CarePoint Hospital Workers To Rally In Hoboken Park Tuesday

HOBOKEN, NJ — As CarePoint's three Hudson County hospitals undergo management changes and potential layoffs, health workers and local legislators will attend a rally in Church Square Park in Hoboken on Tuesday afternoon, a union spokesperson said.

CarePoint runs three hospitals — Hoboken University Medical Center, Christ Hospital, and Bayonne Medical Center — that serve tens of thousands of people in a densely populated urban area. They also provide Charity Care to help the needy population nearby. READ MORE: Hudson County Hospital Chain Says It's In Dire Need Of Aid To Treat Needy, Posts Petition

The company has been dealing with financial difficulties for some time. Union representatives say they want to make sure the hospitals stay open and provide the same level of care as before.

The rally will take place from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Church Square Park, 400 Garden St., Hoboken.

The rally is being coordinated by three unions representing hospital employees:JNESO District Council 1, IUOE-AFL-CIO, the professional health care union, District 1199J National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees AFSCME, AFL-CIO, and the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) SEIU Healthcare.

The unions say that the following will attend:

• Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla
• Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop
• Hudson County Executive Craig Guy
• Hudson County Commissioners
• Bill Odea and Anthony Romano
• Hudson County Register Jeff Dublin
• Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez
• Jersey City Council President Joyce Watterman
• U.S. Congressman Robert Menendez
• Union City Senator/Mayor Brian Stack
• Jersey City NAACP President Charles Mainor
• District 1199J President Craig Ford
• Jneso Exec. Director Doug Placa
• CIT representative HPAE Nanette Rivera

“Hoboken University Medical Center is an extremely valuable community asset. This rally is meant to save the hospital, save healthcare, and make sure this facility remains open as a full-service acute care medical center that can continue to serve and benefit the local community,” said Douglas Placa, rally organizer and Executive Director of JNESO, which represents over 300 nurses at HUMC.

Several nurses and staff have already been laid off, and additional layoffs may be coming to help close a growing financial crisis at HUMC, said a spokesperson for the unions.

“We ask that Governor Philip Murphy and the New Jersey State Department of Health to take all measures to insure the continued operation and long-term stability of Hoboken and Christ Hospitals,” said Craig Ford, rally organizer and President of District 1199J NUHHCE/AFSCME - AFL-CIO, which represents over 500 health care workers at Hoboken and Christ Hospitals.

He added, “All of these hospitals are in the heart of the community; residents have no access to any other health care services other than Jersey City Medical Center (RWJ) which is miles away.”

Ford also noted that small business owners rely heavily on the Hospital to keep their businesses open.

“Simply put, if the hospitals close, it would put community residents’ health care and lives in jeopardy,” he said.