Hackensack Meridian Health is investing $35 million in Raritan Bay Medical Center to expand Behavioral Health and Long Term Acute Care (LTACH) beds, addressing an immediate need identified in the latest community health needs assessment.
Hackensack Meridian Health’s plan to Reimagine Raritan Bay Medical Center will include:
- Maintaining medical surgical, ICU and OB/GYN beds and a full service emergency department to continue to serve and meet the inpatient needs of our communities.
- An investment of $35 million in Behavioral Health and Long Term Acute Care (LTACH) services.
- An expansion of access and capacity to meet patient demand by increasing Behavioral Health beds at Raritan Bay Medical Center to 81, subject to New Jersey Department of Health approval.
- An effort to recruit additional physicians to enhance access and scope of services, and meet the community’s needs.
- Behavioral Health will become an inpatient, specialized center for excellence that includes geriatric care and Dual Diagnosis (psychiatry/addiction) services. Throughout the five-year phased plan, specialty care programs will be added to Behavioral Health that will allow for patients and the community to receive this specialized service with a seamless continuum of care, close to home.
- For LTACH, Raritan Bay will be a discharge option for patients who would typically exceed length of stay at all HMH sites and become a specialty ventilator hospital in the HMH network, a new service that is not currently offered by HMH.
LTACH beds are expected to open in Q1 2022, followed by Behavioral Health beds in mid-2022.