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Hunterdon Health
was awarded $3 million from the State of New
Jersey to build a center for emergency
management that will support every resident in
Hunterdon County. The resources were awarded
from the State’s Federal Coronavirus State
Fiscal Recovery Funds with support from Senator
Andrew Zwicker and Assemblyman Roy Freiman who
have long advocated for local health care
resources and are pleased to see the funding.
The facility will
be approximately 13,100 square feet and will be
located directly north of Hunterdon Medical
Center on Wescott Drive, Flemington. During a
serious event such as a natural disaster, the
facility will act as a hub to manage emergency
operations, and coordinate and deliver resources
to incident sites. Due to its size, the facility
will also be able to act as a field hospital
unit, a point of distribution, or a
shelter. When not utilized to address an
emerging crisis, it is expected that the
building will store emergency supplies for
Hunterdon Medical Center including beds, medical
equipment, emergency response equipment such as
inflatables, decontamination equipment, and
personal protective equipment.
Pat Gavin,
President and CEO of Hunterdon Health stated,
“We’re grateful that Senator Zwicker and
Assemblyman Freiman understood the need in
Hunterdon County. With these funds we will be
able to build a state-of-the-art facility that
will have an impact for every resident in
Hunterdon County in a time of need.”
Senator Andrew
Zwicker stated, “With this new facility,
Hunterdon County will be prepared for the next
natural disaster, be able to more easily address
the needs of residents, and make our community
safer.”
“The past several
years have taught us the importance of investing
in our public health infrastructure to ensure we
are prepared for any challenge that comes our
way. From the COVID-19 pandemic to Hurricane
Ida, recent events have hit our region hard
showing how important it is to coordinate an
immediate and robust community response to
protect our friends and neighbors,” said
Assemblyman Roy Freiman. “Funding awarded to
Hunterdon Health will bolster our region’s
response to emerging crises, enabling the
medical center to better serve the county’s
130,000 residents. I’m confident that this
investment will help keep our communities safe.”
State funding in
addition to Hunterdon Health’s significant
investment will provide a vital facility in the
heart of the county. Tentative plans for the
facility have been prepared in the event funding
was approved. With the funding now secured,
Hunterdon Health will immediately move toward
the next step with the anticipation that the
facility will be operational in 2024.
Pictured below. Front
row: Assemblyman Roy Freiman; Patrick Gavin,
President and CEO, Hunterdon Health; and Senator
Andrew Zwicker. Back row: Chris Hunt,
Administrative Director, Support Services &
Healthcare System Safety Officer; Kristy Alfano,
MSN, RN, NE-BC, Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer, Hunterdon Medical
Center; Phil Beekman, Senior Vice President,
Hunterdon Health Foundation; Steve Aluotto,
Architect with NK Architects; Chris Ryan,
Director, Mobile Intensive Care Unit, Hunterdon
Medical Center.
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