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TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which will establish the Health Care Stabilization Fund to ensure seamless access to health care in communities served by a hospital facing closure was signed into law by Governor Corzine today.

“New Jersey’s hospital system is in crisis, and unless we take serious steps to stop the hemorrhaging, people who rely on hospitals as their primary health care providers will be put in jeopardy,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “This new law addresses the epidemic of closures happening all over the Garden State, and seeks to act as a safety valve for the facilities which are essential to the public safety of our communities. Through this measure, we are offering some relief to hard-hit hospitals, and assuring New Jersey residents that the hospital system will be there in their time of need.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would establish the Health Care Stabilization Fund to provide grants to general hospitals and other health care facilities to ensure access to health care services in a community served by a hospital facing closure was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 23-16, receiving final legislative approval.

“New Jersey’s hospital system is in crisis, and with every announcement of closure, hundreds if not thousands of uninsured State residents in the surrounding area are left to scramble as they lose their primary point of health care,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “New Jersey’s hospitals, through the charity care program, are on the frontlines in terms of providing access to quality care for those without health insurance. We need a mechanism in place to ensure the continuation of access when hospitals are on the verge of financial collapse.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would establish the Health Care Stabilization Fund to provide grants to general hospitals and other health care facilities to ensure access to health care services in a community served by a hospital facing closure was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 9-5.

“For so many uninsured New Jerseyans, hospitals are the frontline in health care access,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “But due to the skyrocketing cost of care and other financial factors, we’ve seen many hospitals, unable to remain economically solvent, closing down in areas where they’re needed most. The Department of Health needs some emergency mechanism to ensure that residents are not put in jeopardy when their local health care facility files for closure.”