>Emergency room to open at old Pascack Valley Hospital
Thursday,May 15, 2008
BY LINDY WASHBURNSTAFF WRITERWESTWOOD – An emergency room is to open in October, and a full-service 150-bed hospital will open within two years at the former Pascack Valley Hospital, under plans presented to the public Wednesday night by Hackensack University Medical Center.
“It’s going to be an incredible, beautiful community hospital again – big time!” John Ferguson, Hackensack’s chief executive officer, told 150 residents of northern Bergen County gathered at the Westwood Community Center.
At the same time, Touro University College of Medicine will open a four-year medical school, starting with 40 students in the fall of 2009 or 2010, said its dean, Dr. Paul Wallach. The students, who will eventually number 400, will live in apartments and homes in the community.
“This is probably the most profound developments in Westwood,” said Mayor John Birkner, who chaired the special meeting of the Westwood mayor and council. He invited local residents to tell hospital officials what they missed about the former hospital on Old Hook Road, and what services they would like to see return.
The 251-bed hospital closed in November, after years of financial losses forced it into bankruptcy. More than 750 nurses, technologists and other staff members lost their jobs, and residents of 18 surrounding towns had to seek emergency care elsewhere.
Hackensack and Touro bought the hospital and its 20 acres on Old Hook Road for $45 million in a bankruptcy court auction. They must state approval for both the emergency room and the hospital beds to reopen.
A three-phase plan to restore medical services and renovate the hospital over the next 30 months was presented by Robert Garrett, Hackensack’s chief operating officer. It includes single rooms for all patients, as well as cardiac catheterization, a sleep center, a wellness center, and radiology and oncology services.
Kay Gellert of Westwood, a long time cardiac rehabilitation patient, asked if the Hackensack planned to reopen that popular service.
“We need to reopen that kind of facility,” said Dr. Peter Gross, Hackensack’s chief medical officer, in answer. “This is certainly one of the services we are considering.”
All of the doctors formerly affiliated with Pascack Valley have indicated their interest in returning to the hospital when it reopens, he said.
Ferguson joked with members of the public as they asked questions, and stressed the hospital’s commitment to bringing high-quality medical care to the Westwood site. He asked for continued support, as the hospital’s applications to the state Health Department wend their way through the regulatory process.