Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s (RWJUH) Respiratory Care Program has received the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) 2026-2027 APEX Acute Care award. This recognition places RWJUH among only three hospitals in New Jersey and 64 across the United States to have achieved this distinction.
The APEX Acute Care award acknowledges respiratory care programs that demonstrate excellence in staff education, credentialing, and protocol implementation aimed at ensuring safe and effective patient care. Facilities honored with this award are recognized for their commitment to professional development, evidence-based practice, patient safety, and ongoing quality improvement.
“As an academic medical center with a broad range of advanced specialty care services and programs addressing many complex illnesses with many patients experiencing some degree of difficulty breathing, respiratory care is the foundation for the care we provide,” said RWJUH President Alan Lee. “We’re proud that our team has been recognized for its commitment to quality and providing exceptional care in a safe environment for our patients.”
The AARC Apex Recognition Award program is open to respiratory care departments in acute care hospitals as well as other healthcare settings such as long-term care facilities, home medical equipment companies, educational programs, international acute care sites, post-acute facilities, and dedicated transport teams. The program was established by AARC to highlight best practices in respiratory therapy based on evidence-based medicine and aims to help consumers identify healthcare providers focused on high-quality patient outcomes through access to skilled respiratory therapists.
At RWJUH, respiratory therapists serve patients throughout the hospital campus. Their work covers a wide range of cases including premature infants, pediatric asthma or cystic fibrosis patients, accident victims in emergency settings, adults with COPD requiring medical intervention, sleep apnea cases needing CPAP support, and critically ill patients in intensive care units dependent on mechanical ventilation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, RWJUH’s Respiratory Therapy Team played a crucial role by caring for COVID-positive patients across all hospital areas—including temporary ICUs—reaching a peak of 83 ventilated patients daily along with numerous others receiving high-flow oxygen or alternative treatments.
RWJUH is a 724-bed academic medical center located in New Brunswick and operates under RWJBarnabas Health. It maintains partnerships with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers Cancer Institute. The hospital includes centers like Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital—which was nationally ranked as one of the Best Children’s Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 2025-26. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report named RWJUH a Best Regional Hospital for 2025-2026 with recognition across 19 adult specialties and conditions. The facility also stands out as one of only three state-certified Level 1 Trauma Centers in New Jersey and houses the state’s first designated Pediatric Trauma Center.
For further information regarding this achievement or about Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s services,
contact Peter Haigney at (732) 937-8568.
