Hoboken City Council rejects deal for foundering medical center, closure imminent

Hoboken City Council narrowly rejected a $5 million lifeline for Hoboken University Medical Center Wednesday night in a move that the city's mayor says will force the state's oldest hospital to close by the end of October. "They not only deeply hurt the city, they most probably ensured that a 150-year old institution closes and people lose their jobs," said city Mayor Dawn Zimmer, speaking outside council chambers just minutes after the vote. Zimmer said the hospital, which filed for bankruptcy on August 1, is leaking so much money that she is considering asking the state for emergency relief to allow the city to close the hospital immediately.