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Petitions circulated in support of hospital
(by Megan Burrow - September 10, 2008)
In preparation for the Certificate of Need hearing, expected to be scheduled around early to mid-November, Westwood officials have been busily collecting signatures on a petition stating the community’s need for a hospital in the
Pascack
Valley area.
Hackensack
University
Medical
Center filed a Certificate of Need application with the State Department of Health and Human Services last month to obtain the transfer of all of the former
Pascack
Valley
Hospital ’s licenses.
HUMC plans on opening an emergency room by Oct. 1 and eventually opening a full service 128 acute care bed hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center North at
Pascack
Valley , on the site.
A copy of the petition is available for download on the Westwood’s Web site and an electronic petition is in the works. Mayor John Birkner reported that the borough already has several thousand signatures and the governing body has been actively working on obtaining as many signatures as possible from Westwood residents and the residents of neighboring communities.
“It’s a team Westwood effort,” he said. “It has been sent to 23 towns in Pascack and
Northern
Valley . This is something that affects all of the ambulance corps and all of the residents in
Pascack
Valley ,
Northern
Valley , and the surrounding areas.”
Westwood has also been distributing lists of contact information for legislators, state senators, and assembly people for residents to contact.
The petition has been given to surrounding municipalities, ambulance corps, doctors, and emergency service personnel. The borough is also looking for volunteers to go door-to-door collecting signatures.
In a phone interview, Birkner explained the need for a large number of signatures. “The more people who show that they have the desire to see a hospital back here, the better it will be when we have our public hearing for the hospital’s re-certification. We want to let the state know that there are thousands of people who rely on this hospital and have a real need for it. Not just in Westwood, but the community as a whole.”
Megan Burrow's e-mail address is burrow@northjersey.com.
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