RWJBarnabas Health has received approval from the New Jersey Department of Health to proceed with its plan to build a new $800 million, 252-bed acute care hospital in Tinton Falls. The decision follows an agreement between RWJBarnabas Health, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., Governor Phil Murphy, and state legislative leaders.
The agreement ensures that Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch will continue providing acute-care inpatient and outpatient surgery services. This comes after concerns were raised by residents and clinicians about the potential impact on health disparities and access to care if inpatient surgery services were removed from the Long Branch facility.
“While the state commissioner of health approved RWJ Barnabas’s application for a new hospital in Tinton Falls, they also required that the emergency department and outpatient surgery services, including specialty clinics and imaging services, remain in Long Branch indefinitely,” said Pallone. “In addition, the behavioral health hospital with both inpatient and outpatient services stays.”
The legislation establishes a pilot program allowing RWJBarnabas Health to operate acute-care hospital services at both Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch and the future Tinton Falls facility for at least ten years after relocation. The Commissioner of Health may extend this period further.
Under this framework, Monmouth Medical Center will maintain 48 surgical and observation beds—up to 12 of which can be converted for intensive care use—and continue operating rooms for major surgeries as well as a full-service emergency department.
State Senators Vin Gopal and Joseph Vitale sponsored the legislation along with Assemblywomen Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul.
George Helmy, executive vice president at RWJBarnabas Health, stated: “The health system remains steadfast in its commitment to transforming healthcare throughout Monmouth County. This includes our promise to maintain essential services in Long Branch and developing world-class facilities at the Vogel Medical Campus in Tinton Falls. This pilot program seeks to continue the investments and care delivered by our incredible team at Monmouth Medical Center, which was heralded by hundreds of speakers in public hearings.”
Monmouth Medical Center President and CEO Eric Carney added: “After years of careful planning, rigorous analysis, and extensive community input, this decision clears the way for a new, state-of-the-art, acute-care hospital in Tinton Falls and much-needed improvements to our existing site in Long Branch. These investments will bring the latest advanced technology and treatments, modern facilities, and world-class academic medicine closer to home for more patients.
“We expect to move into the design phase in the coming months with the goal of completing construction and opening the new hospital in 2032. During this period, we will continue to make significant investments to modernize facilities and maintain essential health services at our Long Branch campus. We look forward to continuing to work with state and local officials and keeping our patients and communities informed at every stage of the project.”
The planned Tinton Falls hospital will offer all-private inpatient rooms as well as emergency care, surgical services, radiology, critical support functions, innovative medicine options, cutting-edge technology aimed at improving patient outcomes.
Additionally, a 150,000-square-foot Specialty and Cancer Care Center is under construction on the Vogel Medical Campus. Developed through a partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute, it will provide outpatient cancer care—including precision medicine therapies—and access to clinical trials alongside other surgical/imaging/physician office support functions. Completion is expected by late 2026.
