After completing construction of a 76,000 square-foot, two-story addition late last year, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset officially opened its brand-new patient floor.

According to the RWJBarnabas Health hospital, the space includes 45 all-private patient rooms for post-surgical and medical/surgical patients, as well as a therapy gym for joint surgery patients. The second floor is reserved for future growth.

Construction began in December 2022. The work marks the most significant project on the 125-year-old RWJUH Somerset campus since the $28 million Steeplechase Cancer Center opened in 2007.

The hospital did not disclose the cost of the latest expansion.

RWJUH Somerset interim Chief Administrative Officer Deirdre Blaus said, “With this expansion, two-thirds of the hospital’s medical and surgical patient rooms are now private. We understand that being in a hospital can be challenging, so we’ve designed these rooms with comfort in mind to help patients feel as at ease as possible.”

“Each room features handicapped-accessible bathrooms and hotel-like amenities, including sleeper sofas for overnight family members. Additionally, workstations with USB ports allow patients to stay connected to work or loved ones. Our goal is to provide a healing environment that prioritizes greater privacy, healing, and recovery,” she said.

According to RWJUH Somerset, the new floors connect by a bridge to the third floor of the main hospital, and have convenient access from the hospital’s operating facilities.

Future upgrades will include a relocation of the geriatrics department and the establishment of a rapid decision unit to alleviate emergency department wait times, the hospital said.

In growth mode:

• Cooper Health groundbreaking marks milestone in Camden’s renaissance
• Labcorp adds 110K square feet in Somerset County
• Valley Medical Group opens 1st urology care office