Controversial N.J. hospital closure back in the spotlight. Is it too late?
Taken from NJ.com
August 27, 2026
A public hearing will move forward on the controversial closure of a Jersey City hospital that state officials say ceased operating in violation of state law.
The State Health Planning Board will hold a public hearing at Hudson County Community College from 5-7 p.m. Thursday on the application for closure of Heights University Hospital, according to a public hearing notice. The announcement comes four months after the first public hearing was abruptly canceled.
The meeting was originally scheduled for April 15 at William L. Dickinson High School in Jersey City, but shortly before the start time, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health said they couldn’t proceed because a temporary restraining order had been filed with the Hudson County Superior Court on behalf of Heights University Hospital. Dozens of people were already at the high school when the public hearing was postponed.
Two days before the public hearing, Heights University Hospital sent a letter to the state Department of Health requesting to withdraw its “certificate of need” (CN) application for closure, citing renewed talks with its landlord.
But by that point, the hospital was already closed. Staff were relocated or, in some cases, laid off. The facility transferred or discharged its last acute-care patients in November 2025.
“Although it may be appropriate in some circumstances to withdraw a closure CN application before a hospital closes, that is not what HUH has done,” wrote Michael Kennedy, executive director for health department’s Division of Certificate of Need and Licensing, in an April 14 letter shared with NJ.com.
“Allowing a withdrawal of the closure CN application now would require accepting a fiction that the hospital, which has ceased operating as a general hospital, remains open for business and can still relocate to continue serving the community from a different location,” wrote Kennedy.
Kennedy added that Heights University Hospital “closed that path off for itself when it made its earlier choices to close the hospital in violation of the (certificate of need) framework and without completing the full (certificate of need) review process, and it cannot now avoid the consequences by purporting to withdraw its application.”
The application has been on pause for several months while the hospital and state Department of Health disputed the matter in court.
But on June 24, Superior Court Judge David B. Katz overturned the injunction halting a public hearing on the hospital’s application for closure, which is why the state can proceed.
It’s unclear if Hudson Regional Health, which operates the hospital, will appeal the decision.
The healthcare network released a statement Thursday claiming its “goal has always been to restore healthcare services in the Heights in a more financially responsible and sustainable manner, with an upgraded facility that strengthens the entire healthcare network in Hudson County.”
Hudson Regional said that while its leadership “will continue to pursue Heights’ rights through the appropriate legal channels, it will also continue to work with local and state elected officials to bring high-quality, sustainable care back to the community.”
Those unable to attend the public hearing can still submit comments by mail or email through Sept. 3. Visit the DOH website for further instructions.