>Readers question Audrey Meyers New Appointment
The thing that springs to mind, for me, is whether this appointment will be used in part to bring influence to bear in her strident mission to limit competition — evidenced by Valley’s ongoing legal fight against the re-opening of the Pascack Valley Hospital under the Hackensack’s management, and her fierce stand about excess health care capacity in the state. For example, if excess capacity is such an issue, maybe Valley’s recent attempt to double in size in a residential neighborhood while converting to all single bed rooms, could have been moderated by choosing to design it for a few less rooms while converting to all singles. That might be a good example of leadership — just a thought.
I just hope this influential position isn’t used to affect the landscape so as to hinder the historically smaller facilities in the service areas of the larger hospitals, or in our area in particular…. I understand the challenges of excess capacity, supply and demand, and so forth, but I hope the position will be used to support fair competition, not to shape or meld it.