Politics & Government

Letter: Cardiac Program Is Needed at Community, Despite Deborah CEO Stance

Manchester Mayor Michael Fressola offers a rebuttal to Deborah CEO Joseph P. Chirichella

Below is Manchester Mayor Michael Fressola's response to a recent opinion letter submitted by Joseph P. Chirichella, President and CEO of Deborah Heart and Lung Center, . Fressola has for the cardiac program at Community before.

Dear Manchester Residents,

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When I read an editorial from Joseph Chirichella, the president and CEO of Deborah Heart and Lung Center, I was shocked. So much of what Mr. Chirichella wrote about Community Medical Center and the residents of Ocean County was not only offensive, but simply not true.

Mr. Chirichella claims a cardiac surgery program is not needed in Ocean County. This is false. Ocean County has the second highest concentration of senior citizens in New Jersey, and the highest number of residents needing cardiac surgery statewide. In my township of Manchester, more than half of our population is over the age of 65 and we rank number one in the nation for the highest percent of seniors over the age of 85. But still today, Ocean County is the largest county in New Jersey without a cardiac surgery program to care for a population most in need of this service.

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Mr. Chirichella claims that travel to Deborah is not a hardship for residents of Ocean County. This is false. Transportation is the number one need of Ocean County residents. Traveling outside of Ocean County is nearly impossible for the majority of our community, making the lack of access to a nearby open heart surgery program an enormous hardship.  

As the mayor of Manchester, I speak with patients and family members every day and they repeatedly tell me how difficult it is for them to travel to out of county hospitals for care. Deborah is simply too far. It’s hard to explain to them why we still don’t have cardiac surgery at Community Medical Center. Mr. Chirichella clearly lacks any real understanding of the critical need that exists among area residents for access to a nearby cardiac surgery program.

The distance also adds a financial burden on Ocean County residents, many of whom are living on Social Security. For Mr. Chirichella to suggest that free parking or discounted “hotel-type accommodations” will adequately ease this hardship is ridiculous. Even discounted rooms are beyond what many seniors are able to afford.

Mr. Chirichella’s attempt to argue against a cardiac surgery program at CMC from a financial standpoint is also disturbing. The financial considerations of hospitals should not outweigh the health and well-being of patients. This is not what hospitals should be about. Health-care facilities should be focused on providing high-quality, patient centered-care in the most convenient way possible. The only financial consideration that should be measured is the financial cost to the patient.

We live in a free society, if one organization has the ability to compete and proved needed services, there should be nothing that should prevent them from doing so. For the CEO of Deborah to suggest that a cardiac surgery program at CMC will hurt their business is an outrage. If he can’t compete, that’s too bad.

There is clearly a need for a cardiac surgery program in Ocean County. It’s time to put patient safety first and serve a community in need. We must bring cardiac surgery to Community Medical Center. It’s long overdue.

Michael Fressola
Mayor, 


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