New Jersey Health Board Approves Hospital Move to Tinton Falls; Commissioner To Make Final Call

The New Jersey Health Planning Board voted to approve RWJBarnabas Health's plan to move Monmouth Medical Center's essential medical facilities from Long Branch to a new campus in Tinton Falls. Acting Health Commissioner Jeffrey A. Brown will make the final decision on the $857 million project.

Board members cast a unanimous vote in favor of the certificate of need application on Dec. 18, 2025, subject to 17 conditions. The approval came after two deferrals and more than 12 hours of testimony at public hearings in November and December 2025.

The plan calls for moving all mandatory acute-care services to a new 252-bed facility in Tinton Falls, about 6.5 miles west of Long Branch. Construction is set to begin in 2027, with licensing and relocation expected in 2029.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone opposed the decision. "The commissioner should not let a low-income community become a hospital desert because RWJ Barnabas wants to capture a wealthier population in Tilton Falls," Pallone said in a statement Dec. 18, 2025, following the board's vote, according to Two Rivers Times.

About 917 people supported the application, while 92 people opposed it, according to the board's summary. Supporters cited the need to replace 135-year-old infrastructure with modern facilities and expand behavioral health services.

Critics raised concerns about access for seniors, longer emergency travel times, and added strain on nearby hospitals. Hackensack Meridian Health said in a statement that it will pursue all available administrative and legal remedies.

The board concluded the relocation "will not result in a negative impact on the community, on patients that the hospital has historically served, or other hospitals." Members found RWJBarnabas Health has the financial ability to build, relocate, and operate the new facility.

The 17 conditions include maintaining a satellite emergency department with an observation unit in Long Branch indefinitely. The health system must provide free shuttle transportation between the two sites and keep outpatient clinics and a same-day surgery center in Long Branch for at least five years.

RWJBarnabas Health owns the 13-acre campus in Long Branch. The system bought 36 acres in Tinton Falls at the former Fort Monmouth in 2022.

"We are very pleased the state Health Planning Board unanimously voted to approve Monmouth Medical Center's certificate of need application," a spokesperson said. The Tinton Falls campus would include medical-surgical, intensive care, obstetrics, pediatric, and neonatal beds.