MANAHAWKIN – In response to a surge in permanent residents in southern Ocean County, Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center (SOMC) has launched a $31 million expansion project to enhance its medical facilities.
Michele Morrison, MPH, BSHA, RN, president and chief hospital executive at Southern Ocean Medical Center, emphasized the critical role of the expansion in addressing the community’s evolving needs.
“When completed in approximately 30 months, we will be able to provide greater access to comprehensive care to better accommodate the growing population in Southern Ocean County while keeping future growth in mind,” she said.
The expansion will add two new operating rooms to the existing facility and significantly enlarge the current operating room space by 8,400 square feet. Once complete, the total new surgical space will measure 21,000 square feet.
In addition to constructing new operating rooms, the hospital will renovate 13,000 square feet of existing space. The entire project is focused on the oldest part of the hospital building.
To improve patient flow, the hospital will also build a new pre- and post-procedure area. Furthermore, the Sterile Processing Department, responsible for sterilizing surgical equipment, will be expanded to support the increased surgical capacity.
The facility’s current Sterile Processing Department is very small, and enhancements are an integral part of surgical services with the expansion.
“We will always have four operating rooms running during the expansion,” Morrison assured. “That’s why there’s such a long process for the expansion. If it was within a different part of the building, or not renovating our current space, it would go much faster.”
Morrison said that plans are for a phased approach to add staffing throughout the process. Ultimately, SOMC will have six operating rooms available to meet patient needs.
While SOMC as a whole says it has kept pace to accommodate the growth of surrounding communities over the past decade, the surgical suite itself has not experienced any major upgrades in 20 years.
“The time for this expansion is now,” said Kenneth N. Sable, MD, MBA, FACEP, regional president, Southern Market, Hackensack Meridian Health. “Especially in the wake of COVID-19 with part-time residents having made Ocean County their permanent home, we have an even greater responsibility to ensure patients have 24/7 access to the most advanced care in an innovative setting. It’s inspiring to see this project finally commence.”
Hackensack Meridian/Southern Ocean Medical Center is a non-profit organization and hopes to raise about half of the expansion’s funding through philanthropy.
The hospital’s commitment to modernizing its facilities is also evident in its recent technological advancements. The addition of a Da Vinci robot in 2021 and a second robot at the end of last year highlight ongoing efforts to integrate cutting-edge surgical technologies. Furthermore, the expansion includes improvements to the hospital’s solar infrastructure as part of Phase I.
In the realm of cardiac care, the hospital has achieved significant milestones.
“Since February 2024, we’ve been able to perform stent placements locally for acute heart attack patients, reducing the need for transfers to Jersey Shore University Medical Center,” Morrison said. “We’ve already treated 27 patients and plan to expand our services to include elective cardiac procedures in the near future.”
In addition to the surgical suite upgrade, SOMC is working on relicensing 20 beds from long-term care to acute care, increasing the total number of acute care beds to 176. The hospital is also seeking approval for a Level Two nursery, which would allow it to care for premature infants – a significant enhancement from the current Level One maternity unit, which serves only full-term, healthy babies.
“We are a full-service community hospital,” Morrison said. “We strive to adapt to the evolving needs of the community and maintain the highest standards of care.”
