Island, Bayonne divided over St. Vincent's deal

With state Health Dept. meeting today, borough lawmakers rally for sale to N.J. community's hospital

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

By LISA SCHNEIDER

ADVANCE STAFF WRITER

The future of St. Vincent's Hospital, West Brighton, has pitted the communities of Bayonne and Staten Island against one another.

In anticipation of a meeting today in front of state Health Department analysts, Island politicians have rallied eagerly behind Bayonne Medical Center's proposal to acquire St. Vincent's, while Bayonne residents have ramped up their campaign against it.

An air of desperation pervades the process. With hospitals in both communities facing uncertain times, residents and politicians are fighting to preserve good-quality local health care. Yet the two communities do not see eye-to-eye on just how to do that.

Last week, a bipartisan coalition of Island politicians signed letters affirming their support for BMC's plan to purchase St. Vincent's and encouraging the state Health Department to approve it.

"The success of this application is of vital importance to the people of Staten Island and New York City as a whole," read a letter signed by City Councilmen Michael McMahon (D-North Shore), Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore) and James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn), as well as Speaker Christine Quinn.

Even though Staten Island is the state's fastest-growing county, it only has two acute-care hospitals, both of which are private, the letter noted.

And now, one of those hospitals has fallen on hard times. St. Vincent's parent company -- Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers -- declared bankruptcy last year and decided to sell its Staten Island facility, claiming it could not immediately invest the millions of dollars necessary to renovate the hospital.

BMC, a community hospital with 278 beds, emerged as the sole bidder for St. Vincent's, a 440-bed hospital with 350 beds currently in use.

COUNCIL MEMBERS

In their letter to the state Health Department, the Council members noted that BMC administrators have promised to pour substantial amounts of money into St. Vincent's infrastructure and equipment. These improvements, the letter said, "should greatly enhance the quality of services provided to all Staten Islanders."

"We believe that the acquisition of St. Vincent's Staten Island Medical Center by Bayonne Medical Center could represent an important and positive development toward ensuring that all Staten Islanders have access to quality health care," read another letter, signed by state Sens. Diane Savino and John Marchi, as well as Assemblymen John Lavelle and Michael Cusick.

Yet Bayonne residents increasingly have protested the purchase, declaring that such a deal could jeopardize medical care in communities on either side of the Kill van Kull.

Earlier this month, a group dubbed "the Coalition to Save Bayonne Medical Center" disseminated letters claiming that BMC was losing money, cutting back services and laying off dozens of staff.

"We all feel this and suffer along with the staff and our patients who have to do with less: Fewer beside caregivers, longer waits, fewer transporters and therapists, less van service, no choices at meal time, disappearing services, a deteriorating clinical environment, and (to no one's surprise) a falling census," the coalition wrote to physicians.

Coalition members blamed the hospital's woes on lack of leadership "as management vacates BMC for Saint Vincent's."

Robert Evans, BMC's president and CEO, responded in a letter to doctors by saying that the New Jersey hospital has fallen victim to a bad climate for all health care facilities in the region. He expressed anger and dismay at the coalition's efforts, warning that if the group succeeds in undermining the proposal to buy St. Vincent's, it could effectively doom BMC's future.

"I have seen much in my life -- good and bad -- but nothing like this -- it is just so demoralizing," Evans wrote in a letter to physicians in early October. He added, "I have done everything humanly possible to give our Hudson County-based hospital real options and solutions to the perils facing our colleagues at other facilities . ... However, time is running out."

The state Health Department could approve BMC's proposal as soon as early to mid-December.

Lisa Schneider covers health news for the Advance. She may be reached at schneider@siadvance.com.

Close Window