Hospitals in New Jersey feel economic pinch

TRENTON - Garden State hospitals are suffering from the effects of the economic downturn, according to a survey released yesterday by the New Jersey Hospital Association. Half of the state's 74 acute-care hospitals participated.

Forty-five percent reported having laid off workers last year, and more than three in four said they had had an increase in uninsured patients and emergency room visits in recent months. Sixty percent said they were doing fewer elective procedures.

The hospitals also reported a decline in donations. Eight New Jersey hospitals have closed for economic reasons in the last two years.- AP