The closure of Heights University Hospital is costing Hudson County money on corrections officers and overtime as they accompany inmates for medical treatment for hours at a time to the at-capacity Jersey City Medical Center, officials said last week.
At last Tuesday’s caucus meeting for the Hudson County Board of Commissioners, Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2) prompted the conversation after noticing an unrelated agenda item for a contract with the Jersey City Medical Center (JCMC).
Hudson County Corrections and Rehabilitation Center (HCCRC) Director Becky Scott told O’Dea in response to his inquires that there is no contract with JCMC or any other local hospital to specifically treat county inmates.
“Once he clears emergencies and he’s admitted, he’s billed. We don’t have a contract for a specific bed or space,” she explained…