Virtua Health Inc., a non-profit healthcare system sued the State of New Jersey on Monday to block a law that gives control of emergency medical services in Camden to Cooper University Hospital. It has been said that the law was signed earlier this month by Gov. Chris Christie.

Virtua, which presently provides the advanced life support, or paramedic, argues that the law gives Cooper an 'exclusive privilege' without any rational medical basis, violating the state constitution.

Usually, in New Jersey, a hospital system seeking to provide emergency medical service in a region is required to submit a comprehensive 'certificate of need' application to the state Department of Health.

Christie's office and the state Health Department both referred questions to the state Attorney General's Office, which said it could not comment on litigation. Cooper was able to bypass that process through the signed law and also declined to comment.

Virtua CEO Richard P. Miller, who last month panned the state's move as something out of 'communist China', on Monday, said, "Virtua has long-standing commitments to Camden residents, not only by providing paramedic services, but also by delivering a wide range of health and community services, including emergency medical care, pediatric behavioral health, primary care and dental services".

Virtua is joined in the lawsuit by Capital Health System Inc. of Trenton, which also is affected by the measure. Both Virtua and Capital Health have provided paramedic services in their regions for more than 30 years.

Dan Fee, a spokesman for Cooper board chairman George E. Norcross III, also has said that the health system's paramedics will respond even more quickly to emergency calls than Virtua does.