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Ordinance paves way for medical school
(by Megan Burrow - February 27, 2008)
A week before the Feb. 27 auction of Pascack Valley Hospital, the borough took a step towards allowing a medical school to open at the site of the bankrupt hospital.
An ordinance was introduced at the Feb. 19 council meeting to amend the zoning regulations in the “H” zone (hospital zone) to allow a medical school to operate in conjunction with a community hospital. The ordinance would also allow for multi-level parking garages, a pharmacy, and a childcare center on site.
Whichever bidder wins the auction, the council would like a community hospital to re-open at the site, complete with a fully functioning emergency room and acute and long-term care facilities. PVH officially closed its doors in November after declaring bankruptcy two months earlier. Hackensack University Medical Center took over Pascack Valley’s paramedic and ambulance services last autumn.
Currently there are three known bidders interested in the site: HUMC in a joint venture with Touro University, Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in a joint bid, and Connecticut-based health care consulting firm Paradigm Physician Partners (P3).
P3 President Geoff Teed made a presentation at the council meeting on Feb. 19 outlining his plans for the site to the public. P3 hopes to open a 150-bed hospital featuring “completely redesigned single-patient suites” with other facilities on site – a wellness center, research laboratories, or a retail pharmacy are all possibilities the firm is exploring. Teed contended none of the other bids can match P3’s proposed 150 beds.
Mayor John Birkner stressed that the introduction of the ordinance does not mean the council is favoring any one bid over the others. “This stays in line with our position that we are not endorsing any specific interest but leaving the door open to whoever wins the bid. We have to be proactive in our attempt to secure what we think would be a very viable and beneficial entity to the borough and the surrounding community.” Birkner stated the change in zoning regulations would “apply to each bidder equally,” and added that P3 had also explored the possibility of teaming with a medical school.
In a phone interview Birkner said the council felt it was necessary to introduce the ordinance as a “good faith gesture.” Touro University faces time constraints because of the process of gaining accreditation and must know soon if it will be able to secure the site. The zoning restrictions were a concern for the University, and something the borough felt might discourage it from bidding.
Borough Attorney Russ Huntington described the introduction of the ordinance as “an important sign the town welcomes the idea of a medical school being established at the site,” but added that “this could all be academic in as little as a week.”
Before voting to introduce the ordinance, council members Cynthia Waneck and Robert Miller both said they did not want to prevent viable candidates from taking part in the bidding process, but were careful to emphasize their vote was in no way an endorsement of any particular bid.
The ordinance will be up for public hearing and adoption April 22. After the auction the borough plans to invite the successful bidder to make a public presentation announcing their intentions for the site to the community.
Megan Burrow's e-mail address is burrow@northjersey.com.
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