Hudson Regional Hospital said Tuesday it closed on the $76 million purchase of the property that Bayonne Medical Center occupies.

HRH also announced it resubmitted a competitive binding offer with proof of funds to purchase the hospital’s operations from its current operator, CarePoint.

“HRH is the natural next operator of Bayonne Medical Center, and we look forward to a response from CarePoint to our offer,” said Hudson Regional Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nizar Kifaieh. “HRH has an exemplary record with the New Jersey Department of Health and with this acquisition is well-positioned to create a premier network of acute care facilities in Hudson County.”

HRH is also under contract to acquire the real estate of Hoboken University Medical Center, which is also currently operated by CarePoint.

CarePoint previously received a proposal from HRH to acquire the Hoboken University Medical Center operations.

Last month, a Hudson County judge dismissed part of a complaint filed by BMC Hospital LLC, a rival suitor for the Bayonne facility, seeking a declaratory judgment that the 2019 sale of the real estate upon which the medical center sits is void because it did not meet regulatory requirements.

Wayne Hatami, BMC president said the Tuesday announcement from Hudson Regional Hospital is not true and the eminent domain process is already underway. Hatami said the Bayonne community deserves an operator that is financially stable, will ensure access to high-quality health care, and will continue to operate the facility as a hospital and not turn it into a nursing home.

“HRH’s press release is a gimmick,” Hatami said. “HRH is no closer to control over the land on which Bayonne Hospital operates. That will be decided by the courts, the Department of Health. Nothing HRH has done or can do changes the fact that CarePoint has both a lease that HRH must still respect (as HRH admitted in court) and that CarePoint and BMC have an exclusive agreement regarding the future operations of the hospital, which is the most critical issue at hand.”

Ron Simoncini, spokesperson for Hudson Regional Hospital, said in response to Hatami that HRH filed a deed with the county which represents full control. He also stated that the courts declined to enjoin the sale despite lawsuits filed by both BMC and CarePoint, and the Department of Health rejected BMC Hospital LLC’s application to operate Bayonne Medical Center.

HRH possesses a legal opinion stating eminent domain cannot be used on hospital property, according to Simoncini.

“We learned today that the Department of Health rejected BMC’s request for an Agency ruling that a Certificate of Need was required to transfer the Bayonne Hospital property to Hudson Regional. The request was denied and BMC has filed an appeal,” Simoncini said.

Furthermore, BMC has never presented a balance sheet and Hudson Regional just closed on a $76 million purchase and presented an offer with proof of funds for the Bayonne operation, Simoncini said. BMC has never done anything remotely as financially meaningful.

“Consistently, BMC has sought legal and regulatory standing to protect its insane notion that the public should fund at taxpayer expense its purchase of the Bayonne Medical Center operation, and it has never won a single motion or succeeded in gaining standing,” Simoncini said. “This latest chapter further demonstrates that BMC is nothing if not immune to shame, and the desperate moves it is making indicate something sinister lurking below the surface of its intentions.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Aug. 11, 2020, at 2:10 p.m. EST to include comments from Wayne Hatami, BMC president, and HRH’s response to those. This story was updated at 3:55 p.m. EST on Aug. 11 to include additional statements from Hudson Regional Hospital spokesperson Ron Simoncini.