Pallone Welcomes Health Board Move To Defer Decision That Would Close Long Branch’s Hospital

LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today welcomed the decision by the State Health Planning Board last night to defer their decision to issue a recommendation on the closure of Monmouth Medical Center (MMC) hospital in Long Branch. 

The decision by the Board to postpone issuing their final recommendation comes after the State’s final hearing in Trenton yesterday, where Pallone led hundreds of members of the community in expressing opposition to RWJ Barnabas Health’s plan to relocate all of Monmouth Medical Center’s acute care facilities and hospital license in Long Branch to a new facility in Tinton Falls—a plan which would devastate vulnerable communities in Long Branch and the surrounding area. 

“Everyone deserves access to life-saving health care at a hospital. This fight isn’t over and I’m glad the State Health Planning Board understands just how disastrous this would be,” Pallone said. “The decision by the board to defer is unprecedented and demonstrates the legitimate and serious concerns with RWJ Barnabas Health’s application. I’m going to continue making the case that the current proposal fails Long Branch residents and puts hospital access throughout the region at risk. Premiums are going up, people are losing their insurance, and families are making tough choices. Closing Long Branch’s hospital would only make our health care crisis worse.”

The Board’s decision to defer their recommendations comes after a lengthy and mismanaged public comment process where Long Branch area residents were literally shut out in the cold. The Board requested further information on the use of mass transit by patients to the new facility; staffing sourcing; an extension on the services that would remain in Long Branch; and how moving the hospital license and facilities out of Long Branch would detrimentally affect health equity.

For decades, Monmouth Medical Center hospital has provided essential health care to residents who already face barriers such as transportation challenges, chronic illness, and lack of insurance coverage. 

Pallone has long argued that closing Monmouth Medical Center hospital and abandoning the Long Branch community will lead to worse health care outcomes for many. Other hospitals in the region will be forced to absorb an influx of patients, potentially leading to longer wait times, staff burnout, and greater financial strain. He continues to advocate for a solution that would allow RWJ Barnabas Health to keep acute care hospital services in Long Branch while building their new facility in Tinton Falls.