By Jessica Perry | October 16, 2023

Hackensack Meridian Palisades Medical Center is doubling the size of its emergency department.

The hospital broke ground last week on a $50 million endeavor expand to the ED at the North Bergen hospital to 22,000 square feet of state-of-the-art space. The new facility will increase its treatment bays to 50.

The work is just the latest by a New Jersey system – and Hackensack Meridian Health – to get underway. In July, HMH began work on a more than $31 million expansion at Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin.

“Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to providing high-quality, innovative care to the communities we serve,” said Robert Garrett, chief executive officer, Hackensack Meridian Health. “Palisades Medical Center’s new cutting-edge emergency department will meet the evolving healthcare needs of our patients and allow our world-class team members to provide comprehensive emergency care closer to home.”

According to the hospital, additional features set for the new Hackensack Meridian Palisades Medical Center ED include:

  • An enlarged trauma room that will accommodate three treatment bays
  • 15 new fast-track bays where team members can treat non-urgent patients more efficiently
  • A focus on patient comfort and safety
  • Dedicated area for pediatric patients
  • Secure area for behavioral health patients

Funding for the project primarily comes from Hackensack Meridian Health Network’s capital budget, a spokesperson told NJBIZ. The remainder is supplemented by public grants and the philanthropic support from generous donors, “who are also re-investing in our community.”

The project team comprises:

  • Family-owned construction management and general contracting firm Wm. Blanchard Co. of Springfield;
  • Project management, cost management and owner’s advisory firm Lehrer Cumming (Cumming Group); and
  • Pomarico Design Studio Architecture, a health care-focused architecture and design firm.

HMH expects the expanded ED to open in 2026.

In the meantime, the work has been designed in phases to ensure current ED operations remain unaffected throughout, according to the medical center. Working together, a team of planners, engineers and medical staff collaborated to ensure the ED maintains full capacity and functionality. A hospital spokesperson identified preserving the patient experience – without compromising access to care – as a priority of the project.

Mark Sparta, president and chief hospital executive, Hackensack University Medical Center; president, North Region, Hackensack Meridian Health, said the new emergency department will allow Palisades Medical Center to reach “even more patients.”

“Palisades Medical Center is providing personalized care that is transforming the patient experience,” Sparta said.

Elsewhere in Bergen County, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center is also expanding its Emergency Department. That $10 million project will create separate areas for patients seeking mental health services and those coming in for acute medical care related to behavioral health and substance use disorders.