Rowan University’s trustees authorized the school's
administration to negotiate a deal to sell 100 acres of land to Inspira Health,
which plans to use the property in Harrison Township, N.J., as the site for a
new $310 million hospital to replace its medical center in Woodbury, N.J.
Under the proposal, Inspira was initially expected to pay
Rowan about $9.5 million for the 100 acres on Route 322 near exit 50 of Route
55. The final price will now be set, under a resolution adopted Tuesday, based
on the land's current appraised value.
Rowan has agreed to sell Inspira Health Network 100 acres
in Harrison Township; the land will be used to build a replacement hospital for
Inspira Medical Center Woodbury (shown above).
Enlarge
Rowan has agreed to sell Inspira Health Network 100 acres
in Harrison Township; the land… more
Kennedy Health, which operates a nearby hospital in
Washington Township, spoke out against the move at Rowan’s board meeting last
month, saying the proposed Inspira hospital would unnecessarily duplicate the
services Kennedy already provides at its hospital about six miles away. Kennedy
Health President Joseph Devine, at the meeting, said such a deal could
potentially have a negative impact on Kennedy's academic partnership with Rowan
that dates back to 1977.
On Tuesday afternoon, Kennedy officials said they expect
the partnership with Rowan to continue despite the vote.
In its statement, Kennedy said:
“We appreciate that the Rowan University Board of
Trustees considered our concerns regarding this matter over the past month. We
respect their decision and understand these types of issues are complex. More
importantly, we have been the partner of the Rowan University School of
Osteopathic Medicine, as their primary teaching partner, for nearly 40 years,
and this will continue for many more years. Our relationship with Rowan is more
important than any one decision. We know that Kennedy Health and Rowan
University will continue to do what we do best together: educate and train
top-quality physicians for our communities.”
Inspira, in announcing its plans for a new hospital last
year, said it plans to keep the Woodbury facility open but convert it to other
potential uses that include outpatient care, emergency care and administrative
office space to support various Inspira departments and functions.
Health system officials said the new Inspira medical
center in Gloucester County will feature all private patient rooms and a
variety of modern amenities including an “expansion of state-of-the-art
wireless and digital technologies that will enhance the efficiency and quality
of patient care" in the region.
“A new, state-of-the-art hospital in our community will
allow Inspira to offer an even higher level of quality care with the support of
new technologies and services,” said John DiAngelo, president and CEO of
Inspira Health Network. “Inspira remains committed to providing care in the
city of Woodbury and a significant portion of this project will be dedicated to
enhancing our current site."
Rowan University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine
currently serves as academic sponsor of Inspira’s residency programs in
Vineland. Inspira is also a clinical rotation site for Rowan's undergraduate
medical students.
“Building close to the Rowan campus will allow us to
explore the possibilities of offering students valuable medical education
experiences in a modern hospital,” DiAngelo said. “Ultimately, we hope that by
working with Rowan, we can help to build a more experienced and educated
workforce, enhance economic growth in our region and improve the health and
well- being of everyone we serve.”
In addition to medical education experiences, Inspira
hopes to form partnerships with Rowan to offer undergraduate internships and
educational opportunities in business, health care management, information
systems, bio-medical engineering, nursing and allied health.
Source: Philadelphia
Business Journal
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