switchboard circuits over the weekend.
As with other abrupt departures 'to pursue other interests' (at least we were spared the pols' usual fallback, 'to spend more time with family'), Muhlenberg and Solaris watchers had plenty of questions.
WAS MONEY INVOLVED?
What no handing-off-of-the-baton photo? No celebratory banquet (or even luncheon)? No gold watch?
Did he jump? Or was he pushed? became all the talk of the switchboard circuits over the weekend.
As with other abrupt departures 'to pursue other interests' (at least we were spared the pols' usual fallback, 'to spend more time with family'), Muhlenberg and Solaris watchers had plenty of questions.
WAS MONEY INVOLVED?
It's no secret New Jersey's hospitals are in financial difficulties, and JFK is no exception. As a relatively small healthcare system, Solaris has been viewed by healthcare professionals as top-heavy with highly paid administrators. Besides McGee, the system has CEOs for it JFK unit as well as the rehab/nursing homes (which includes Hartwyck at Cedar Brook in Plainfield). If no replacement is made for McGee, the system doubtless looks at a savings in the mid- to upper-six-figure range, money that could be well-spent elsewhere.
WHAT ABOUT THE MUHLENBERG SED?
Plainfielders and those of the surrounding communities who relied so heavily on Muhlenberg are sensitive to issues around the continued existence of the SED at the Muhlenberg campus.
I am told that the usage numbers continue to run in the range of 20,000 or so ER visits per year, and that the imaging services numbers are also running about on par.
With Solaris formally committed to the Muhlenberg SED into 2013, per the agreement with the state on closing Muhlenberg, the question arises as to whether Solaris will pull the plug in Plainfield.
I tend to think that won't happen for TWO reasons: 1) the JFK Emergency Room situation is reportedly overstressed and sometimes chaotic (why aren't the mainstream media all over this one?), and 2) Solaris is facing an unexpected rise in uncompensated charity care from an entirely unexpected direction: Edison's South Asian immigrant community, a future that Muhlenberg's snootier stepsister JFK never imagined for itself. Sic transit gloria mundi.
DEVELOPING THE MUHLENBERG SITE?
A very last 'little' fly in the ointment which could be an impetus for Solaris to get the ball rolling is, I am told, the $1 million+ per year in costs to heat and air condition the main building of the campus, even though most of it goes unused.Lastly, for Plainfielders, is the future of the Muhlenberg site.
The City Council has asked for input from the Robinson-Briggs administration about whether the property or a portion of it is subject to being put on the municipal tax rolls, since the reasons for which is was originally made exempt no longer apply. Specifically, there are the facts that the dialysis center is a for-profit entity as well as the imaging services located in the main complex. Plainfield's tax assessor has been reviewing the situation, which seems likely to result eventually in making at least a portion of the Muhlenberg property subject to municipal taxation.
Beyond the tax issue, however, is the general fate of the premises.The developer spoken of at the Planning Board last fall (see here) is evidently still waiting in the wings, with two matters unresolved and keeping talks from moving forward --
- 'Show me the money' -- Neither Solaris nor the Robinson-Briggs administration has received detailed financial information from the putative developer and Robinson-Briggs has already signaled she will not go forward without at least a memorandum of understanding outlining a potential deal (someone put a good idea in her head on this one).
- $17 million due to New Jersey -- The state's stipulation that any deal include repaying $17 million in monies extended by it to Solaris has been a deal-killer, as almost everyone recognizes. It would seem to me to make sense to try and get the state to drop the requirement or outright forgive the amount due. In this regard, one would hope the Solaris board was savvy enough to understand the need to have someone who could both argue from familiarity with facts on the ground in Plainfield and have the possibility of a friendly hearing from Gov. Christie. Such a person would more likely be someone like Plainfield native and Republican Assemblyman from Westfield Jon Bramnick than anyone else who could come to mind.
Maybe with McGee gone, some of these issues will begin to be resolved?
We can only hope so.
- Courier: "CEO of JFK's parent company stepping down"
- Ledger: "President of Solaris Health System resigns"
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Muhlenberg developer not on Planning Board agenda tonight
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Solaris would like to sell off the Muhlenberg Hospital site. |
Despite laying the ground for a presentation by a proposed developer of the Muhlenberg campus property at its October 21st meeting (see here), the developer will NOT appear before the Planning Board tonight, I am told.
Chairperson Ken Robertson and board member Ron Scott Bey had filled in other Planning Board members at the October meeting on informal talks between the developer's team, city staff and themselves, suggesting that the Board set aside time (I think I recall Mr. Scott Bey saying 'fifteen minutes') at its December 2nd meeting (tonight).
It was emphasized at the time that talks were in a very preliminary state, and that there was no letter of intent between the developer and Solaris Health System, owner of the former Muhlenberg Hospital site, a condition Mayor Robinson-Briggs (or at least her advisors) wanted before publicly moving ahead with any talks.
Is this a sputtering start, or just another balloon out of which the air has been let?**
Only time will tell.
**You do remember what Winston Churchill said about ending a sentence with a preposition, don't you?
- Plainfield Today: "Developer interested in Muhlenberg will present to Planning Board"
Friday, October 22, 2010
Developer interested in Muhlenberg will present to Planning Board
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A developer is interested in the 14-acre Muhlenberg campus. |
Between mid-afternoon yesterday and last night's Plainfield Planning Board meeting, there was a change in the agenda: the addition of a discussion of Muhlenberg under 'new business'.
Chairman Ken Robertson and board member Ron Scott Bey filled in other Planning Board members on a meeting last week between the developer's team, city staff and themselves.
Lacking a formal letter of intent from Solaris declaring an interest in selling the shuttered acute-care hospital, Robertson emphasized that the discussions are in a very preliminary stage.
The mayor's hesitancy to move forward without such a formal indication of interest is uncharacteristically wise of the Robinson-Briggs administration, given that a mishandling of Muhlenberg could be a political third rail for the mayor and her mentor, Assemblyman Jerry Green.
According to Robertson, 'everything is on the table' from the developer's point of view -- including possible use as an assisted care facility with a nursing home component, residential apartments, a wellness center and/or an adult daycare center. These were given just as examples of the range of possibilities on the table, and Robertson noted the developer was also exploring whether the Summit Medical Group would be interested in using part of the facility.
Board member Ron Scott Bey outlined three concerns he saw for any proposed development --
- Apartments -- fewer would be better;
- A medical model should be used everywhere possible; and
- Parking issues would need to be addressed
There was agreement among Board members to invite the putative developer and his team to make a 30-minute presentation at the Board's December 2 meeting.
Scott Bey was emphatic that the group be told to have their act together and to keep it to the time allotted.
Chairman Robertson also noted there would be a necessity of a meeting for the public to weigh in at a later date.
The fate of the Muhlenberg campus is a danger zone for elected officials, since there is widespread feeling in Plainfield and the surrounding communities that they more or less accepted the hospital's closure as a fait accompli back in 2008.
Muhlenberg's closure meant the loss of jobs for many unskilled and low-level employees among its 1,100 employees; many of these have been unable to find full-time or equivalent employment ever since.
Among the issues that will have to be addressed, should the process be moved forward with a formal letter of intent from Solaris, would be the fate of the Satellite Emergency Department (SED), responsibility for which Solaris is only committed to into 2013.
Other concerns the community has raised with Solaris in the past include the matter of an ambulance for the community and whether it should be supplied to the Plainfield Rescue Squad in some sort of arrangement, as well as the fate of the Muhlenberg Foundation about which there are great anxieties that monies given for Plainfield needs should not be siphoned off by Solaris to JFK.
And I would like to add one more, now that it seems there may be a real possibility of development: Centennial Hall. I think this excellent meeting facility, which can be isolated from the main buildings, should be made permanently available to the Plainfield community as a public meeting space as part of any deal that is worked out.
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
What about Muhlenberg's tax exemption?
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Aerial view of the 17-acre Muhlenberg campus. (Google Maps) |
And my thoughts turn to the Muhlenberg campus and its tax exemption.
Whatever numbers the Robinson-Briggs administration provides to the Council for the current fiscal year's budget, the Council will still be faced with the perennial dilemmas: ever-increasing health-benefits and pension pay-in costs will drive another search for places to cut (Recreation? Seniors? Public Works?) in an effort to define just what are the city's 'core services'.
Another way to approach the problem is to look at expanding the tax base, not just piling more on the backs of the already overburdened residential property owners.
Despite efforts by Frank Cretella to get some development projects going, the overall impression is that Robinson-Briggs is not very encouraging to developers.
But the media recently has picked up on developer interest in the 17-acre Muhlenberg campus (see here).
Though Solaris declined to identify prospective buyers or plans for the Courier's Mark Spivey, rumors continue that at least one developer is not at all interested in a healthcare-related use, but is eyeing the property for residential development. (That is 'thinking down the road', given the current state of the housing market.)
At the same time, some are questioning the CONTINUATION OF THE TAX-EXEMP STATUS of the large Muhlenberg campus, given that there are profit-making activities carried on in addition to the satellite emergency unit mandated by the state as a condition for closure of the acute-care facility two years ago.
Also, since the acute-care hospital function has been abandoned by Solaris, the parent organization of Muhlenberg and JFK, the city might be in a stronger position if it were to hold some property taxes should be assessed against the now-exempt facility.
Today's Courier reported the courts sided with Hunterdon Medical Center in a tax appeal case (see here), where the town had held that HMC's health and fitness center did not meet the state's 'hospital purpose' threshold.
One has to wonder if the city would be on stronger ground than Readington if it asserted taxes were due, especially since Solaris has abandoned the 'hospital purpose'.
Any talk of taxing the property, though, would hinge on a valuation.
While a lot of numbers have been tossed out in the past few years (remember that Solaris was hoping for $100 million for a piece of the campus back in the heady days when Assemblyman Jerry Green proposed building a public school on the property), the current market is quite sobering.
The most likely comparison for the Muhlenberg campus is the pending sale of the 230-bed Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus for $15 million to the for-profit MHA LLC (see here). According to a Plainfield activist who attended the state hearing on the sale held last week, the matter will be taken up by the state again at the end of September. (The state has questioned the price as low and challenged the lack of a public bidding process.)
In any event, finding a way to bring at least some of the 17-acre campus onto the tax rolls would benefit Plainfield tax payers in the long run, especially if Solaris looks to exit the entire situation when its mandated maintenance period for the SED ends next year.
- Olddoc: "September 1: More just potpourri"
- Courier: "Developers eye Muhlenberg, but not for hospital"
- Bergen Record: "Hearing set for sale of Meadowlands Hospital"
- Courier: "Hunterdon Medical Center wins tax appeal on fitness facility"
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Pedestrian struck, medevaced
The victim was medevaced to RWJ Medical Center in New Brunswick owing to problems getting an ambulance in timely fashion, I have been told.
This just underscores once again the medical transportation difficulties. If the Plainfield or North Plainfield Rescue Squads are on a call -- meaning to JFK or Overlook or RWJ -- they are essentially 'out of the water' for an hour or more due to travel times to and back.
And upwards of 70,000 residents of the two towns are left without coverage.
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Muhlenberg SED has hidden cost to Plainfield taxpayers, public safety
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Sign on Watchung Avenue lawn during Muhlenberg closure process. |
Chatting up a Plainfield police officer on an off-duty security assignment recently, I was surprised to learn that the Muhlenberg SED does not handle drunks, those high on drugs or psychiatric emergencies.
In the old days, Plainfield police would take drunks unable to navigate on their own and those under the influence of drugs to the Muhlenberg ER, where they were kept until safe to be on their own or a family member came to get them.
No more.
Now, Plainfield police officers must take alcohol- or drug-impaired folks to either Solaris' JFK Medical Center in Edison or to Overlook Hospital in Summit.
This can take an officer (or two) out of Plainfield FOR UP TO TWO HOURS PER INCIDENT. Also note that alcohol-related incidents are more frequent on weekend nights, when you might expect more officers to be needed on Plainfield's streets.
Add to that the EXTRA FUEL COSTS and you have an issue in the making. (Plainfield spent $414,000 on gasoline last year, according to the line in the temporary appropriations budget from the July 1st meeting.)
Psychiatric emergencies are even more time-consuming and expensive, as two officers respond to the incident and either call or wait for an ambulance (most often Atlantic Ambulance) to transport the person to Trinitas Medical Center in Elizabeth. One officer must ride along in the ambulance, meaning the other officer tags along to Elizabeth to bring the first officer back.
The ride to Elizabeth takes EVEN LONGER and USES MORE GAS than either of the other two runs, leaving Plainfield taxpayers on the hook for even more expenses and Plainfield itself with fewer cops on the street when needed.
With the recent wave of gang violence, Plainfield's police are already feeling stressed out and stretched thin. The Muhlenberg SED situation only compounds matters.
Plainfield's City Council might be amazed to find out just how many such calls are handled, how many hours police are diverted from their primary duty of protecting Plainfield's streets and neighborhoods, and the cost to the taxpayers for gas for all this extra schlepping around.
Which raises another point: Why hasn't Mayor Robinson-Briggs' and Assemblyman Green's Community Advisory Group jumped on this issue?
Instead of having the public lovefest as was done at Washington Community School back in the Spring, why not get down to specifics about what can be done to ameliorate this situation for the Plainfield taxpayers?
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Will Christie's charity care cuts push JFK over the edge?
Will Gov. Christie's revised charity-care payments to hospitals negatively affect Plainfield residents?
The question may well be asked after reports (see the Courier here, and the Ledger here) reveal that both Solaris' JFK (Muhlenberg isn't even mentioned any more) and Trinitas (which takes Plainfield's obstetrics cases) are looking at severe cuts under the new scheme.
JFK stands to lose $2.2 million and Trinitas $923,000.
Most worrisome to Plainfielders will be the JFK loss of funding, since Solaris must not only fund the operation of the JFK campus in Edison, but the Muhlenberg satellite emergency room, under the terms of the Certificate of Need allowing Solaris to shut down Muhlenberg in 2008.
With the long-term existence of the Muhlenberg SED a concern for Plainfielders and the issue of a new ambulance for Plainfield unresolved, the funding cut puts dark clouds on Plainfield's healthcare horizon.
This comes on top of persistent rumors that Solaris is on and ever more shaky financial footing, even having gone so far as putting its -- profitable -- home health care operation on the market.
If you're needing to sell off one of your money-making 'crown jewels', what does your future look like?
What would the healthcare map look like if JFK were gone?
What would the negative impacts be on delivery of healthcare services in the Muhlenberg service area, which includes Plainfield and twelve other communities?
Would EMT services be even more stressed out, with farther distances to go?
Would Plainfielders be at greater risk of negative -- or even fatal -- outcomes for cardiac or stroke emergencies?
Is there a calculation being made here that Plainfield lives are less valuable and more dispensable than others?
- Courier: "NJ charity care up for some, reduced for JFK"
- Ledger: "New charity care funding will cause losses for JFK, Trinitas"
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Agenda for tonight's Muhlenberg advisory group meeting
Hundreds protested Muhlenberg's closure.
Plainfielders can attend a public meeting of the Muhlenberg Community Advisory Group tonight, the first since its belated inception (Assemblyman Jerry Green and Mayor Robinson-Briggs only established the group nearly a year after the hospital's closure when Commissioner Heather Howard threatened to take the matter into her own hands -- see my report on that here).
Here is tonight's agenda, as distributed in an email blast by Dottie Gutenkauf --
- 7:30: Overview of the CAG’s Purpose, Accomplishments (co-chairs Assemblyman Green & Mayor Robinson-Briggs)
- 7:45: Overview of Current & Transferred Services—Satellite Emergency Department, Muhlenberg Campus (Adam Beder, Solaris)
- 8:00: Overview of Services: Plainfield Neighborhood Health Center (Rudine Smith, PNHC)
- 8:15: Status of Litigation (Ventantonio & Wildenham, attorneys representing Plainfield in the appeal to State Court)
- 8:30: Community Health Needs Assessment; Information Gathering; Questions & Answers (Eugene Baucum, PNHC)
As a refresher, you may want to check out the State's conditions on Muhlenberg's closure which I posted online in June 2008 (see here), recalling the list of key points in the closure --
In addition, the state is now recommending the satellite ER be kept open for at least FIVE years (rather than three), and outline detailed transportation concessions proposed to be mandated for five years.
- COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP: Solaris will set up and appoint co-chairs of an advisory group [since superseded by the CAG] to be in place for at least three years and charged with monitoring the closure process, performance of conditionally mandated services, 'explore options' for reinstatement of medical residency program, and examine the need for any services approved (by the state) for closure;
- MIDWIFE PROGRAM: Solaris to totally fund a physician to oversee midwifery services at the Neighborhood Health Center (NHC) for at least two years;
- OUTPATIENT PRIMARY CARE: Solaris shall 'initiate' primary care services 'at Muhlenberg or in conjuncion/agreement with NHC' Mon-Fri, half-day Sat and 2 days with evening hours;
- TRANSPORTATION: Solaris will be required to operate, at no cost to passengers and without regard to insurance status --
- SHUTTLE: MRMC to JFK, continuous, Noon-8:30 PM, 7 days/week
- MEDICAL TAXI: Contracted door-to-door service in Muhlenberg's primary and secondary areas, for non-emergent services at JFK (this section does not mention insurance status);
- AMBULANCE: Transport by contracted services from Muhlenberg's satellite ER to area providers, on a 24/7 basis;
- TRINITAS: Solaris to provide SCHEDULED transportation for obstetrics and behavioral health patients and their families at no cost from Muhlenberg's satellite ER to Trinitas (details of pre-natal/obstetric care by Trinitas are not provided other than a general statement of its 'willingness to serve');
- OUTREACH: An outreach effort, 'especially to the medically indigent', to ensure all residents of the hospital service areas have access to AVAILABLE SERVICES at the two Solaris locations -- JFK and Muhlenberg ER;
- DaVITA DIALYSIS CENER: Solaris shall not terminate the lease unless DaVita has obtained an alternative site 'within the same service area'; and lastly,
- COMMUNICATIONS PLAN: Solaris must notify the public with ads in Spanish and English in at least two newspapers, as well as advising impacted hospitals and EMS providers 15 days in advance of closure.
However, there were some weasel words: skipping over exactly to what extent Trinitas is taking on obstetrics patients and compelling midwifery oversight funding for only two years (much else is for five).
Assemblyman Jerry Green originally posted the CAG roster on his blog July 13, 2009 (see here) as follows --
If you are concerned that Solaris is living up to the terms of the Muhlenberg closure agreement or if you have any questions about the process you should be present at tonight's meeting.1) Assemblyman Jerry Green
2) Sharon Robinson-Briggs, Mayor
3)Marc Dashield, City Administrator (now presumably Bibi Taylor)
4)Rashid Burney, Council President (now presumably Annie McWilliams)
5) Marc Collicchio, Municipal Health Officer
6) Jenny Purnell, Plainfield Rescue Squad
7) B.J. Fleming, Captain – Plainfield Fire Division (alt. Firefighter Sheldon Green)
8) Troy Edwards, Sgt. – Plainfield Police Division (alt. P.O. William Tyler)
9) Colleen Mahr, Mayor (Fanwood)
10) Carmen Salvarrietta, Community Activist
11) Dottie Gutenkauf, Community Activist
12) Jay Jimenez, St. Peter's University Hospital
13) Lynn Kearny, Rahway Hospital
14) Dennis McGill, MD, Somerset Regional Medical Center
Muhlenberg Community Advisory Group
Tonight, 7:30 PM
Washington Community School
427 Darrow Avenue
(Parking available in the Spooner Avenue lot)
Tonight, 7:30 PM
Washington Community School
427 Darrow Avenue
(Parking available in the Spooner Avenue lot)
- Plainfield Today --
- 7/19/2009: "Something odd about upcoming Muhlenberg forum"
- 6/19/2008: "PT exclusive: State's Muhlenberg closure recommendations"
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Bus to Muhlenberg court hearing Tuesday
Sign in supporter's yard at height of closure crisis.
In an email blast Saturday evening, Plainfield activist and Muhlenberg supporter Dottie Gutenkauf advises there will be a bus to Tuesday's court hearing in Morristown, after all.
Here is the message from Dottie --
Thanks to the People’s Organization for Progress, THERE WILL BE A BUS FROM PLAINFIELD to the Appellate Court hearing on Tuesday, February 23 in Morristown. The hearing is in the Court House on Washington Street at Court Street.These are the oral arguments in the lawsuit brought by the City as a result of the activism of supporters of Muhlenberg.
Our hearing starts at 9:30 am so we will have to be there early in order to go through security, etc. The bus will get to Plainfield at 7 am and leave for Morristown shortly thereafter. We will not be leaving from our usual location but instead from the municipal parking lot on Second Street and Central Avenue. If anything changes I will send out another email—so check your email on Monday for an update, or call me Monday late afternoon or evening at 908-668-1149. The cost for the bus is $20 per person.
We will also have carpooling available—a number of people have already indicated they can take passengers. We’ll meet at the bus pickup location. For directions, go to http://www.co.morris.nj.us/maps/dirarbc.asp
Now that Heather Howard is no longer commissioner over hospital matters, there seems to be a chance that the Christie administration will re-examine the closure process.
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Death at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center?
Attendees at hearing on Muhlenberg closure, May 2008.
The obituary of a Plainfield resident who passed away at a tragically young age on December 20 (see here), stated that she died at 'Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center'. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of the young woman, but her passing at Muhlenberg raises questions.
An email from Muhlenberg activist and former mayoral candidate Deborah Dowe noted the obituary and questioned why this young woman died at the SED (Satellite Emergency Department), how she got there, and whether enough has been done by Solaris to inform the Plainfield community of the current limits of treatment provided at the Muhlenberg campus.
According to the new world order established by Solaris' closing of Muhlenberg, no one is supposed to be born or die at Muhlenberg in Plainfield any more.
I'll be taking a further look in the New Year at Solaris' self-reporting to the state on care, outcomes and patient satisfaction, as well as the Citizens Advisory Group assembled by Assemblyman Jerry Green and Mayor Robinson-Briggs from which we have yet to hear anything substantive.
-- Dan Damon [follow]
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Dan was wrong! Do you hear me -- wrong, wrong, wrong!
In my post on Monday that it was about time for Mayor Robinson-Briggs to pull a rabbit out of the hat in regard to Muhlenberg Hospital (see here), I was wrong.
Do you hear me?! Wrong, wrong, wrong!
I predicted that Mayor Sharon would call a meeting of the Community Advisory Group (CAG), of which she is the convenor, to announce that she was in talks with buyers (note the plural 's') for Muhlenberg.
I was wrong.
There was indeed a meeting of the CAG on Tuesday evening.
But neither Mayor Robinson-Briggs nor Assemblyman Jerry Green made an appearance.
Was it perhaps because they might have faced questions about Muhlenberg's Adult Day Care program, which is being moved away from the Plainfield campus to Edison by corporate parent Solaris Health System?
The move, quietly scheduled for this past Saturday -- that's right, you never knew about it! -- was mysteriously cancelled, even though the vans had arrived to make the move, when Edison refused to give a Certificate of Occupancy for the new premises.
A government employee working overtime in Edison on a Saturday to deny a C/O that surely had been worked on for weeks, if not months?
Rumors immediately began circulating whether an unnamed Democratic Assemblyman had pulled strings to avoid a potentially embarrassing incident just days before he faces a voting public upset over the fate of Muhlenberg.
More man-behind-yellow-curtain stuff?
Put that rabbit back in that hat, Dan.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Transportation policy birthing a problem for Solaris?
One cab company's offices are directly downstairs.
When a Plainfield woman gives birth in the back seat of a cab, it's news (see story here).
But when the story includes the fact that the cab is from Metuchen, it may be even bigger news.
Why was a Metuchen cab trying to take the woman to Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth, when she lives upstairs over one Plainfield cab company and directly across the street from the cab stand used by all of Plainfield's FIVE TAXI CAB companies?
Why not take a Plainfield cab?
I am told by someone following Solaris Health System's compliance with the terms of the Certificate of Need which allowed it to shut down Muhlenberg Hospital last summer that Solaris reimburses the designated cab company for transportation of delivering expectant mothers to Trinitas.
In the good old days, the woman would simply have hopped a cab downstairs and been at Muhlenberg in a matter of less than five minutes.
But Solaris has a better way, one that does not sacrifice any benefits to Plainfield residents who no longer can deliver at the local facility.
That better way is to call a designated transportation provider -- in this case, a Metuchen cab company -- and wait for them to arrive.
Unspoken in this story is how long it took for the cabbie to get from Metuchen to Plainfield. Let's say it was 30 minutes (the average time now listed in Solaris' reports on ambulance transportation from Muhlenberg to JFK).
In those thirty minutes, this woman could have been in the safe environment at Muhlenberg, with trained professionals on hand to assist in the birth.
Instead of waiting for a cab from Metuchen, whose driver then had to call 911, which then had to dispatch not only a cop but also the Plainfield Rescue Squad and a Mercy 6 unit to North Avenue to assist.
Not very cost effective by my lights.
And what if the birth had been fraught with difficulties?
Seems to me a good question for the recently-formed Citizens Advisory Group to take up is why Solaris should not designate one (or all) PLAINFIELD CAB COMPANIES to transport patients to Trinitas.
But then that's probably just too commonsensical.
- Courier: "Plainfield woman gives birth in cab"
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Troubling Muhlenberg ER rumor on closing's anniversary
As Muhlenberg supporters prepare to commemorate the closing of Plainfield's Muhlenberg Hospital a year ago (see end of post), an ugly rumor about the SED's future is making the rounds.
Word in the street is that Solaris Health System is finding the overhead of maintaining the entire complex a financial burden, especially with no buyer in sight, and would like to reduce expenses by mothballing the main building, of which the SED is a part.
This would mean moving the SED, imaging and records to another part of the campus.
Such a development would only increase the suspicions of stakeholders such as Restore Muhlenberg and POP that a plan like this was always in the thinking of Solaris but not presented in the original proposal for fear that it would be a deal-killer in getting the State's permission to shut down the hospital which had served Plainfield and the surrounding communities for 131 years.
Let's hope it's only a troubling rumor and not a real plan.
- Today - August 12. 6 - 8 PM. Commemorating the 1st Anniversary of Muhlenberg's Closing. A solemn observance on the eve of the first anniversary of the loss of Muhlenberg Hospital. All are invited to wear black and bring candles for a vigil as well as friends. Sponsors: Restore Muhlenberg Coalition and POP. Info: (908) 731-1518.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Should Muhlenberg advisory group take up ambulance issue?
Now that Plainfielders finally have an advisory group to monitor Solaris' compliance with the terms allowing it to shut down Muhlenberg as a critical-care hospital, the question arises whether one of the first items it should take up is the 'ambulance issue'.
After Sunday's fatal accident in front of his house involving a motorcycle stolen in New York City and driven by a Plainfield man, Councilor Rashid Burney circulated an email (addressed to 'the political leaders of Plainfield') describing the length of time it took to get ambulances for the fatally injured rider and three passengers in the car which the motorcycle struck.
Burney reports the North Plainfield Rescue Squad responded first within minutes of the accident and tried to resuscitate the rider; they took him away toward Muhlenberg.
The Fire Division extricated two of the car's occupants and put them on stretchers. According to Burney, the Watchung Rescue Squad arrived about 40 minutes after the accident and took the driver, while a Somerset MC ambulance came along minutes later and took the minor away (Burney seems not to account for the third occupant of the car).
This whole scene underscores one of the problems that was pointed out when Solaris first proposed closing Muhlenberg -- that the extra distance involved in transporting by ambulance to JFK or other hospitals would impair the quality of emergency response services in Plainfield.
Not to worry, we were told. All the bases will be covered, it was said. Other ambulances will pitch in and service will not suffer.
Unfortunately, Burney does not address the probability that the Plainfield Rescue Squad was simply already occupied and could not be in two places at once. Keep in mind that mutual aid between rescue squads is a long-established, highly reliable tactic given the limited resources available to any one community.
The most recent metrics on the Muhlenberg SED indicate that ambulance times from the SED to another hospital have crept up from 60 minutes to 67 minutes. That would mean that if the Plainfield Rescue Squad were transporting a patient to JFK when the motorcycle fatality happened it could be 'out of the water' for up to two hours -- more if the hospital were further away than JFK. Whose fault is that?
What ever happened to the second ambulance that Muhlenberg supporters believe was promised as part of the closure terms?
The issue has not be resolved, as far as I know, with Solaris claiming that no ambulance was ever promised to be provided to the Plainfield Rescue Squad.
Burney is looking for the Robinson-Briggs administration to bring forth a proposal to the Council on the EMT situation in Plainfield since, he says, the Rescue Squad is in a shaky financial position.
He is right that something should be done.
Volunteer rescue squads everywhere are always scrambling for money (recall that North Plainfield's was actually shut down briefly this past spring). Getting insurers to reimburse is one of the chief sources of funding, but as anyone knows, nothing is easy or automatic about reimbursements in the healthcare system.
Volunteer rescue squads generally have a high level of enthusiasm and dedication to providing EMT services (why would anyone volunteer otherwise?), but a low level of administrative, management and marketing savvy. That's one extreme positive trait and one negative.
If the city were to propose abolishing the Rescue Squad and instituting paid services provided by city employees, everyone would do well to take a deep breath and think that one through.
That would mean replacing ONE POSITIVE (volunteer enthusiasm and dedication) and ONE NEGATIVE (thin administrative and marketing skills) with THREE NEGATIVES:
the cost of city employees (and their benefits and pensions), the loss of that volunteer enthusiasm and no improvement in management or marketing savvy.
I am not convinced this administration, which has yet to discover the value of detailed memoranda (as opposed to glitzy PowerPoint presentations), is up to the task of inventorying the positives and negatives of the Rescue Squad, prioritizing the issues and proposing reasonable and effective means for dealing with the issues.
Instead of looking to the Robinson-Briggs administration to simply tear down what is here, why not look to the new Muhlenberg advisory committee for pointers on what to do, keeping in mind President Obama's mantra when he spoke to the AMA recently about his healthcare proposals (see here): "Fix what is broken; build on what works".
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Something odd about Mayor's upcoming Muhlenberg forum
NOTE: The State Health Planning Board's July meeting, originally set for July 23, has been canceled. (Update, Sunday, 7/19/2009.)
Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs has called a community forum for Tuesday at which the new Community Advisory Group for Muhlenberg will be 'formalized'.
There is something odd going on here.
Actually several odd things.
In case you haven't heard about the forum, you should toodle on by the city website and check out the forum notice (see here).
Odd thing #1 is the press release put up on Thursday afternoon (see here -- PDF).
Press releases posted on the website are composed in MS Word in a template that includes an image of the city seal, like this --
Oddly, the 'press release' for the forum features a PHOTOGRAPH of a plaque of the city seal, propped against a wall on top of a cabinet or bookcase of some sort. Here is a screen shot of the 'press release' --
-- and a closeup of the 'seal' image.
Kinda makes you wonder if the press release came from some place other than the Mayor's office. Some folks might think it was NOT news that the news doesn't actually come from the Mayor's office. Call me naïve.
At any rate, Mayor Robinson-Briggs' forum will address the advisory group for Muhlenberg (and also ongoing road work).
Odd thing #2: Some people were confused when the announcement of the advisory group came from Assemblyman Jerry Green instead of Mayor Robinson-Briggs (see here), leading Maria Pellum to comment on same on her blog (see here), causing Jerry to respond (see here).
Get out your Excedrin.
As I pointed out earlier (see here), the Robinson-Briggs administration was publicly upbraided at the June State Health Planning Board meeting for not having put this advisory group together to that point, and Heather Howard's representative said if the matter was not addressed before the July meeting, it would be taken out of the Robinson-Briggs' hands. (Mayor Robinson-Briggs had promised Commissioner Howard last September that she would name the group by the end of THAT MONTH -- see here.)
You'll be pleased to know that that '2x4 upside the head' seems to have gotten someone's attention.
But was a group actually appointed? You may want to reread the list and Assemblyman Green's blog on the matter (here) a couple of times and see if you can figure it out -- but remember that Excedrin I told you about? Get it out. Take it.
What on earth took so long? Except for the hospital representatives, the others are no-brainers and shouldn't have taken more than five minutes to list and recruit. (Well, maybe except for Salavarrieta, but that's another matter.)
At any rate, Assemblyman Green and Mayor Robinson-Briggs have come in under the deadline laid down last month -- by a whisker, the State Health Planning Board's July meeting is Thursday, the 23rd.
Which leads us to oddity #3, the venue for the meeting: Washington Community School. Using the school is not that unusual; in fact, Robinson-Briggs seems to find it almost the only place she likes to use besides City Hall.
What is odd is that she didn't think to hold the community forum at Muhlenberg's Centennial Hall.
Centennial Hall is still available for community use, at no cost, so why wouldn't she go THERE to make her big deal announcement that she has not only organized an advisory group, but that she made sure NO Solaris representation was on it. (Though I don't think that excluding Solaris is such a smart move.)
But maybe that's not so odd after all, since she has yet to take up her seat on the Muhlenberg Board and here we are staring her second term in the eye.
Amazing, isn't it?
COMMUNITY FORUM
Tuesday, July 21
7:30 PM
Washington Community School
427 Darrow Avenue
(Parking available in the Spooner Avenue lot)
Tuesday, July 21
7:30 PM
Washington Community School
427 Darrow Avenue
(Parking available in the Spooner Avenue lot)
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