For-profit bodies revive closed hospitals as medical halls

[NEW YORK] New Jersey has been losing hospitals for more than two decades; 26 have closed in that time, many in poor, urban neighbourhoods that are left with an empty shell where a hospital once stood.

But in recent years, a few developers have purchased some of these abandoned structures, reopening them as private medical complexes that offer many of the services the hospitals once provided.

For struggling cities such as Paterson, New Jersey, the new use removes blight from the streets, restores healthcare services, creates jobs and provides a tax boost when a for-profit company replaces a non-profit institution.

Since 2008, developers in New Jersey have bought hospitals in Paterson, Jersey City, Hammonton and Trenton, converting the buildings into so-called medical malls that house an arra…