NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) today highlighted the $11,958,000 in federal funding they secured in the government funding bill for New Jersey hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). This funding will help health care systems across the state make critical investments to improve and upgrade their facilities to better serve their communities.

“The funding we are announcing today is critical in helping hospitals and health centers make the critical upgrades needed to meet our community’s needs today and into the future. New Jersey is home to many premiere medical institutions and funding like this will ensure they continue to serve as beacons of quality health care,” said Sen. Menendez. “I promise to continue to fight in Washington to ensure you have the critical resources you need to keep all of our loved ones healthy and safe.”

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“With the passage of the government spending bill, I was proud to secure millions of dollars in federal funding that New Jersey communities can use to invest in local initiatives—from water infrastructure projects to programs for youth, domestic violence survivors, and people who are unhoused,” said Sen. Booker. “A significant portion of those funds will also be directed towards strengthening our healthcare system, including federal resources that hospitals can use to purchase new, high-tech, specialized equipment to upgrade their existing infrastructure. As we continue our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, these funds will be critical to ensuring that our healthcare system is made more resilient which will save lives and improve the health outcomes, well-being, and quality of life of New Jersey residents.”

Sens. Menendez and Booker secured $3,870,000 for University Hospital to build a Trauma Operating Room and holding areas for patient recovery before their transfer to the intensive care unit. The goal of this project is to improve patient health outcomes by controlling bleeding within the critical “golden hour” of a life threatening injury occurring, which is often challenging, given the time it takes EMS to be called and arrive on scene, assess the patient and transport them to the hospital.

“We appreciate the Federal funding allocated by Senators Menendez and Booker to support the development of a new University Hospital campus,” said Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo. “They understand the vital role the hospital has in the delivery of medical care and promoting wellness to the residents of Newark, Essex County and New Jersey.”

“When treating trauma, time matters – minutes, even seconds, can mean the difference between life and death.  Getting patients to the operating room as fast as possible is critical to achieving the best outcome.  Which is exactly why the new trauma operating room we plan to construct at University Hospital will make such a big difference for the community we serve,” said Dr. Stephanie Bonne, Trauma Medical Director at University Hospital. “We are grateful to Senator Menendez, Senator Booker and Congressman Payne for securing these funds in Washington in order to support our Level 1 Trauma Center.”

“In this time of tremendous adversity for us as a society and for healthcare and essential frontline workers confronting a global pandemic, we thank Senators Menendez, Cory Booker and our New Jersey Congressional delegation for securing this much needed boost in resources to assist us in this most vital work,” said HPAE President Debbie White, RN.

“New Jersey hospitals and their care teams performed valiantly during the pandemic, successfully caring for more than 100,000 COVID patients. But the road ahead will be a long one for our hospitals, which experienced the dual impact of lost revenue and the skyrocketing costs of providing care amid a global pandemic,” said New Jersey Hospital Association President and CEO Cathy Bennett.“We greatly appreciate the leadership of Sens. Booker and Menendez in bringing this critical healthcare funding to New Jersey and ensuring that our hospitals will always be there for us – especially when we need them the most.”

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The $1.2 trillion Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package included $232 million in funding for community projects across the state. Beyond health care, the projects make investments in education, housing, green energy and water infrastructure. Ultimately, the projects will help lower costs for families and create good-paying jobs up and down the state.

While announcing the funding outside University Hospital’s Emergency Department, the senators railed against Congressional Republicans for refusing to include COVID-19 supplemental funding in the government funding bill. The lawmakers vowed to continue pushing a vote to ensure the nation has the resources to continue a robust fight against the pandemic.

Sen. Menendez also highlighted the need for an independent, 9/11-style commission to investigate the country’s response to the pandemic. The Senator originally unveiled his bipartisan National Coronavirus Commission Act last summer at University Hospital, surrounded by frontline health care workers and families of those who died from COVID-19.

The following hospitals and FQHC’s received funding from the FY22 funding package:

• Hospital Universitario $3.870.000Newark, condado de Essex
• Cuidado y Bergen Inc. $2.000.000Nuevo Centro Médico Bridge Paramus, Condado de Bergen
• Sistema de salud AtlantiCare $1,000,000Misión de Salud de la Ciudad del Atlántico, Condado del Atlántiko
• Deborah Centro de Corazón y Pulmón $1,000,000Pemberton, condado de Burlington
• Sistema de salud capital $925,000Capital Health Centro de Salud Familiar de Trenton, condado de Mercer
• Metropolitan Family Health Network, Inc. $800.000Jersey City, condado de Hudson
• Sistema de Salud Atlántico $750.000Centro Médico Newton, condado de Sussex
• Sistema de Salud Capital $550,000Centro Médico Regional de Salud Capital Trenton, condado de Mercer
• Centro de Salud Comunitario de Ironbound $550,000Newark, condado de Essex
• El Hospital Valley $513.000Ridgewood, condado de Bergen