The state’s Health Planning Board held a packed public hearing this week on RWJBarnabas Health’s proposal to transfer Monmouth Medical Center’s hospital license from its current campus in Long Branch to a planned new medical center in Tinton Falls.

The hearing drew hundreds of residents, many of them Long Branch residents opposed to the relocation, along with municipal officials, lawmakers, health-care workers, and organizational representatives.

Under the application, RWJBarnabas Health seeks approval to close inpatient operations in Long Branch once construction of the new Tinton Falls campus is completed, consolidating all licensed hospital services at the new location.

Opponents argued that removing the hospital from Long Branch would harm access to care for those in the immediate area, particularly for seniors, lower-income families, and those relying on public transportation.

Despite the strong showing from opponents, the board also heard testimony in favor of the move.

Testifying on behalf of Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office, Shlomo Schorr voiced support for the relocation, emphasizing the significance of the new facility for rapidly growing Orthodox Jewish communities in the region.

Schorr highlighted the increasing reliance of thousands of Lakewood-area families on Monmouth Medical Center for emergency services, specialized care, and maternity needs. He noted that the Tinton Falls site would offer closer, faster, and safer access for these residents, reducing travel time and improving outcomes.

“The proposed new location in Tinton Falls would be roughly 10 to 15 minutes closer for many Lakewood-area residents,” Schorr said. “More importantly, it would offer a far more direct and reliable route. When every minute counts, whether it’s a mother in labor, a child needing urgent care, or a patient heading to the emergency room, that difference matters.

Thousands of Lakewood area births are delivered at the Long Branch facility every year.

Proponents of the plan argued that the Long Branch campus is outdated and needs substantial modernization—something RWJBarnabas contends is best achieved by building an entirely new medical center with expanded services, advanced technology, and greater capacity.

The Health Planning Board will review testimony submitted at the hearing before issuing a recommendation to the Department of Health, which will ultimately determine whether the hospital license can be transferred, and the public hearing is a required part of that process. New Jersey state law does not allow for the creation of a second hospital under the same license.

The plan is part of a larger redevelopment that includes a 150,000-square-foot Specialty and Cancer Care Center now under construction in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Under the proposed plan, Monmouth Medical Center will still retain several services, including: An emergency department, 24 beds for “observation” (not overnight stays); inpatient psychiatric beds; outpatient psychiatric services, an outpatient surgical center, imaging services and clinics.