Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital Board Replaced

MORRIS PLAINS, NJ — In his final days in office, Gov. Chris Christie appointed an entirely new slate of members to the board of Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital.

The six people appointed to the Board of Trustees are:

• Michele Brown of Mendham, who was Gov. Christie’s Appointments Counsel and headed the state Economic Development Authority;
• Wayne Hasenbalg of Randolph, who is CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Christie;
• Morris Township Mayor Bruce Sisler;
• Attorney Louis Modugno, a partner in the McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter law firm;
• Jim DiGiulio of Chatham, who is Chief Counsel to Gov. Christie.
• Peter Simon of Jersey City; Chief of Staff to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The changes come amid growing complaints about patient and employee safety at the hospital. The combination of psychiatric hospital closures statewide forcing more patients towards Greystone, paired with a shortage of psychiatrists has led to unsafe conditions, NJ.com reported. The number of assaults has reportedly doubled in recent years.

“I take this appointment very seriously and plan to work very hard on behalf of the patients from Morris County and across North Jersey who have ended up at Greystone due to severe mental illness,’’ Gannon said in a statement. “Those patients – who are our family members and friends and neighbors and co-workers -- count on the staff and administration of this hospital to provide the best care possible and in a most secure setting. I look forward to working with the other trustees to make sure they get the care they deserve.’’

Board memberships are three year, unpaid positions.

In December, Christie announced that New Brunswick-based New Solutions will perform an assessment of all state psychiatric hospitals, including Greystone.

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