Atlantic City abortion clinic shut for violations
Health violations prompt state inspectors to close facility indefinitely
By MICHAEL CLARK Staff Writer, (609) 272-7204
(Published: June 26, 2007)
ATLANTIC CITY — The area's sole abortion clinic was shut down late last week by state officials after inspectors discovered several violations within the facility, including problems with infection control, a state health department spokesman confirmed Monday.

State inspectors returned to the Alternatives clinic Monday to conduct a full survey of the facility after discovering the violations Friday.

Investigators were led to the Pacific Avenue clinic by an anonymous complaint to the state concerning “change of ownership issues,” said Tom Slater, spokesman for the state's Department of Health and Human Services. Slater could not give any more information about the complaint, except to say that it was unfounded.

What investigators did find, however, were several state violations in a number of areas at the clinic, including problems with infection control, documentation and the “facility itself,” Slater said. The spokesman could not elaborate on what investigators specifically found that prompted the closing.

“Some violations occurred, and there were enough in several areas that we agreed to curtail admissions," he said.

Slater said the clinic's owner, Dr. Alan Kline, was notified of the closing Friday. Kline, a retired physician who also owns the Princeton Women's Center in Princeton, could not be reached for comment on Monday.

The building, located on the 1600 block of Pacific Avenue, is owned by City Councilman John Schultz, who also was notified of the closing last week.

“The state inspector came in and said the water temperature in the heater was not hot enough. They have their own water system,” said Schultz, adding that he was unaware of any other violations beyond the water heater.

Schultz said he believed it was protestors that sparked the investigation.

The Alternatives clinic, which has been in the city for decades, has been a common destination for local protestors in the past. Claims made by one protestor from Burlington County in 1990 that he had found a fetus in a dumpster outside the clinic were eventually unfounded by state officials.

An injunction was issued in 1991 by an Atlantic County Superior Court Judge after patients trying to enter the office building were routinely approached by anti-abortion activists, who also, at times, obstructed the entrance. Another 14 protestors were convicted a year prior to the injunction for trespassing when they stormed inside the clinic and chained themselves to pipes.

Whether the clinic is shut down indefinitely remains to be seen. Slater said he could not determine how long the clinic would be closed until the team of inspectors finished with their survey of the facility.