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The basics:

• NJDOH approves relocation of Monmouth Medical Center from Long Branch to Vogel Medical Campus in Tinton Falls.
• Long Branch will retain satellite ER, outpatient services, psychiatric beds, other essential care
• RWJBarnabas Health will provide no-cost ground transportation between campuses, invest in a community health improvement plan
• Community Advisory Group including local officials and advocates will guide ongoing engagement 

The New Jersey Department of Health has given its final stamp of approval to a major project to relocate Monmouth Medical Center from Long Branch to Tinton Falls.

NJBIZ has reported extensively on this topic, which has generated much attention and back-and-forth between advocates and opponents.

Under the plan, RWJBarnabas Health will construct a new state-of-the-art acute care hospital in Tinton Falls at the Vogel Medical Campus at Fort Monmouth. It will also maintain and modernize the current Monmouth Medical Center site in Long Branch, which will operate a satellite emergency department and other services.

The new hospital would rise 6 miles from current the location. Opponents of the project argue it will create challenges for Long Branch residents in access, disparities, transportation and workforce/staffing concerns. Surrounding hospitals argue it will place a strain on them.

Meanwhile, proponents say the current site is maxed out and would make for a difficult renovation process. Additionally, they note this project will establish a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility with all the technology and modern capabilities to serve its patients.

In December, the New Jersey State Health Planning Board voted to approve the Certificate of Need Application for Monmouth Medical Center’s relocation to Tinton Falls. The application needed final sign-off by the health department and its acting commissioner, Jeff Brown, which it received Jan. 8.

That approval includes conditions:

• The continuation of outpatient services would be in perpetuity, subject to a state-approved period review process
• Continued documented engagement with NJ Transit to expand transportation services to the new hospital facility from Long Branch and surrounding communities
• An investment in a community health improvement plan

“Our mission at the New Jersey Department of Health is to protect the public’s health, promote healthy communities, and continue to improve the quality of health care in New Jersey,” the NJDOH told NJBIZ in a statement. “As a regulatory body for the state’s health care facilities, our role is to ensure compliance with strict health and safety standards and to promote the delivery of safe and quality care.

“Following an extensive review process, and consistent with last month’s unanimous recommendation of the State Health Planning Board, NJDOH today approved, with conditions, the Certificate of Need relocation application of Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), owned by Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health (RWJBH), from Long Branch to the new Vogel Medical Campus in Tinton Falls, NJ.”

MMC Community Advisory Group

The NJDOH says the conditions placed with its approval demonstrate its continued commitment to health care equity, access and improved outcomes.

“Among others, they include requirements for MMC to retain a satellite emergency department, outpatient surgery services, outpatient clinics, a patient observation unit, imaging services, and inpatient psychiatric beds at the Long Branch hospital site,” the statement continued. “Additionally, RWJBH will be required to provide no-cost ground transportation between the two campuses for patients.

“To ensure continued community engagement and to meet the needs of the residents in the entire MMC service area, NJDOH is also requiring MMC to create a Community Advisory Group that provides input to the hospital’s leadership. The Community Advisory Group will include the mayors – or their designees – of the hospital’s primary service areas, patient care advocates, local public health officials, clinical practitioners, labor union officials, and community advocates.”

The NJDOH says its decision is “firmly rooted in enhancing public health services and outcomes for the hospital’s entire service area.”

“NJDOH will continue to support initiatives that facilitate greater access to health care services for the residents of Long Branch,” the NJDOH said.

‘A major step forward’

In a statement, MMC President and CEO Eric Carney thanked acting Commissioner Brown, the State Health Planning Board, and the staff at the NJDOH for their “thorough review” of the application.

“This is a major step forward for transforming health care for our patients and the communities we serve,” said Carney. “After years of careful planning, rigorous analysis, and extensive community input, this decision clears the way for a new, state-of-the-art, acute-care hospital in Tinton Falls and much-needed improvements to our existing site in Long Branch. These investments will bring the latest advanced technology and treatments, modern facilities, and world-class academic medicine closer to home for more patients.

“We expect to move into the design phase in the coming months with the goal of completing construction and opening the new hospital in 2032. During this period, we will continue to make significant investments to modernize facilities and maintain essential health services at our Long Branch campus,” he continued. “We look forward to continuing to work with state and local officials and keeping our patients and communities informed at every stage of the project.”

Ensuring access

“While the state commissioner of health today 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,” U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th District, told NJBIZ. Pallone has been an outspoken critic of the plan.

“In addition, the behavioral health hospital with both inpatient and outpatient services stays. I have not and will not give up on ensuring everyone in my district has access to the life-saving health care we all deserve.”

Hackensack Meridian Health released a statement on the update Jan. 8.

“The New Jersey Department of Health’s approval of RWJ Barnabas Health’s plan to relocate Monmouth Medical Center from Long Branch does not alleviate Hackensack Meridian Health’s concerns about the impact on patient access, emergency response times, and the region’s hospital capacity. Throughout this process, residents, families, caregivers, first responders, and community leaders have expressed the need for Long Branch to have timely access to local care, from maternity services to cardiac emergencies and stroke care,” HMH said. “Many community members already face significant transportation challenges, and moving a full-service hospital further away from where people live and work will only exacerbate these barriers to care.”

The health care system has previously expressed concerns about what MMC’s relocation would mean for its two nearby hospitals, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune City and Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank.

Outstanding concerns

“The Department’s conditions, which include keeping outpatient services in Long Branch, documented engagement with New Jersey Transit to expand transportation options, and investment in a community health improvement plan, do not address all of our concerns and still do not replace the value of having a full-service hospital,” Hackensack Meridian Health continued in its statement.

“The health and well-being of the Long Branch community received a significant boost today as key legislation advanced to secure the future of local acute care services. We extend our deepest gratitude to Sens. [Joe] Vitale and [Vin] Gopal and Assemblywoman [Margie] Donlon. They have been true partners in this effort, listening to the community and fighting to ensure that vital, life-saving care remains in Long Branch, close to home.

“Hackensack Meridian Health will continue to pursue all available avenues to make sure Long Branch, Neptune, and the broader Monmouth County community have reliable access to vital care.”

Please stay with NJBIZ for further updates and reaction to this breaking news.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7 p.m. Jan. 8, 2026, to include a statement from U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th District. It was updated again at 8:08 a.m. Jan. 9, 2026, to include a statement from Hackensack Meridian Health.