Raritan Bay Medical Center

Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC) consists of two general acute care hospitals located in Central New Jersey.[1] Hospitals are in Old Bridge (113 bed) and Perth Amby (365 bed); both are non-profit, academic medical centers servicing the Central Jersey area.[2][3] RBMC is part of Hackensack Meridian Health.

Raritan Bay Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Health
A picture of the Perth Amboy campus of Raritan Bay Medical Center.
Geography
LocationOld Bridge, New Jersey, U.S.
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S.
Organisation
FundingNon-profit hospital
TypeTeaching
Affiliated universityRobert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University
Services
Emergency departmentYes
Beds508
History
Opened1902
Links
Websitewww.rbmc.org

History
Perth Amboy City Hospital, circa 1902, forerunner of Raritan Bay Medical Center

The Raritan Bay Medical Center history dates to March 9, 1887 when the Perth Amboy Hospital Association filed papers with the state to build a hospital.[4] Capital shortage delayed the eventual building of the hospital. In 1889 the Women's Hospital Guild was unable to raise the $6000 needed to buy a property on Gordon Street as a site for the hospital. It was not until 1900 that land was obtained for the hospital, when Cortland Parker offered 6 lots on New Brunswick Turnpike. The hospital was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1901. The $15,000 Perth Amboy City Hospital was opened in 1902 with 12 beds and six doctors.[5] In 1903, the School of Nursing opened. The name was changed to Perth Amboy General Hospital in 1929, and more recently to Raritan Bay Medical Center.[6] Growth had been sustained until the 2010s, when it had to cut back.[7]

Timeline
  • 1907: 10 employees and 240 patients
  • 1912: first births
  • 1928: 62 employees, 2579 admissions and 252 babies born
  • 1947: 271 bed hospital
  • 1978: Old Bridge Regional Hospital was opened as part of the health service corporation[5]

Merger with Hackensack Meridian Health

In the 2010s the hospital was caught in a downward financial spiral. A 2013 review showed RBMC operated at a loss and had a debt of $36 million. RBMC could not keep up with the newer insurance models, charity care and the funding of an employee pension plan.[8][9] 75% of its patients had either Medicare or Medicaid, each having lower reimbursements than commercial insurance. The hospital had to put off capital projects needed to remain competitive. The solution was consolidation with a larger organization to make up for lack of scale. After a five-year search for a partner, and what was described as "a very challenging past for a variety of reasons," RBMC merged with Hackensack Meridian Health in early 2016. Preserving RBMC was welcomed by Perth Amboy city officials. Mayor Wilda Diaz stated: "Their presence in this city not only impacts the health and welfare of our residents, but they also employ approximately 1,200 people, making it the largest employer in the City of Perth Amboy and an integral part of our community."[7] This consolidation was part of a statewide pattern of hospital consolidation; as of February, 2020, of 70 previously independent hospitals in New Jersey only 10 remained so.[10]

About

RBMC has over 500 beds in its two hospitals with a staff of over 500 physicians.[11] It is a "major clinical affiliate" of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University.[12] In addition to the hospitals, at the Medical Pavilion in Woodbridge RBMC provides outpatient services for cardiology, obstetrics/gynecology and physical therapy, and maintains an urgent care center.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Raritan Bay Medical Center Old Bridge ICU Receives Beacon Award". Woodbridge, NJ Patch. 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  2. Health, Hackensack Meridian (2018-12-02). "Raritan Bay Medical Center Old Bridge". HMH Maestro. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  3. Health, Hackensack Meridian (2018-12-21). "Raritan Bay Medical Center Perth Amboy". HMH Maestro. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  4. Secretary of State (1892). Corporations of New Jersey; List of Certificates Filed in the Department of State 1846-1891. Trenton: Naar, Day, & Naar Book Printers. pp. 207–209.
  5. "Perth Amboy Celebrates 300 Years". The News Tribune (Perth Amboy, New Jersey). June 3, 1983.
  6. Harrison, Diane (2008-09-10). "Early Perth Amboy History". njtoday.net. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  7. Diamond, Michael L. "Meridian, Raritan merge hospitals". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  8. "Meridian Health acquires Raritan Bay Medical Center in wave of N.J. consolidation". Modern Healthcare. 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  9. "Meridian Merges with Raritan Bay Health Services". The Two River Times. 2015-04-10. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  10. "Not every N.J. hospital sees need to merge into bigger system — but independents are dwindling". ROI-NJ. 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  11. "About". Raritan Bay Medical Center. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  12. "Affiliated Hospitals". rwjms.rutgers.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  13. "Clinical Services". Raritan Bay Medical Center. Retrieved 2020-03-25.

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