My Take on Muhlenberg Hospital

Last year, while campaigning on behalf of Barack Obama and the New Democrats for Plainfield, we laid out an approach to saving Muhlenberg Hospital. As I walk through your neighborhoods, meeting with you and hearing your concerns, Muhlenberg comes up frequently. Although the hospital has closed, there is no reason it cannot be reopened immediately as a full-service facility. I thought that now would be an opportune time to remind us all of what can and should be done:

Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center is a medical, economic, and social centerpiece of the Plainfield community. It is a medical institution highly regarded by its patients and by the medical professional community. The state commission appointed by Governor John Corzine for “Rationalizing Health Care” clearly identified Muhlenberg as an essential hospital serving a community with great needs, in contrast to other hospital service areas that have more beds than are being used. This commission recommends using state funding to support hospitals like Muhlenberg while closing hospitals that are less needed.

In order to save Muhlenberg and the essential medical services it provides, solutions must address root causes, i.e., the 1.5 million New Jersey residents who lack any form of medical insurance. The greater Plainfield area has a significant portion of New Jersey’s uninsured, and most of them need insurance, not only to pay for inpatient care, but more importantly, to pay for preventative, wellness, and primary outpatient care. More insured residents will result in less unnecessary and expensive emergency room visits and less inpatient care. This is the future of medicine and Muhlenberg should be the focal point for these new trends in medicine.

Muhlenberg can continue to be a leader for medical services to those who desperately need them. We need to take the following steps to make this happen:

• State government should provide cash infusion of $18 million from the charity care account for a one-year period to give Muhlenberg time for more lasting solutions. This is in the spirit of the state’s commission on Rationalizing Health Care.
  
• Along this line, a hospital stabilization fund must be created to save distressed but essential NJ hospitals. Muhlenberg must be the first participant in this fund.
  
• State Senator Vitale’s Universal Healthcare legislation should be fast-tracked to provide all New Jerseyans with the healthcare we need and deserve. All legislators serving the Muhlenberg community should sign on as co-sponsors of this bill.
  
• Charity Care funding must be used rationally. This can only be done if hospital financial records are readily available for public scrutiny, so as to make community hospitals such as Muhlenberg transparent and accountable to the community.
  
• Annual Financial Statements must be provided in a timely manner to any citizen who requests them. Additionally, annual public hearings for each NJ hospital should be required for full disclosure of its financial position.
  
• Charity care fund distribution should include reimbursements to reward efficiency and quality. This will clearly benefit Muhlenberg.

We know what it will take to save Muhlenberg.

What is needed is the political will to do it.

Regards, Adrian