RWJ Barnabas has received final approval from the New Jersey Department of Health for its Certificate of Need application, clearing the way for construction of a new acute-care hospital in Tinton Falls and significant upgrades to its existing Monmouth Medical Center campus in Long Branch.

Eric Carney, president and CEO of Monmouth Medical Center, thanked state health officials for their review and approval, calling the decision “a major step forward” in transforming care for patients and the communities the hospital serves. The approval followed years of planning, analysis and community input, according to the hospital.

The project envisions a new, state-of-the-art acute-care hospital in Tinton Falls, along with improvements to the Long Branch site, aimed at expanding access to advanced technology, modern facilities and academic medical services closer to where patients live. Hospital officials said the investments are designed to meet growing regional health care needs.

The final approval comes after several public hearings throughout the state, which saw hundreds of people turn out in support and opposition to the plan.

Testifying in support of the move on, Shlomo Schorr, Director of Legislative Affairs for Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office, emphasized 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.

In a statement, New Jersey Rep. Pallone, who Congressional District includes Long Branch and led the public opposition to the move, said he reached an agreement with RWJBarnabas Health, Gov. Phil Murphy and state legislative leaders to ensure that acute-care inpatient services remain in Long Branch even as the new hospital is developed in Tinton Falls.

“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,” Pallone said. “In addition, the behavioral health hospital with both inpatient and outpatient services stays.”

Pallone also said the agreement addresses fears that eliminating inpatient services in Long Branch would worsen health disparities, lengthen travel times for care and further strain nearby hospitals.

“From the moment I was informed that Long Branch area residents would lose inpatient hospital services and a full-scale Emergency Department I was worried that vulnerable populations would lose access to care,” Pallone said, adding that he was grateful to state and hospital leaders for reaching a solution.

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

Monmouth Medical Center expects to enter the design phase in the coming months, with construction and opening of the new hospital targeted for 2032. During that time, the hospital plans to continue investing in modernization efforts and maintaining essential services at the Long Branch campus, while working with state and local officials and keeping the public informed as the project moves forward.