Appeals Court OKs reopening of Pascack Valley Hospital
December 4, 2012
The Staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A state appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling to allow the reopening of Pascack Valley Hospital that closed after seeking bankruptcy protection in 2007.
The 128-bed facility in Westwood, was taken over by Hackensack University Medical Center who has been seeking to reopen it.
The application had been opposed by competitors The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. Who argued that reopening the Pascack Valley facility would cause financial harm to existing hospitals.
In February, Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary O’Dowd approved Hackensack’s application for Pascack Valley Hospital. In its opinion Tuesday, the appeals court upheld O’Dowd’s decision and wrote that the benefits of reopening the hospital outweighed the competitive concerns.