As anticipated, Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center will debut its new cardiovascular suite before the end of 2024.

JSUMC said the $45 million facility will open Dec. 29, located on the fourth floor of the Northwest Pavilion in Neptune.

The brand-new, 30,000-square-foot treatment space will nearly triple patient capacity, according to the provider. HMH revealed the project in February of this year.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and men in the United States,” said Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert Garrett. “With this in mind, our network continues to add expert cardiologists, the latest technologies, state-of-the-art facilities, and pioneer investigational patient treatments to combat heart disease in all its forms.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the death rate due to heart disease for individuals 35 and older is 312 per 100,000. Meanwhile, Ocean County posts some of the highest death rates in the state, at 398 per 100,000 individuals, according to CDC data. In Monmouth, the rate is 306 per 100,000.

JSUMC holds distinction as Monmouth and Ocean counties’ only open heart and minimally invasive cardiac surgery center; Joint Commission- and New Jersey Department of Health-designated Comprehensive Stroke Center; and major academic medical center, according to HMH.

Treatments provided in the upgraded space include advanced structural heart, electrophysiology (EP) as well as emergency heart attack and stroke treatment options. The facility also engages in novel patient clinical trials and utilizes recently approved cardiovascular equipment.

The new suite features:

• Four dedicated cardiac catheterization labs
• Four EP labs
• Two hybrid operating rooms
• A 28-bay patient prep and recovery area

According to HMH, the new space is designed to promote efficiency and provide a pleasant experience for patients and their families.

“We are meeting the needs of the community we serve with this expansion, from eight clinical treatment spaces to 10, and giving our cardiologists, nurses and team members a convenient, centralized, dedicated space and leading-edge tools so they can continue to provide our patients with world-class cardiovascular care,” commented JSUMC President and Chief Hospital Executive Vito Buccellato. “The volume of patients treated by our teams has steadily increased in recent years.

“We are the fastest growing New Jersey hospital, and as of 2022, we provide the second most diagnostic and interventional cardiac procedures in our state,” Buccellato added.

In his remarks, HMH Regional President, Southern Market, Dr. Kenneth Sable highlighted Jersey Shore Medical Center’s recent accolades – including from U.S. News & World Report and Healthgrades – as boosting its reputation and patient flow.

“The new suite’s increased capacity will enable the scheduling of elective cardiovascular procedures for patients more quickly, and improve procedure scheduling for patients who are transferred from community hospitals to Jersey Shore, so they can receive advanced treatment for complex cases,” Sable said.