Bayonne (N.J.) officials are moving to create a hospital authority that could acquire the lease of Bayonne Medical Center in case its current operator abandons it, according to The Jersey Journal.
Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti called it a "Plan D" for saving the city hospital.
Bayonne Medical Center is owned by Jersey City, N.J.-based CarePoint Health, which said in late October it is in the process of finding a "strategic partner" for the hospital.
CarePoint Health already has signed a letter of intent to transfer its other two hospitals to West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health.
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis held a news conference alerting the public that he heard the city hospital may close. He pledged to ensure that it stays open.
In an effort to have a backup plan, the Bayonne City Council introduced an ordinance to create the municipal hospital authority late last week.
Bayonne city officials said that having the license in hand could make identifying and negotiating with another hospital network to take over the facility easier if CarePoint bows out.
"Our primary goal is to get CarePoint to sell their interest to a nonprofit hospital," Mr. Chiaravolloti told The Jersey Journal. "The authority is simply Plan D."
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