New Jersey hospital war: Democrats and rival health giants clash over Long Branch plan

🔴 Rep. Frank Pallone blasts RWJ Barnabas and Gov. Murphy

🏥 Hackensack Meridian Health warns competitor's move will swamp its hospitals

💰 $50 million Vogel Medical Center project in Tinton Falls sparks backlash

LONG BRANCH — A hospital that’s been part of Long Branch for more than a century could soon be gone, and Gov. Phil Murphy is caught in the crossfire as a congressman from his party rages about profit seeking and a rival hospital system warns of  consequences for public health.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. 6th District, argues that RWJ Barnabas Health would be turning their backs on the working families of Long Branch if the 136-year-old hospital were to leave for Fort Monmouth in Tinton Falls.

"I think it's an outrage that they've done this," Pallone said.

Congressman criticizes focus on ‘concierge care’

RWJ Barnabas’s plan would strip the historic Long Branch facility of its full hospital license, shifting its acute care, labor and delivery, and inpatient services to a new complex called the Vogel Medical Center, set to open in 2026.

What’s left behind in Long Branch, Pallone warns, would be little more than an urgent-care-level clinic, no better than what you’d find at a strip mall.

"I am just sick and tired of these corporate hospital interests who are only concerned about making profit, making a buck, don't care about the little guy. Don't care about working families," Pallone fumed on Friday. "You know, the RWJ system's CEO makes $7 million a year. Maybe they should think about cutting his salary instead of closing a hospital that serves minority and low-income people, in order to build a concierge hospital that is going to make them more profit."

Murphy's office and RWJ Barnabas push back

Pallone says Murphy and his acting health commissioner “signed off” on the plan to kill Long Branch’s hospital license and might even fast-track public hearings before leaving office in January.

Gov. Phil Murphy’s office shot back, insisting the process is ongoing and that care would continue in both locations if the plan were approved by State Health Planning Board and the state health commissioner.

"RWJ Barnabas Health has submitted a complete application to the New Jersey Department of Health to relocate a current hospital license to a new facility in the nearby community of Tinton Falls, while ensuring continuity of Emergency Department and certain inpatient and outpatient services in Long Branch," Murphy spokeswoman Maggie Garbarino said Friday. "The Department plans to continue its evaluation process over the next few weeks."

The hospital system, meanwhile, said in a written statement on Friday that Monmouth Medical Center will "continue to provide patients with vital and essential health services and an enhanced patient experience."

"Upgrading this facility will allow us to continue providing high-quality health care in Long Branch well into the future, ensuring we meet the evolving needs of the community for generations to come," Eric Carney, President and CEO of Monmouth Medical Center, said

Under the application submitted by RWJ Barnabas Health, the Long Branch location would retain:

🏥 A satellite emergency department

🏥 Observation unit of 24 beds

🏥 Inpatient psychiatric beds

🏥 Outpatient psychiatric services

🏥 Clinics

🏥 Outpatient surgical center

🏥 Imaging services

Hackensack Meridian warns of disaster in the making

In a rare move, Hackensack Meridian Health, the rival hospital network that runs Jersey Shore University Medical Center and Riverview Medical Center, joined the fray by calling the state's decision a "mistake that will endanger patients and destabilize regional healthcare."

“This move effectively abandons Long Branch’s most vulnerable residents,” Hackensack Meridian said in a statement, warning that closing Monmouth Medical will devastate a community that relies on local care and has limited transportation.

The hospital giant predicts that its busy Jersey Shore University Medical Center will be swamped with patients who once depended on Monmouth Medical.

"While Hackensack Meridian Health does have plans to expand Jersey Shore University Medical Center, those plans were made in advance of this announcement and would not accommodate this influx, adversely impacting the quality of care provided to greater Neptune, Red Bank and the surrounding communities," the hospital giant said Friday. "This undue stress to our hospitals, along with the move forcing patients to travel further for quality care, hurts the health of everyone in Monmouth County.

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A $50 million question: Who benefits most?

The Vogel Medical Campus was fueled by a $50 million donation from Sheldon and the late Anne Vogel in 2022. RWJ Barnabas touts it as a “modern expansion” to serve Monmouth County’s future. Critics, though, say it’s a luxury project that leaves behind the people who need care most.

RWJBarnabas Health, however, says the plan is "a health care model for the future."

"The new facility will allow for greater family involvement, privacy, and improved comfort that creates a more healing environment," the health company said in a written statement.

The 150,000-square-foot Specialty and Cancer Care Center at the Vogel Medical Campus will be New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center when it opens next year. It will offer precision medicine and cellular therapies, access to clinical trials, surgical and imaging services, physician offices and support services

“Once approved, the new, modern hospital will elevate health care for patients, families, and caregivers across Monmouth County,” Carney said. “We are prioritizing the delivery of high-quality, safe and compassionate care at an easily accessible location near the Garden State Parkway and other major roadways.”

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