About Us
Because Every Child Deserves the Best Care
A child with cancer....a newborn with heart disease...a teenager with cystic fibrosis.
For children of all ages who need advanced medical care, world-class expertise is here.
As a regional leader dedicated to children’s health, The Unterberg
Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center offers the highest
level of pediatric care for newborns to adolescents, including leading
edge treatments and specialized expertise that only a comprehensive children’s
hospital can provide. Here, you’ll discover a child-friendly, family-focused
approach to every aspect of care, and dedication to medical excellence
which sets us apart.
What Makes Us a Special Place?
Take a look. At The Unterberg Children’s Hospital, we deliver care that changes children's lives, restores hope and fosters dreams for tomorrow.
Children and adolescents have unique health needs, and no other hospital in the region is better equipped to meet every one of them. As a dedicated children’s hospital and a teaching affiliate of the prestigious Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, we have a team of pediatric specialists in virtually every area of children’s health, working together to deliver the best solutions for the most complex health problems- around the clock. We are known for innovative treatments, advanced technologies, life-saving care, and unsurpassed dedication to the children and families we serve.
That dedication involves more than superior medical treatment and expert physicians. It means supporting patients and families in large and small ways, to ease their anxiety and reduce their stress from the moment they arrive through our doors. It’s knowing the difference between Sponge Bob and Bob the Builder to bring a smile to a child’s face. And taking the time with families to explain, to educate, and to offer help, while respecting privacy, diversity, and each family’s unique strengths.
To learn more about our programs and services and our dedication to medical excellence, choose an item below or contact us at 732-923-7250.
A Tradition of Excellence in Pediatric Care
A History of Nursing Fragile Newborns to Health
Dim lighting and a low noise level make the Regional Newborn Center, part of The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, a restful and peaceful place for newborns.
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).
In its first 10 years, the RNC treated 4,000 infants in the critical early days of their lives. Today, Monmouth’s state-designated Level III NICU treats more than 550 infants each year for conditions such as prematurity, low birth weight, acute life-threatening illnesses and congenital disorders, as well as providing delicate surgeries.
In 2006, the RNC was selected as a Regional Program of Quality for Perinatal Services by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, becoming one of just 14 hospitals throughout New Jersey to be recognized for its care of high-risk mothers and newborns.
With one of the highest infant survival rates among NICUs in the country, Monmouth’s neonatal care team consists of neonatologists, nurses, respiratory therapists and other highly-skilled medical professionals who work together to provide high-quality care in an environment conducive to healing.
The Unterberg Children's Hospital: Pediatric Excellence Past & Present
In January 2006, Monmouth Medical Center was recognized for its long-demonstrated
strength in pediatrics and was licensed by New Jersey as an official children’s
hospital for Monmouth and Ocean counties. What few people realize, however,
is just how early Monmouth’s commitment to providing comprehensive
pediatric care began.
Around 1887, an epidemic struck Long Branch, leaving eight children from poor families sick and in need of care. With no hospital in the area, local businessmen rented four rooms over a Broadway storefront to care for the children - an act that laid the foundation for what is now Monmouth Medical Center.
The first mention of a special area devoted to the care of children appeared in the hospital’s 1904 annual report, and the first mention of a pediatrician highlights Lester D. Wise, M.D., as chief of pediatrics in the 1920 annual report. By 1923, Dr. Wise was joined by Stanley Nichols, M.D., and they are both reported to have worked in the Dispensary Department for the Children’s Clinic.
In 1934, Dr. Nichols became one of the first child specialists in the country to be certified by the newly created American Board of Pediatrics. Under his direction, the elements of the pediatric program were specified by the time the Borden Memorial Pavilion was built in 1940. Dr. Nichols served as chief of pediatrics from 1935 until his death in 1949, at which time the Dr. Stanley Nichols Branch of the hospital auxiliary was formed to support pediatric projects.
As the hospital flourished in the 1940s with an influx of patients and philanthropy, physicians began to treat a new and frightening disease called polio. A summer disease, polio hit the Long Branch area - with its influx of summer visitors - especially hard. Patients, primarily children, occupied the entire pediatrics unit and often numbered close to 100.
It was then that Monmouth gained international renown for its polio treatment, developed under the leadership of Dr. Nicholas Ransohoff from curare, a relaxant drug used in ancient times. The volume of polio patients reached its peak in 1949, with patients traveling to Monmouth from other states and even overseas.
Today, Monmouth continues its pattern of excellence by providing renowned medical expertise that only a leading academic medical center can offer, with 140 pediatric specialists in 26 fields of medicine.
Making Room for Baby: The Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Foundation Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Expands to Meet Need
The Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Foundation Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the region’s largest state designated Level III NICU, will expand to provide more infants with the specialized care they need.
“To keep up with the growing demand, the NICU will add more rooms and beds so that more babies can be cared for and parents may have increased privacy,” said Siran Hovnanian Sahakian, a director of the Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Foundation.
Recently, the Regional Newborn Center (RNC) was the first in Monmouth County to debut crucial equipment to treat brain injuries suffered by full-term newborns thanks to a donation by Michael’s Feat, a non-profit foundation that supports parents caring for seriously ill newborns in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
The equipment includes a cerebral function monitor, which is used in conjunction with a portable cooling unit to offer hope of a more complete recovery to full-term babies born with perinatal asphyxia, a brain injury occurring at birth.
“By having the technology delivered right here at Monmouth, we avoid delays caused by transporting the baby to another hospital, and we don’t have to separate a mother from her newborn,” said Susan Hudome, M.D., medical director of the Regional Newborn Center at Monmouth Medical Center.
Dr. Hudome adds that the donation and expansion allows Monmouth to continue to deliver the highest level of care available in any Level III NICU.
