newjerseynewsroom.com

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Eight New Jersey hospitals that face financial and operation challenges will be awarded $30 million in state health care stabilization aid, the state Department of Health and Senior Services announced Friday.

St. Mary’s Hospital of Passaic will receive $9.5 million, Christ Hospital of Jersey $7 million, Jersey City Medical Center $6 million, St. Clare’s Hospital $3.5 million, and East Orange General Hospital, Kimball Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center and University Hospital will each receive $1 million.

Stabilization aid provides support to health care facilities in an effort to ensure that access to vital services can be maintained in the city or town when health care facilities are in distress Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary E. O’Dowd said.

Many New Jersey hospitals are struggling financially and depend on state aid to provide care for residents who either lack health insurance or are underinsured.

The state budget also provides more than $1 billion in funding to ensure access to services for the uninsured. In the proposed 2012-13 state budget, hospitals would receive $961 million in subsidies to support their services to the uninsured. In the budget, charity care is maintained at $675 million, the Hospital Relief Subsidy Fund remains at $166 million and Graduate Medical Education support remains stable at $90 million. Additionally federally qualified hospitals will receive $46.4 million in reimbursements.