Woodbridge, NJ Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) is breaking ground on a first of its kind health care facility at a mass transit hub. The groundbreaking at Metropark Station in Woodbridge, will provide convenient access to comprehensive care to thousands of New Jersey, New York and Northeast residents each day.
The facility is part of a larger development of Metropark Station by DOR, a consortium led by Russo Development, that was awarded a $110 million tax credit grant. The impetus for the development came from NJ Governor Phil Murphy’s push to modernize transportation hubs throughout the state, making them multi-use locations, allowing people to live, work and play in one location.
When it opens next year, the Hackensack Meridian Health and Wellness Center will offer more than 60,000 s/f of healthcare services just steps from the mass transit hub. Services will include primary care, medical specialties, surgical specialties, a sports and spine center of excellence, advanced imaging, phlebotomy, rehabilitation services, a retail pharmacy, and an urgent care.
“Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to expanding access to quality healthcare, meeting patients where they are,” said Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “60,000 people travel through Metropark Station each month as a hub for New Jersey Transit and Amtrak, soon these passengers will have access to quality care steps from their commute. The expanded, easy access is one of the major ways Hackensack Meridian Health is revolutionizing healthcare.”
The complex qualifies for the multi-use platform under the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s ASPIRE program, which supports transformative development projects that incorporate community benefits such as those featured in this development: connecting people to healthcare more efficiently; stimulating mass transit use; and providing at least 20% low income housing.
“Convenient access to a wide array of medical services at a mass transit hub complements Hackensack Meridian Health’s efforts to address how social determinants of health are impacting health equity,” Garrett said. “This location will bring Hackensack Meridian’s best in class doctors and care to a location accessible to all, including those whose primary form of transportation is mass transit.”