NEW YORK NURSE: June 2007
by Mark Genovese
Registered nurses at Greenville Hospital reacted with distress to the April announcement that the hospital’s parent corporation, Liberty Health Systems, will end all acute-care at the small Jersey City facility.
Liberty Health administrators said they plan to transfer most of Greenville’s employees to the nearby Jersey City Medical Center and didn’t expect to lay off any of Greenville’s 100 registered nurses. They added the hospital will continue to provide inpatient psychiatric services, detoxification programs, and outpatient dialysis.
Greenville’s acute-care services are to close in six to nine months and the emergency room in 12 to 18 months. Local elected officials questioned whether the other nearby hospitals would be able to absorb Greenville’s patients.
NYSNA members also expressed concern about the loss of services to the community. “We’ve been loyal to the hospital for this reason,” said one Greenville RN. “Any of us could have worked elsewhere, but we want to serve the people of this community.”
“It’ll be more difficult for many in the community to have access to emergency care and same-day surgery,” added Darlene Coccaro, NYSNA nursing representative for the bargaining unit. “Even though the medical center is three miles away, it may as well be a half a continent for families with no transportation.”
RNs at Greenville elected NYSNA as their collective bargaining representative in April 2003 and ratified their first contract in 2005.
Greenville was expected to be on a closure list to be released in June by an 11-member New Jersey commission charged with assessing the viability and necessity of the state’s 81 acute-care facilities – a body similar to New York’s Berger Commission. State hospital officials estimated that 25 hospitals are not needed. New Jersey Gov. John Corzine said hospitals would not be forced to close but that hospital officials should justify the expense of state resources.
NYSNA has been meeting with hospital officials to obtain details of the plan and is providing members with updates as they become available. NYSNA will continue working to protect its members’ contractual rights.