“This plan puts profits over working people in order to build a concierge hospital for wealthier patients,” NJ 6th District Congressman says.
LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today announced his strong opposition to RWJ Barnabas Health’s (RWJBH) plan to move its hospital from Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch to a new hospital in Tinton Falls. The plan would move key services such as labor and delivery, acute care in-patient beds and the hospital license to the new facility in Tinton Falls leaving behind a shell of the current services.
“This plan puts profits over working people in order to build a concierge hospital for wealthier patients,” said Congressman Frank Pallone. “Effectively closing Long Branch’s hospital will leave thousands of families without access to health care and will further strain other hospitals in the region at the same time the Trump Administration is slashing funding to health care. RWJ Barnabas Health’s unacceptable abandonment of the Long Branch community calls into question the health system’s status as a non-profit hospital.”
Pallone blamed Governor Phil Murphy and his Acting Health Commissioner for rejecting his plans to keep the Long Branch hospital open.
“I put forward a plan to allow a new hospital to be built in Tinton Falls, while keeping Long Branch a full-scale acute care hospital. RWJ Barnabas originally accepted the plan but then changed it at the prompting of the Acting State Health Commissioner, and ultimately the Governor. It is their fault this is happening, but they have the power to stop it. Now is the time for elected leaders and our community to tell Governor Murphy and Acting Commissioner Brown that this is unacceptable and to reject this proposal,” Congressman Frank Pallone continued.
“For generations, families in Long Branch have relied on this hospital for acute care, births, and access to all kinds of health services that will now be lost,” said Long Branch Mayor John Pallone. “Last year, we celebrated the 135th anniversary of the founding of the Monmouth Medical Center. I’m extremely disappointed with the plan to move the hospital’s key facilities out of Long Branch and will do everything I can to stop this transfer of services. The people of Long Branch deserve to keep their hospital.”
Studies show hospital closures in urban and low-income areas disproportionately harm Black, Latino, and immigrant communities, deepening long-standing disparities in health outcomes.The relocation of services to more affluent areas effectively redirects health care resources away from those who need them most. New Jersey’s regulations plainly state, “The Department also must guard against the closing of important institutions and the transfer of services from facilities in a manner that is harmful to the public interest.” [iii] Allowing a hospital system to abandon a lower income and diverse community to build a concierge hospital that attracts more wealthy patients establishes a precedent that others may replicate.
Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch has widely been recognized for its outstanding quality and dedication to patient safety and experience. It is an award-winning hospital that is rated better than many of the other hospitals in RWJBH’s system. This year, it was ranked the 9th best hospital in New Jersey by Newsweek, making it the 2nd best hospital in the RWJBH system.[iAccording to the RWHBJ’s website, the hospital annually receives accolades for being one of the safest hospitals in the region and is a top-performing health care organization that has achieved the 95th percentile or above for performance in patient experience. [v]
MMC serves thousands of low-income and minority residents in Long Branch and the region. For decades, the hospital has provided essential maternity, and specialty care to residents who already face barriers such as transportation challenges, chronic illness, and lack of insurance coverage. Abandoning the Long Branch community will lead to worse health care outcomes for many. Other hospitals in the region will be forced to absorb an influx of patients, potentially leading to longer wait times, staff burnout, and greater financial strain.
On October 16th, the Department of Health deemed the RWJBH application complete, which triggers a requirement for the hospital system and the Department of Health to hold separate public hearings before a final decision is rendered within 120 days.
