Land on which CHS would build is owned by Merrill Lynch
By John Tredrea
Capital Health Systems (CHS) recently contacted Hopewell Township officials on the idea of building a 320-bed hospital off Scotch Road in the south-central section of the township.
"They’ve discussed it with us informally," township Mayor Vanessa Sandom said.
The land on which CHS would build currently is owned by Merrill Lynch. CHS has not filed any formal application to build a hospital there. CHS cannot move forward with any such plans until it has received a certificate of need, from state health Commissioner Fred Jacobs, on CHS’ application to relocate from Trenton.
Mayor Sandom said a decision from Commissioner Jacobs is expected by early December.
In case CHS does try to relocate in Hopewell Township, the Township Committee voted 4-1 Monday to hire a consultant, Nathan Kaufman of Kaufman Strategic Advisors, to study what impact the 320-bed hospital would have on the township.
Mr. Kaufman’s firm is based in San Diego, Calif.
Committeeman Mark Iorio cast the dissenting vote, indicating he did not know enough about either the Kaufman firm or what CHS is proposing. "Why are we doing this now?" he asked the mayor before the vote.
"Because CHS opened an escrow account" with the township last Friday, the mayor replied. The money to pay Mr. Kaufman will come from the $15,000 CHS deposited in the account.
"It’s in our best interest to understand early in the game what we’re looking at here," the mayor continued. "It’s best to form a relationship, based on intelligence, with CHS as soon as we can."
In recent months, CHS has discussed with Lawrence officials a proposal to build the 320-bed hospital, at an estimated cost of $291 million, on 32 acres off Princess Road in that township. Lawrence officials have voiced worries about the size of the hospital, the traffic it would generate and the fact that a rezoning of the tract would be required to allow its construction.
The CHS facility has been in Trenton since the mid-1890s and was known for years as Mercer Hospital. There are two other hospitals in the city: Capital Health System’s Fuld Campus and Catholic Health East’s St. Francis Medical Center.
In its application for the certificate of need that would allow it to move, CHS says the days when Trenton can support three hospitals are numbered because an increasing number of patients prefer going to a suburban hospital.
Lawrence Ledger Staff Writer Lea Kahn contributed to this account.

