A historic photo of an early patient ward at Long Branch Hospital, now Monmouth Medical Center.
Long Branch, NJ, January 26, 2024 – On January 17th, Monmouth Medical Center marked 135 years of providing clinical excellence and treating patients with the safest, most compassionate care.
The official establishment of the hospital dates to 1889, when on January 17th, 12 men put their signatures to a certificate of incorporation for Long Branch Hospital, and the first hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties was born. According to the certificate for the hospital, which later was named Monmouth Memorial Hospital and subsequently Monmouth Medical Center, “The purposes for which this association is formed are as follows: the care, cure, nurture or maintenance of sick, injured and infirm persons.”
From its earliest unofficial beginning two years earlier in four rented rooms above a Broadway storefront, to its current state — a regional academic medical center — Monmouth Medical Center has a longstanding history of adapting and expanding to offer the latest advancements.
In the 1940s, Monmouth gained internal renown for a polio treatment that combined the use of the relaxant drug curare and intensive physical therapy, which effectively prevented or diminished the paralysis and deformity that could result from the disease. Surgery, when required, was performed by physicians of the Orthopaedic Department, which pioneered in another way when in 1945, they became the hospital’s first accredited residency program and the first Orthopaedic Residency Program in New Jersey.
In 1967, the hospital took the first step in establishing its prominent Institute for Advanced Radiation Oncology, known for providing state-of-the art technology, by offering a high-energy, 6-million-volt linear accelerator for cancer treatment. This innovative machine was the first of its kind in New Jersey and only the 30th in the world. In 1994, the Jacqueline M. Wilentz Comprehensive Breast Center was opened as the first facility in Monmouth and Ocean counties focused on breast care under one roof.
The Regional Newborn Center opened its doors in 1968, making Monmouth the first hospital in New Jersey and the first community hospital in the country to establish a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). And in In January 2006, Monmouth Medical Center was recognized for its long-demonstrated strength in pediatrics when it was licensed by New Jersey as an official children’s hospital for Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Today, as Monmouth celebrates this 135th anniversary, it is doing so amid yet another phase of impressive achievement and dramatic expansion that includes the development of the Vogel Medical Campus in Tinton Falls.
The hospital has long been a leader in surgical services, and throughout its history, its highly skilled team of surgeons has quickly adopted the latest surgical innovations and this pioneering spirit has set the stage for bringing the most advanced minimally invasive procedures to the region. Most recently, Monmouth Medical Center thoracic surgeons introduced two new advanced highly precise technologies used to both diagnose and treat— in real time in some cases — lung cancer. Monmouth is the second in New Jersey and the first in the region to introduce Ion, a robot-assisted platform designed to enable minimally invasive lung biopsies, and is the first in the state to offer new, minimally invasive technology to ablate lung lesions called the Aliya PEF System.
“We are continuously looking forward to better serve our community by making medical advancements through cutting-edge technology and expanding and evolving to meet the changing needs of our community,” said President and CEO Eric Carney. “As we proudly celebrate this milestone of our 135th anniversary, we look forward to the future and the continuing development of the Vogel Medical Campus, where we broke ground at the historic Fort Monmouth complex in 2023. Our hard work and commitment to excellence will enable us to deliver an unparalleled patient experience to more people, while remaining true to our original mission to care, cure and nurture.”
CONTACT: Kathy Horan
(732) 546-6317
Kathy.Horan@rwjbh.org