RWJ, Somerset hospitals complete merger

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Hospital consolidation in New Jersey continues Sunday in a move that should help solidify Robert Wood Johnson as one of the top hospital systems in the state.Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Somerset Medical Center on Sunday officially completed the merger they announced a year ago, creating a 965-bed hospital with campuses in New Brunswick and Somerville. Somerset Medical Center’s new name is Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset.
 
“For more than a century, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has been committed to improving the health of Central New Jersey. Our expansion into Somerset County will provide direct access to the highest quality medical services and a wider array of health care opportunities, allowing us to better serve our communities and neighbors,” said Stephen K. Jones, chief executive of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the Robert Wood Johnson Health System.

The RWJ system is among the largest in the state, with annual revenue of more than $1 billion and hospitals in Rahway and Hamilton as well as the flagship academic medical center in New Brunswick.

“While we’ve expanded, our mission remains the same – to improve the health and well-being of the patients and communities we serve,” Jones said.

In a statement, RWJ said existing inpatient and outpatient services will be expanded, community programs maintained and health care services strengthened. RWJ said cardiology, orthopedics, neurology, cancer and surgical services will be enhanced at RWJUH Somerset, offering the community advanced care close to home. The alliance will give patients more access to clinical services not generally available at community hospitals: trauma care, cardiac surgery, organ transplants and neonatal care for premature babies with serious health issues.

“Our organizations have had longstanding partnerships in many areas of clinical care and share many of the same physicians,” said Paul Stahlin, former chair of Somerset’s trustee board, and now a member of the boards of both the RWJ hospital and health system. “This alliance enables us to offer expanded access to high-quality medical care close to home and strengthens our ability to serve our community for generations to come.”

Somerset Medical Center Foundation is not part of the merger. The foundation will function independently under a new name – Somerset Health Care Foundation – and continue raising money for health care needs in the community. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has pledged to give the foundation $1 million per year for three years.

Jim Burns and Celia Bosco, partners in the law firm Genova Burns Giantomasi & Webster, represented Somerset in the transaction.

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