East Orange General Hospital Announces New Ownership Group

Paige Dworak to serve as the first female owner-CEO of a hospital in New Jersey

On Oct 15, 2021

East Orange General Hospital (EOGH), Essex County’s only independent, acute care community hospital, announced it will be acquired by EOH Acquisition Group, LLC, a new ownership group led by hospital Chief Executive Officer Paige Dworak, who will serve as the first female-owner CEO of a hospital in New Jersey. The New Jersey State Health Planning Board has signed off on the acquisition, and its completion is pending official approval from Commissioner Judith M. Persichilli, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., New Jersey Department of Health. The new ownership will financially stabilize the hospital and allow it to continue its mission to provide high-quality care to the residents of East Orange and the surrounding communities.

“This is a great day for the residents of Essex County,” said Paige Dworak, CEO of East Orange General Hospital. “We are so excited about the future of this historic hospital and its impact on the community. The change in ownership will help accelerate the transformation of this vital community asset, ensuring the hospital continues to deliver the quality care the patients and the community have come to rely on for over a century.”

Dworak has served as CEO of the 201-bed, acute care Essex County hospital since 2017 and will have a 20 percent ownership stake in the new organization. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dworak is one of the state’s leading health care executives, serving for over two decades in the healthcare industry. Dworak’s new position as owner/CEO further positions her as a trailblazer in the industry, making her the first female owner and CEO of a hospital in New Jersey.

EOH Acquisition Group, LLC, the hospital’s new for-profit operating company, is comprised of three owners – Ben Klein, Englewood resident and owner of more than three dozen behavioral health and substance abuse treatment centers across the United States; Paige Dworak, CEO of East Orange General Hospital; and attorney Troy Schell. The new ownership will further invest in EOGH – committing capital funds to retain new staff, invest in new technology and expand services to better meet the community’s needs.

While maintaining and strengthening all existing services, EOGH is deepening its focus on behavioral health. Specifically, the new owners will help expand outpatient mental health services on the hospital’s campus, offering new, state-of-the-art therapies to patients. More importantly, the new owners plan on integrating mental health services and primary care, removing the silos that typically exist between these two service lines.

The new owners will oversee the completion of critical initiatives currently underway and embark on new projects at the hospital that will help stabilize and grow hospital admissions while improving the overall delivery of services. These programs include:

Completion of the opening of the county’s first inpatient Substance Abuse Disorder (Detox) Unit.

Creation of a new 100+ bed residential substance abuse disorder treatment center which will provide a much-needed service to the county, create new jobs, and drive new admissions.

Creation of East Orange General Hospital’s first-ever Medical Group focused on the expansion of primary care, family medicine, and multispecialty services.

Addition of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a technology used to treat and cure depression, anxiety, and more.

“There has been much skepticism over this hospital in recent years, but I am here to say that we stand ready to build a better, stronger community hospital in the months and years ahead. We are excited to bring ownership back to New Jersey – to people who are truly vested and care,” added Dworak. “I am invested in this community, and I am honored to continue to serve the residents of Essex County as an owner of this historic institution.”

East Orange General Hospital has served the Essex County community for nearly 120 years. Services include emergency medicine, same-day surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, dialysis, physical rehabilitation, lab and pathology services, wound care, weight loss support, behavioral health, family health, women’s health, and many more.

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