Community Medical Center, Children’s Specialized Hospital and RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group broke ground last week in West Tom’s River for a new 86,000-square-foot medical building to expand access to outpatient services for adults and children in Ocean County.
Executives from the organizations, together with local officials, gathered at 171 Saint Catherine Blvd., where they put shovels in the ground for the three-story medical building that will be shared by Community Medical Center and Children’s Specialized Hospital, both RWJBarnabas Health facilities, with an anticipated opening slated for early 2023.
Designed to serve as Community Medical Center’s hub for patients in western Toms River, their space in the new medical office building will encompass 37,594 square feet, offering a range of outpatient services including imaging, ambulatory surgery, pre-admission testing, and physical and occupational therapy. RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group’s primary care and orthopedic physicians will also have offices onsite.
“Our new medical hub will serve as a premier health care destination for Toms River and the surrounding areas, enabling us to transform how we deliver care by bringing a range of services directly to the community,” said Patrick Ahearn, CEO, Community Medical Center. “We are excited to break ground on this project and look forward to its completion so we can continue to provide our patients with improved access to the world-class care they have come to expect.”
Further expanding and enhancing access to specialized outpatient services for children, Children’s Specialized Hospital will bring the services currently offered in its Lakehurst Road and Stevens Road offices into the remaining 48,406 square feet of the new building — providing their care in one convenient location. These services include developmental and behavioral pediatrics, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry and psychology, and occupational, physical and speech therapy.
“Children’s Specialized Hospital has a longstanding commitment to children and youth with special health care needs,” said Dr. Matthew McDonald III, CEO and president, Children’s Specialized Hospital. “Today is a remarkable milestone on their behalf, where we will have the opportunity to better serve those kids in this community. Thanks to the teamwork of CSH, Community Medical Center and RWJBarnabas Health, we are ensuring every child has access to the programs and services they need to reach their full potential.”
Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation is in the midst of the largest fundraising campaign in its 35-year history, with a goal of $45 million to support the hospital’s expansion into new communities — including this new site in Toms River. As part of this effort, Todd Frazier, a Major League Baseball all-star and U.S. Olympian who grew up in Toms River, and his wife, Jackie Frazier, have signed on as honorary co-chairs of this Transforming Lives 2.0 campaign that has secured over $34 million to date.
“We are so excited to see this new facility brought to our community to uplift Toms River and hopefully change a lot of children’s lives,” the Fraziers said. “It was really a simple decision for us to support this campaign — an easy home run, as we say in baseball. We can’t wait to see all the children whose lives will be impacted in such positive ways and hope we can put a smile on some of their faces.”
Additional New Jersey community leaders that have pledged their support to the Transforming Lives 2.0 campaign include Mark Montenero, CSH Foundation board of trustees member, campaign co-chair and president of Autoland Toyota, Chrysler, Jeep and RAM Trucks; and Ed McKenna, CSH Foundation board of trustees member, campaign co-chair, senior partner at McKenna, Dupont, Stone & Washburne and former mayor of Red Bank.
Additionally, RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group will bring orthopedic and primary care services to the space.
“Our goal is to make quality care more accessible in the communities we serve,” said Dr. Andy Anderson, CEO and president of RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group. “This new health care hub demonstrates our commitment to that goal and increases our ability to foster enhanced health and wellness for individuals and families in Ocean County.”
