Secaucus Hospital Owner Continues Quest To Own 4 Hudson County Hospitals

SECAUCUS, NJ — On Thursday, the New Jersey Department of Health officially approved the final application from Hudson Regional Hospital to become the owner/operator of Bayonne Medical Center.

In November, Yan Moshe, the owner of the Secaucus hospital, announced he was going to assume ownership of Bayonne Medical Center. But the takeover was not finalized; the state of New Jersey had to sign off on it.

On Thursday, NJ Department of Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston approved a "certificate of need" application from Hudson Regional to become the permanent owner/operator of Bayonne Medical Center.

Bayonne, the Hoboken hospital and Christ Hospital in the Jersey City Heights all used to be owned by CarePoint Health. Those three hospitals serve more than 60 percent of the population in Hudson County, and 65 percent of their patients are uninsured or underinsured.

But CarePoint declared bankruptcy in November, after it told the state it needed a $100-million bailout to continue operations — and even then it might not be enough to make payroll or pay its bills.

This was a hostile takeover by Moshe: He and CarePoint clashed for years, and in 2020 Moshe purchased the land on which Bayonne Medical Center sits — so CarePoint technically became Moshe's tenant. At one point, CarePoint even filed a restraining order against Moshe, something usually used in domestic violence cases and not to block hostile corporate takeovers.

However in late October of last year, just before Carepoint filed for bankruptcy, CarePoint's Board of Trustees agreed to "transition" operations at the three hospitals to Hudson Regional.

Moshe wants the Secaucus hospital, Bayonne, Hoboken and Christ hospitals to operate under the name Hudson Health System, which he will own as sole ownership.

However, Moshe has not taken over operations of Christ and Hoboken — yet. Those two hospitals are still technically owned by CarePoint; the matter is tied up in bankruptcy court.

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis — currently running against Secaucus resident Frank Schillari to be Hudson County Sheriff — said this week he is glad Hudson Regional is now the owner of his town hospital.

He said it saved the life of Bayonne Medical Center.

“I am very happy that the New Jersey Department of Health issued a certificate of need to Hudson Regional Hospital for Bayonne Medical Center (BMC),” said Davis. “This is a great development that will enable BMC to serve the community as a full-service hospital. Bayonne needs a fully operational hospital that can serve the healthcare needs of our residents and our neighbors from Hudson County.”

“This is the first time in maybe 25 or 30 years that I am confident that we have owners of Bayonne Hospital, and we are not going through this in another ten years from now again,” Davis previously said.

"I am pleased to see Gov. Murphy's decision to approve the transfer of ownership of the Bayonne Medical Center to Hudson Regional Hospital," said Hudson County Executive Craig Guy. "I am confident this change in leadership will allow the Bayonne Medical Center to continue providing quality healthcare services to Hudson County residents.”

Bayonne Medical Center is located at 29 East 29th Street in Bayonne. Moshe previously said he has plans to remodel the Bayonne Medical Center ER, and redesign the entrance, lobby, reception area and cafeteria, plus add new operating rooms.

Hudson Regional Hospital is a community hospital located in Secaucus; Moshe says its mission "is to build a healthier community by providing exceptional care for all residents in the tri-state area."

Secaucus Hospital Owner Fights To Buy Bayonne, Hoboken Hospitals (2020)

Watch this report last year about the bad financial status of CarePoint's three hospitals in Hudson County:

Secaucus Hospital Fired Me Once I Ended Affair With CEO, Woman Says (2022)

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