HOBOKEN, N.J.—New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the state would commit $5 million to help close the sale of the foundering Hoboken University Medical Center. The municipal hospital's management company entered bankruptcy in August. The governor's announcement came after the Hoboken City Council refused to pledge $5 million “effectively forcing the state's oldest hospital to close within the next few weeks and risking municipal authority default in Hoboken,” a written statement from the governor's office said. Sale of Hoboken University Medical Center to the company that owns the Bayonne (N.J.) Medical Center is pending before a bankruptcy judge. Toni Tomarazzo, the chairwoman of Hoboken Municipal Hospital Authority, said the $5 million would be used toward finalizing the sale.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa.—Geisinger Health System signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bloomsburg Health System, which includes a physicians group and 72-bed Bloomsburg Hospital. A review of the deal by Pennsylvania's Health Department and attorney general's office is expected to take at least six months, said Regis Cabonor, president and CEO of Bloomsburg Health System, in a news release announcing the deal. The system's governing board will become an advisory board after the deal, which follows last November's announcement that two-hospital Geisinger, based in Danville, Pa., would acquire 55-bed Shamokin Area Community Hospital, Coal Township, Pa. Bloomsburg reported operating losses in fiscal 2010 and 2009, the most recent years for which figures are publicly available. The system lost $1.3 million from operations on revenue of $64.3 million in 2010. That's compared with an operating loss of $2.9 million on revenue of $63.2 million the prior year.