NJDOH on Heights hospital: ‘HRH cannot simply close a hospital overnight’
Taken from The Hudson County View
By John Heinis
September 29, 2025
An official from the New Jersey Department of Health warned Hudson Regional Health that they can’t close Heights University Hospital in Jersey City overnight in a letter issued the same day they announced they would be cutting non-essential services in the next month.
“The purpose of this correspondence is to remind HRH of the statutory and regulatory requirements that control the orderly closure of a licensed general hospital in New Jersey,” NJDOH Division of Certificate of Need and Licensing Executive Director Michael J. Kennedy wrote to HRH CEO Dr. Nizar Kifaieh.
“Be advised that HRH cannot simply close a hospital overnight. Doing so would be a blatant abandonment of its responsibility to the community and would constitute a serious licensure violation, exposing HRH to substantial fines and regulatory action.”
He continued that the closure of a hospital is subject to the full review of the certificate of need process and a public hearing needs to be held within 30 days of the application being deemed complete.
The facility in question would also be responsible for directly notifying each patient and the physicians that would be impacted by the closure, while 90 days notice must be provided for mass layoffs or closings.
In Kifaieh’s public remarks from Friday, he never mentioned the word “closure,” but he did say in part that “the anticipated losses of over $60 million per year at Heights University Hospital, without public support, is simply unsustainable to maintain.”
HRH spokesman Ron Simoncini said today that “HRH continues to work with various leaders to secure the necessary funding for the survival of HRH. It has always been the intention of HRH to deliver great health care but given the dire financial circumstances, we need government to assist at this moment.”
Jersey Ward E Councilman James Solomon and Hoboken 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo, who are running for mayor in their respective cities, demanded answers about the financial woes of the hospital on Saturday, as HCV first reported.
Then on Sunday, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), another Jersey City mayoral candidate, called for “a task force of all levels of government” to be formed to ensure the former Christ Hospital remains open.
Shortly after HRH announced the expected service cuts, Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) President Debbie White said that they assured the bankruptcy court that they had the means to take over the CarePoint facilities and are now threatening layoffs.
This afternoon, state Senator Angela McKnight (D-31) joined the chorus of elected officials weighing in on the situation.
“ … Heights University Hospital provides vital charity care to our most vulnerable residents — those who have nowhere else to turn in their time of need and already face significant health inequities and barriers to care,” she said in a statement.
“Any reduction in services will only compound these struggles, placing even greater strain on our local healthcare system and possibly leaving Jersey City Medical Center as the sole provider for our city. Everyone will feel the ripple effects: longer wait and travel times, reduced access to preventive care, and poorer health outcomes. Our community cannot afford to lose this critical resource.”