This blog is going to address the on going political struggle to take away the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) from Virtua to Boss Norcross’s Cooper Hospital. For about forty five years Virtua has been in charge of EMS in the Camden area, now Boss Norcross wants Cooper Hospital to take over. Norcross has a vested interest in doing this as he is on the board of Cooper and this would bring in more money to the hospital.

What the real problem is that Virtua is doing an excellent job and the patients are going to appropriate hospitals and not Cooper; which also wants to be a level 1 trauma center for the area. I think I smell a rat and it is a very big one! Why fix something that is working and should Cooper be granted a level 1 trauma center status?

Sometimes things are very simple and other times they are just so political that it is hard to tell truth from fiction. The truth is that Virtua should keep doing what it has been doing correctly for many years and that Cooper Hospital should be granted level 1 trauma center status.

Since Virtua is doing a fine job there is no real need to have someone else takeover their EMS duties. Just because Boss Norcross says jump, no one should jump up and do his bidding. We need to get rid of these political bosses here in New Jersey they are the cause of more problems than solutions. The legislature has voted to give Cooper both the trauma center status and the EMS business. Hopefully the Governor will not bend to Norcross’s will, yet I hold out little hope.

As for Cooper Hospital becoming a trauma center, this is a good idea. At least on the face of it, for in the bill it says (per the Philadelphia Inquirer) “that $2.5 million for Cooper, which the hospital plans to use for start-up costs like replacing old ambulances.” Also this would save the state of New Jersey about $1 million per year in hospital costs because Newark based University Hospital is a state owned facility that is currently handling the level 1 trauma in Camden.

So there is the good and the bad. The bad is so politically based that it is not funny and those lawmakers who voted for these items to be put in the state budget should be ashamed of themselves. Better yet how about resigning and never again running for political office!

Now I will just do some updating on previous blogs:

The field of candidates for President now includes former Virginia Senator Jim Webb, a Democrat. The pool is getting very deep. Who will be the first to drown in the deep end?

As of this date Senator Menendez of New Jersey is still our United States Senator, even though he is under indictment.
The New Jersey legislature has voted to make the changes to our voter laws as suggested by Hillary Clinton, the bill is awaiting the Governor’s decision to either sign it or veto it or just let it sit for 45 days and die.

Update: Our wonderful Governor, Chris Christie, has signed the bill into law. Virtua is going to sue. 7/3/2015

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike