Capital Health System Announces Plans for A New Acute Care Hospital

Capital Health System Announces Plans for A New Acute Care Hospital

Certificate of Need to be Submitted for Lawrence Township-based E-Hospital

Trenton, N.J., -- January 19, 2005 -- At a morning press conference held today at the Capital Health System (CHS) Mercer Campus, hospital leaders announced plans for a new, state-of-the art hospital.

CHS President and CEO Al Maghazehe, Ph.D., unveiled plans to seek approval for a certificate of need from the N.J. Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) for an E-hospital located on Princess Road in Lawrence Township, Mercer County. The health care system currently controls 31+ acres of a previously commercially zoned site situated near major thoroughfares, including Route 95, Route 295, and Route 1.

“This new hospital will be an exciting addition to our already expanding and growing Capital Health System,” Maghazehe stated. “We are presenting a comprehensive, forward- thinking vision of redefining how health care will be delivered in this region for years to come.”

The certificate of need application will be submitted to DHSS within the next 150 days.

Upon approval, this world-class E-Hospital will be built from the ground up as a fully digitized medical facility, which will include the most advanced technology available. Moreover, the facility will strive to meet the medical needs of families in a patient-focused and appealing atmosphere with patient safety as a key factor.

“Together, our Board, Management, Physicians and Employees have worked hard to have the financial resources now available to us and to earn the positive encouragement of respected financial institutions,” stated Ted Harvey, treasurer of the CHS Board of Directors. “This new hospital will help us better than ever to achieve our long-standing mission of providing quality health care services for patients in Mercer County and Lower Bucks.”

“The state-of-the-art features offered by the proposed hospital in Lawrence Township will enhance our ability to practice the healing arts,” said James O’Mara, MD, an OB/GYN and president of the CHS medical staff.

“Moreover, this facility will draw the highest-level of medical staff practicing throughout the region,” O’Mara added.

Maghazehe touted the on-going major CHS construction projects of new and expanded health care facilities throughout Mercer County as indicators of the strength of CHS.

“We have invested in our buildings, in our people and in our community to create a 21st century health care system that is second to none,” said Maghazehe.

At present, CHS is completing a $2.5 million expansion project of its clinics, which will open at the Mercer Campus in May. This investment will increase the Bellevue Ave. health care clinic capacity by 20 percent and provide services for more patients in a timely manner.

After three years of construction at the Fuld Campus, CHS is poised to open in March a new 24-bed Critical Care Unit, emergency mental health crisis center, and patient access center. This $35 million enhancement is the largest private sector construction project currently underway in the City of Trenton.

The $12 million CHS in Hamilton Ambulatory and Surgical care center also will open in March, augmenting the system’s health care offerings throughout the region.

CHS is the largest private employer in Trenton with a staff of 3,300 people and has consistently been partners with the surrounding community to ensure that health care services are available for all - particularly the uninsured and underinsured. In addition, CHS continues to be the county’s leading provider of charity care.