Signs with a new name for Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen went up on the waterfront campus Saturday after a judge late Friday approved Hackensack University Health Network’s acquisition of the Hudson County hospital.
HackensackUMC Palisades, as it will now be known, will become a fully owned part of the system that includes the flagship Hackensack University Medical Center, two jointly owned hospitals in Westwood and Montclair, and the affiliated Englewood Hospital Medical Center, when the deal is officially signed on Tuesday.
With its million-dollar views of the Manhattan skyline and access to the growing population of young professionals and affluent retirees along the Hudson River “Gold Coast,” Palisades gives Hackensack a prime opportunity to grow in Hudson County and southern Bergen County. Hackensack also acquires its first nursing home, the 245-bed Harborage, located next door on River Road and owned by Palisades.
The sale also marks a reduction in the number of independent community hospitals, as the consolidation of health-care facilities into larger systems continues in New Jersey and the rest of the country. When the Hackensack health network completes its planned merger with the Jersey Shore’s Meridian Health system, expected later this year, it will encompass 11 hospitals and become the largest health system in the state.
photo Adele with her mother ( also a Stephen Minister) and her son, Kyle
February 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Wyckoff NJ, Adele Mimnaugh tells us in her own words how she found he own way to get involved in her local community and help others . Adele is an Occupational Therapist by trade and loves her work . Not content to stand on the sidelines Adele found a way to contribute in her own unique way. In her own words Adele tells her story:
“I have been a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff since the age of four when we moved to town. I have enjoyed the fellowship over the years as well as my involvement on the mission committee which oversees programs and activities such as local soup kitchens, to planning and hosting Christmas parties for the underprivileged in the area.
I became involved in our Steven ministry program about two years ago. My mother was excited about the program and to start training; I inquired about it and felt it was definitely a calling for me. I was right !! I have always enjoyed helping others and I’m a big believer in paying it forward. Steven Ministry is a wonderful venue for laypeople trained in the congregation by their Steven leaders, to provide one to one Christ centered care to people who are hurting. The care receivers can be a member of the church or anyone in need in the community.
As a Stephen Minister I am able to work with anyone ( female ) who is going through a hard time such as death of a loved one, divorce, illness, loss of employment or anyone experiencing turmoil for any reason.I begin my caring relationship as a Stephen Minister when I am matched with someone experiencing a life crisis. I meet with the person usually on a weekly basis to listen, Care, encourage and provide emotional and spiritual support as needed. The ministry is highly confidential and no details are ever discussed among the ministry or with anyone for that matter.Trust is a huge component as it is in any relationship.
I have grown as a result of being a Stephen Minister in many ways. Not only do I enjoy my quality and prayerful time with my care receiver but I also enjoy the bimonthly supervision and continuing education meetings with my fellow Stephen ministers.
I am a big believer in being kind. Kindness is a natural thing and to see a smile on someone’s face can make my day. I feel so very blessed to be a part of my Grace United Methodist Church and Steven ministry family.”
What is Stephen Ministry all about?
The Stephen Series is a program overseen by Stephen Ministries St. Louis; that teaches and enables members of congregations all over the world to care for one another just as Jesus commands us to do. Stephen Ministers go through extensive training in their individual churches to learn how to care for people who are experiencing some type of loss in their lives; i.e. loss of a family member, a job, their dependence, their health, their self esteem, their faith… just to name a few. A Stephen Minister is paired in a relationship with one person and meets with him or her (men with men and women with women) one to one on a weekly basis for an hour or so to ‘walk alongside them,’ offering comfort and encouragement, extending the hand of Jesus. All of this is done without judgment and is completely confidential. Stephen Ministry has been here at Grace since early 2009. To be trained as a Stephen Minister one needs to be a member of GUMC but to receive care, one need not be a member of Grace or of any church. Stephen Ministry is a Christian Caring Ministry but will offer care to anyone, provided that the situation is appropriate. To inquire about receiving care from a Stephen Minister, or to inquire about training to become a Stephen Minister, please e-mail us at [email protected]. A new training class will be offered starting in the fall 2015 and will run for 20 weeks on Monday nights.
Grace United Methodist Church
555 Russell Ave
Wyckoff, New Jersey
(201) 891-4595
Police have charged 12 women they say work at 11 area massage parlors with prostitution offenses, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal said Friday in a release.
The arrests followed a week-long undercover investigation and were made at massage parlors in seven municipalities on three separate days, Grewal said. He said that each person arrested worked as a masseuse and is accused of engaging in sex with customers.
Nine of the women are from Queens, N.Y., one is from Maryland and two are from Little Ferry, the acting prosecutor said. The arrests were made at four massage parlors in Edgewater, two in Fairview and one apiece in Wyckoff, Tenafly, River Edge, Little Ferry and South Hackensack.
The two women who reside in Little Ferry are Shunyu Pio Piao, 48, who worked at a spa in Little Ferry, and Mihwa Jang, 41, who worked at one of the Edgewater massage parlors targeted in the investigation, Grewal said, and the Maryland woman, Yougin Cho, 36, was arrested at a spa in South Hackensack.
Ridgewood NJ, Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) today formally called upon President Obama to request the extradition of cop-killer Joanne Chesimard and terrorist William Morales during his upcoming visit to Cuba. These murderous fugitives have been living freely in Cuba and were granted protection by the Castro regime who has refused to extradite them. To date, the Obama Administration has not addressed the extradition of these convicted murderers as a condition of normalizing relations with Cuba and the Castro regime. Garrett was joined on the letter by Rep. Peter King (NY-02) and Rep. Leonard Lance (NJ-07).
“Over a year ago, your administration announced the reopening of diplomatic channels with Cuba,” said the Congressmen in the letter. “Since then, your administration has continued to take steps towards normalizing relations by relaxing trade restrictions, reopening embassies, and re-establishing scheduled air services. On February 18th your administration announced your trip this March to Cuba citing the significant progress made by normalizing relations. However, we fail to see any progress in extraditing the fugitives like Joanne Chesimard and William Morales, nor any improvement in the treatment of the Cuban people by their government.”
Murderers Living Freely in Cuba:
Joanne Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, was convicted of murder of a law enforcement officer, and sentenced to life in prison in 1977. In 1973, New Jersey State Troopers Werner Foerster and James Harper made a routine traffic stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. When the troopers asked the vehicle’s driver to exit the car, one of the passengers, Joanne Chesimard, pulled out a gun and began shooting. During the ensuing firefight, Foerster was hit twice in the chest and Harper once in the shoulder. The injured Foerster was then shot twice in the head—execution style—with his own sidearm.
William Morales was sentenced to ninety-nine years in prison for his participation in the terrorist organization Fuerzas Armadas de Liberaciόn Nacional Puertorriqueña (FALN). William Morales was a chief bomb maker for FALN, and he was linked to the 1975 bombing of Fraunces Tavern in New York City, an attack that killed four people and injured sixty others
After five years of occasionally hostile negotiations, NJ Transit and its rail unions will meet on March 4 at the National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., both sides confirmed Friday. The gathering is one last attempt to avert a strike that could cripple transportation across the region’s.
“The National Mediation Board called a meeting, and NJT will attend,” said Nancy Snyder, a spokeswoman for NJ Transit.
The sides remain far apart. From the unions’ perspective, NJ Transit’s offer of a modest wage increase would be wiped out by significantly higher health insurance costs for workers.
The FBI is assisting Bergen County in its investigation of bomb threats that disrupted school Friday morning at five high schools and were declared to be hoaxes, said Doreen Holder, a public information officer for the federal agency
Bergen County Sheriff’s spokesman Anthony Cureton said all of the schools received threatening robo-calls. Schools in Bergenfield, Hackensack, Teaneck and Waldwick have been determined to be safe by the sheriff’s bomb squad. Mahwah High School was still being searched by authorities shortly before 11 a.m.
Teaneck High School students were evacuated this morning due to a bomb threat but have since returned, Police Deputy Chief Glenn O’Reilly said. The school was deemed safe after a search. The school’s Principal Dennis Heck said in an audio message to parents that the school was evacuated due to a threat, but he did not characterize the threat. Heck asked parents not to pick up their students. The principal at the Lowell Elementary School, which was not affected, characterized the incident as “swatting” in a message to parents.
As more patients become insured by Medicaid, hospitals are providing less charity care, one of the major factors in an $89 million decrease in state subsidies that left some hospitals losing nearly half their funding.
Executives at hospitals throughout New Jersey were digesting the numbers released Thursday afternoon from the state Department of Health, which are based on documented care provided in the previous year.
There were dramatic increases and decreases.
Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, the state’s largest hospital, is receiving $19.9 million, far less than the $36.6 million received last year, while Hackensack University Medical Center’s subsidy more than doubled to $16.5 million this year, according to state data.
“Since HackensackUMC serves as an important safety-net hospital for the state, an increase in funding will enable us to continue our mission to provide world-class healthcare to everyone in the communities we serve,’’ said Robert C. Garrett, president and chief executive officer of Hackensack University Health Network, the hospitals’ parent company.
A spokeswoman for Bergen Regional said, “We are still in the process of assessing the impact this information will have on the Medical Center.”
Midland Park NJ, A large sinkhole on Woodside Avenue in Midland Park almost swallowed a small Midland Park Department of Public Works truck whole, and caused major disruption to water, waste water, and natural gas services in sections of Midland Park and nearby Ridgewood. The were no injuries reported in the calamity
Lawmaker proposes lowering New Jersey’s drinking age to 18
Republican Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll recently introduced the measure, saying it’s wrong that an 18-year-old can serve in the military but not be allowed to buy alcohol. The bill seems unlikely to pass, since lowering the drinking age would cost the state millions of dollars in federal highway funds
A New Jersey legislator wants to lower New Jersey’s drinking age from 21 to 18. Associated Press Read more
Last night a few of us went to the Freeholders meeting in Hackensack because the introduction of their ordinance to OK the BCIA funding our garage was on the agenda. We were welcomed and greeted warmly. Several came over to us before the meeting, introduced themselves, offered great support and adulation for our grass roots effort with the petition, explained the process, etc.
When one of us was speaking the timer went off, and instead of shutting the speaker down, they asked him politely to wrap it up and let him finish. It was unbelievable. Then I realized it was not unbelievable, it was simply not something that we are accustomed to after being beaten and bashed by the Council majority.
While our mayor calls the petitioners outright liars who are fueled by misinformation, these elected officials applauded our interest and passion. Mayor Aronsohn could take a huge lesson in civility by watching these truly fine individuals in action. Well it won’t be long until the three of them are gone and we will have peace, civility and decency once again.
The freeholders had already met with Aronsohn, of course, and they told us that Aronsohn assured them yesterday afternoon that it was going to be funded by Ridgewood and that he expected to have a vote on this by next week. At that point, we were told, the entire involvement of the BCIA and freeholders would go “poof.” (their word). In the meantime, they told us that they would be voting unanimously last night to approve the funding by the BCIA because they are not involved with design, height, location, or any of that. Their only job is to say yea or nay to the BCIA request, and they had no reason to say nay.
Two takeaways –
1. Aronsohn told them that it is definitely going to be funded in town. Interesting, because last night at the VC he refused to take the BCIA ordinance off the books and he continued to sing the praises of the BCIA.
2. Aronsohn will be taking full credit if it gets funded in town, when in fact the efforts of the petition drive is the sole reason that he got backed into this corner. Power to the people.
A former Westwood councilman pleaded guilty to federal charges on Wednesday, confessing that he sold phony massage therapy training certificates to women who worked as prostitutes at more than two dozen massage parlors in New Jersey.
Robert W. Miller, 67, of Westwood, who resigned from public office in 2015 after seven years of service, entered the plea in federal court in Newark to a single count of using facilities in interstate commerce to promote prostitution.
As a result of the plea, Miller could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi on May 19.
The defendant, bald and dressed in a gray pin-stripped suit, calmly answered a series of questions posed by the judge and a prosecutor during the hearing.
Miller admitted that for a fee of $500 to $2,500 he offered to provide a massage therapy training certificate, as well as a transcript listing classes taken and grades received, to customers seeking to obtain a state massage license without actually receiving the required training.
Besides creating the fraudulent documents, Miller admitted he was willing to provide them to the New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy on behalf of his customers.
Miller acknowledged that between 1997 and 2013 he created at least 50 training certificates containing false information about the classes completed and grades earned by applicants for massage licenses, and provided them to about 25 different massage parlors in Passaic, Hudson, Union and Middlesex counties.
Under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. McCarren, Miller admitted that he knew many of the massage parlors were fronts for prostitution and that the phony documents allowed the workers to engage in prostitution under the guise of providing legitimate massage services.
The charges specifically refer to fraudulent certificates and transcripts that he provided for five women working as prostitutes at a massage parlor in Middlesex County in June 2013. The documents falsely claimed the workers had completed 650 hours of training through Miller’s RWM Associates business in order to facilitate their real work as prostitutes, authorities said.
Miller, who also served as a councilman in Ridgewood from 1996 to 1998, also admitted that he operated a purported advertising agency in Westwood, known as A.R.M. Enterprises L.L.C., that could place ads in newspapers for massage parlors using discreet wording that signaled that the massage parlor was also a house of prostitution.
Miller placed ads in local newspapers for a number of massage parlors that operated as prostitution businesses and told many of the owners that he would give them advance notice of any law enforcement investigations into prostitution activities at their businesses, according to the charges.
Miller, who was released on a $50,000 bond, and his public defender, Linda Foster, declined to comment after the hearing.
North Bergen is poised to file a lawsuit challenging the tax exempt status of Palisades General Medical Center and The Harborage nursing home, whose 8.6-acre campus overlooking the Hudson River is some of the most expensive real estate in the world.
The filing, which the township’s Board of Commissioners approved Wednesday, comes on the heels of a precedent-setting Tax Court decision last summer in which a judge ruled that the non-profit Morristown Medical Center was not entitled to its property-tax exemption because its operations were little different from those of a for-profit company.
The ruling, and a subsequent $15.5 million settlement between Morristown and the hospital, raised the specter of a flood of legal challenges by cash-strapped municipalities seeking property taxes or payments in lieu of taxes from the 63 non-profit hospitals statewide. The state Legislature passed a bill in early January that would have circumvented more lawsuits by requiring non-profit hospitals to contribute financially to their hometowns based on the number of beds they have, but Gov. Christie vetoed it later that month without explanation.
Environmental regulators knew three months ago that a chemical that likely causes cancer was found for the first time at the Ringwood Superfund site, but on Tuesday defended their decision not to immediately disclose the information to the public, saying they do not consider it an imminent health threat.
Community leaders are angry they were not informed sooner. They said they should have been told shortly after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency received information in late November that the chemical 1,4-dioxane was detected at high levels in the groundwater just a few hundred feet from homes.
The EPA “should have called an emergency meeting,” said Vincent Mann, chief of the Ramapough Turtle Clan, a Native American tribe that has made the mountains its home for at least 200 years. “I keep saying it over and over and over again, they are leaving the human element out of their management of this site.”
The discovery of 1,4-dioxane was made by engineers for Ford Motor Co., which dumped tons of toxic paint sludge nearly 50 years ago in Upper Ringwood.
Water samples taken from three wells west of Sheehan Drive in August found concentrations of 1,4-dioxane at 50 to 95 times New Jersey’s groundwater standard.
It was the first time scientists had looked for the chemical in Ringwood; the EPA only began requiring that 1,4-dioxane be tested for at Superfund sites nationwide last year, said Elias Rodriguez, an agency spokesman.
A report on the findings, dated Nov. 25, was sent to the EPA, which for years has been criticized for failing to ensure that the site is adequately cleaned up.
photo courtesy of Maura DeNicola Packed Freeholder Meeting Room for the State of the County. — at One Bergen County Plaza
BY TODD SOUTH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
HACKENSACK — Bergen County Executive James Tedesco on Tuesday delivered his state of the county address, using the annual recounting of his administration’s accomplishments and plans to signal that the 2016 budget cycle will be tougher than its predecessor and that a tax increase is possible for 2016.
Employee health-care cost increases of $12 million and $3.4 million more for debt service on the largest construction project in county history will drive decisions on how to maintain services that Tedesco praised in his hour-long speech to a crowd of more than 100 mostly county employees and political office holders at the Bergen County Administration Building.
The combined $15.4 million increase for those two items alone is more than two thirds of the $22.6 million spending hike in the 2015 budget, which resulted in a 4.3 percent tax increase for property owners. Last year’s county budget totaled $530 million.
Congressman Scott Garrett, the U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 5th congressional district, met with employees of Crestron on Monday to tour it’s the company’s Experience Center located at its headquarters in Rockleigh, New Jersey.
Crestron, a global organization with more than 90 offices around the world, employs 1,500 employees from Bergen County and the surrounding area at its worldwide headquarters and campus in Rockleigh, New Jersey.
The campus includes the Experience Center, Research Center, manufacturing plant, pre-production facility, and distribution center.
The tour provided Garrett with an in-depth look into the world of Crestron and its award-winning, advanced control and automation technology. Crestron’s solutions have led the way for over four decades, supporting Fortune 500 companies, government organizations, leading hospitals, universities and prestigious homes.
The Crestron Experience Center combines the finest design with cutting-edge technology, for the ultimate immersive demonstration of its innovative solutions. Congressman Garrett saw firsthand how the company has evolved from a pioneer in A/V and control systems, to the world-class enterprise management company it is today.
