New Jersey's only public hospital is more than 40 years old and always operates at a deficit
, paid for by a $500,000 grant in the state budget this year. It will take an estimated $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion and massive dose of political will to bring the project to life.
“When he became the CEO, he saw crumbling infrastructure and how our wages don’t match other area hospitals so it’s difficult to recruit. He knew based on the fact University Hospital is so much older than most hospitals — probably one of the oldest — he started talking about a brand new hospital,” HPAE President Debbie White said.
“I have been trying to push this for 20 years. Now the money is there,” said DiVincenzo said. “I think the state owns the facility and it has to take control and say, ’Hey listen - it’s time to put up or shut up.’ " Noting that the hospital is usually “overwhelmed,” Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz, R-Union, a nurse, asked: “Is there enough funding for a new University Hospital?”
Elnahal declined to comment for this story, but hospital spokesman Assad Akhter said in a statement “The process of planning for a new University Hospital is moving ahead quickly. Gensler, the Hospital’s design and planning firm, remains on schedule to deliver its initial report and recommendations later this year.”
University Hospital will always be somewhat reliant on state assistance because of its origins and its mission. It was established to meet the city’s public health needs after the 1967 Newark riots.