it's no secret three major hospitals in Hudson County are struggling financially and asking the state for more than hundred million in fiscal relief but this week New Jersey's Department of Health ordered CarePoint Health System which runs the hospitals to submit disaster plans for the facilities citing ongoing and serious money troubles the hospitals are saying the state's order is causing unnecessary Panic for medical employees and their patients while some long makers believe it's a signal the health system needs a Lifeline senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan reports care points three hospitals in Hudson County show clear symptoms they're ailing financially a state monitors recent diagnosis found Christ Hospital in Jersey City Bon Medical Center and Hoboken University Medical Center are financially unstable their cash flow so anemic the facilities could fiscally Flatline and close it would be catastrophic if any one of these hospitals closed let alone two or three and as a delegation we are not going to let that happen Senator Raj mcgie represents Jersey City and Hoboken he calls CarePoint a safety net and notes that behind the glittering high-rise facades Hudson County's home to thousands of undocumented migrants and residents without health insurance who often seek Charity Care at the three hospitals care Point claims it served more than two 270,000 such patients since the covid crisis but only got a $10 million slice of Jersey $700 million in federal pandemic Aid these hospitals handle much more charity care than most of their counterparts through at the state that's uncompensated care and on top of that their Medicaid reimbursements for the high volume of indigent patients they have that are on Medicaid um don't get them to a break even point New Jersey's Department of Health recently sent each Hospital a letter stating due to CarePoint significant financial distress the hospitals may experience A disruption in services or be forced to close abruptly it requested a so-called disaster plan for potential Hospital evacuations but a CarePoint spokesman replied it is absolutely categorically false to claim that any of them are at imminent risk of closing and doing so only creates unnecessary stress on the day dedicated Physicians and staff working hard every day Bon's mayor noted this type of disaster plans required of all hospitals not just those experiencing Financial issues and that all parties are working on Solutions and close to 1700 folks have signed CarePoint change.org petition seeking at least aund hundred million in state Appropriations and a $30 million Governor's Grant in order to continue operating at an optimal p Pace I think that that's an ambitious ask I think there's going to need to be accountability in terms of an audit in terms of the reporting from the fiscal monitor uh transparency from the hospital system also um I think that if we fine-tune that number to what is minimally necessary to survive and then eventually Thrive post closing uh you're looking at a more modest number mcy suspect CarePoint could get an eight figure number in stabilization aid from Jersey's Department of Health enough to keep it going while it negotiates a joint venture with Hudson Regional Hospital based in salkus meanwhile the state monitor will oversee carep Point's finances it's been sued for non-payment by several vendors seeking millions of dollars we should be looking at a true public option in New Jersey and extending health care benefits to those Among Us who don't have documentation like New York and other states have done creatively because that would also help bolster our acute care hospitals and other healthare providers that are serving the vulnerable he says New Jersey's charity Health Care System needs a funding upgrade I'm Brenda Flanagan Brensa Flanagan NJ Spotlight News