Extraordinary …. transformational … landmark … unprecedented. It was hard for officials from Monmouth Medical Center and RWJBarnabas Health to describe the impact the $50 million gift from Anne and Sheldon Vogel will have on health care and the Monmouth County area.
RWJBarnabas CEO Barry Ostrowsky put it this way.
“The Vogels’ generosity ensures that Monmouth County residents will benefit for generations to come,” he said.
They will benefit because RWJBarnabas will use the donation — the largest single health care donation in state history — to create the Vogel Medical Campus in Tinton Falls.
The state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly Vogel Medical Campus will incorporate future-focused and innovative elements that will greatly improve both the practitioner and patient experience, officials said. The facilities are being designed alongside Monmouth’s expert clinicians and will leverage the very latest advances in medical space planning and technology.
“The new Vogel Medical Campus will advance medical innovation and expand access to the finest critical health care services,” Ostrowsky said.
Bill Arnold, president of RWJBarnabas Health’s Southern Region, said the donation will help the system speed up its plans.
“We are pioneering the future of health care,” he said. “Advanced technologies, expansive diagnostic services and innovative research are the hallmarks of today’s smart, future-ready health care delivery model.
“Our ultimate goal is to deliver an unparalleled patient experience.”
That will start in Long Branch, where Monmouth Medical Center is located — and where the Vogels have a deep personal connection.
Sheldon Vogel’s family owned a popular department store in town. Anne Vogel’s father served as chief of police.
The couple, who were each born at Monmouth Medical Center, have entrusted the hospital for all of their medical care.
“We know and love Monmouth Medical Center, from the administration and hospital leadership to the doctors and nurses leading the day-to-day charge,” Anne Vogel said. “Sheldon and I have every confidence that the plans being made here will continue to advance exceptional care for this community’s next generation.”
Sheldon Vogel, who served as chief financial officer at Atlantic Records, said he feels health care will change dramatically in the coming years. Vogel said he gained unique perspective on how the digitization of music dramatically changed the industry — and he draws parallels between that experience and today’s emerging trends in health care delivery, such as telemedicine and ambulatory care.
Vogel said he understands these changes will be reliant on investment in infrastructure and technology. That’s what drove the couple to invest in Monmouth Medical Center, he said.
“The speed of health care innovation is astonishing,” he said. “Health care transformation requires investment. Our gift will ensure that Monmouth Medical Center will continue to meet the evolving health care needs of our neighbors and friends right here in Monmouth County.”
Monmouth Medical Center CEO Eric Carney agreed.
“Fostering innovation in our hospitals and strengthening health care infrastructure is crucial to the health and well-being of our community,” he said. “We are so thankful to Anne and Sheldon Vogel as our partners in recognizing this reality. Their gift is an incredible investment in our future.”
Ostrowsky put it this way.
“This extraordinary gift from the Vogel family will have an enormous impact on the health and well-being of the communities served by Monmouth Medical Center,” he said.
