The annual list represents 27 countries this year, with the highest ranking facility from the Garden State cracking the top 50.

This year's list is the first to measure data from the first year of the pandemic, 2018 - 2020.

Highlighted by an enduring commitment to the Trenton community, and following a letter of intent signed last spring, the providers entered a definitive agreement to move forward with the combination.

The New Jersey Hospital Association issued the voluntary guidance on Dec. 29. Cathy Bennett, the trade group's president and CEO, called the move a “necessary precaution” in the face of hospitalization levels not seen in a year.

The arrangement includes a capital investment of $135 million to help strengthen the Freehold facility's integrated clinical services, physician network and infrastructure.

The Garden State ranked No. 9 in terms of states with the highest marks. Click through to see the state's report card.

The largest gift ever given to any hospital in New Jersey will allow the former Saint Barnabas Medical Center to continue its ongoing transformation into an institution that provides quality and advanced care to the region.

Vocera Ease allows nurses and other health care professionals to send secure texts, photos and video updates to a patient’s loved ones, and designated family members and friends can respond to the updates with emojis for immediate feedback.

The Atlantic Health System facility was the only New Jersey hospital to make the cut, which highlighted its “shared governance style of decision-making, which gives more responsibility to bedside nurses."

“At a time when New Jersey’s hospitals, doctors and nurses are still on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, the injection of millions of dollars in annual federal funding into our hospitals will help them attract and retain the best talent as well continue to provide high-quality care for New Jerseyans,” U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez said.

“The current trajectory of new infections shows some of the fastest spread of COVID that we have seen since the spring of 2020,” said New Jersey Hospital Association President and CEO Cathy Bennett. “The new variants are more contagious. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated to stop the spread of COVID-19 and avoid further impact to our schools and businesses, as well as our patients, visitors and health care professionals.”

"Spreading the Health" segments are up to 30 minutes long and examine a new topic every month. The debut episode explores "Am I experiencing symptoms of a COVID-19 Long-Hauler?”