Marks and Vastine Call on Jerry Green and Linda Stender to Answer for the Closing of Muhlenberg Hospital

Scotch Plains- Martin Marks and William“Bo” Vastine, candidates for the General Assembly in the 22^nd Legislative District, issued the following statement concerning the recent article from The Star Ledger, about the swine flu and the potential for 3 million New Jersey residents being at risk of infection this fall. Jerry Green and Linda Stender sat back and did nothing as Muhlenberg Hospital shut down. The aftermath of which has left thousands of residents in the 22^nd district at greater risk of not being able to receive the care they will need if they contract the virus.

“According to statistics sanctioned by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, many New Jersey hospitals could run out of beds this fall if the H1N1 virus infects as many people as previously predicted. This problem has been greatly exacerbated by the closing of Muhlenberg Hospital. Without the beds and emergency services at full capacity thousands of residents from the Plainfields, Scotch Plains and several other towns will need to head to other area hospitals. These other medical centers are already overwhelmed by the amount of emergency room patients they receive. Jerry Green and Linda Stender’s failed leadership as led to the closing of a vital lifeline to the community and that is simply unacceptable” stated Martin Marks.

“What gets my blood boiling about this situation is that while thousands of his constituents have been put directly in harms way by the closing of Muhlenberg Hospital, Jerry Green continues to pass the buck. Rather than accept partial responsibility for Muhlenberg closing on his watch, Jerry has gone as far as to blame George Bush for the hospital’s closing.  The issue is that real people, especially young children, face an increased risk of getting sick with swine flu this year. The fact that they do not have a local hospital to go to is proof of Jerry Green and Linda Stender’s failure as public representatives. They did nothing to prevent the hospital’s closing, and they’re doing nothing now to address the void in our district’s healthcare system, except blame past Presidents… it’s shameful” added Bo Vastine.   

                                                                     ###