UNION, NJ – JANUARY 2020 – Atlantic Health System’s Overlook Medical Center capped off a period of transformation and expansion at its Union Campus with the signing of an agreement to jointly own Union Surgery Center.
In just over a year, Overlook has more than doubled the health care services offered at its Union Campus, located at 1000 Galloping Hill Road in Union, NJ, transforming the site into a multi-specialty medical complex. The addition of the surgical center represents a large addition to this effort.
The work at the Union Campus, combined with plans to expand outpatient services Clark, Westfield, and New Providence are part of a larger effort to extend Overlook’s “arc of care” beyond the hospital’s main campus.
Overlook’s Union Campus is the largest tenant of the facility that was once known as Union Hospital. When that hospital’s previous owner closed the facility in 2007, Overlook took over operation of the emergency department, operating it as a satellite of its emergency services. The emergency department flourished, with 38,444 visits last year.
The surgical center, another large tenant of the building, had operated independently, and under the agreement is now jointly owned by North Jersey Health Ventures, a subsidiary of Atlantic Health System, and 23 individual community physicians. The center includes four operating rooms, two gastrointestinal procedure rooms and two minor procedure rooms. Physicians at the surgery center perform various surgical procedures, endoscopies and pain management.
The addition of the center will streamline access to ambulatory surgical services at the site with the other health care services offered through Atlantic Health System, specifically Overlook Medical Center.
“By joining Atlantic Health System, we can now offer our patients more direct access and transitions of care to the plethora of services they will need before, during and after surgery, and enhance the quality of their overall experience,” said Robert Park, MD, an ear, nose and throat doctor and medical director of Union Surgery Center. “We look forward to welcoming surgeons from the Overlook family and believe they will find a friendly, caring environment conducive to optimal patient outcomes.”
"We are pleased to be a partner in the Union Surgery Center as we look for new ways to build healthier communities throughout New Jersey,” said Amy Perry, CEO Hospital Division, SVP, Integrated Care Delivery, Atlantic Health System. “This collaboration will allow us to provide increased access to ambulatory surgical services for the residents of Union County."
Over the last 12 years, Overlook has continually added new services to the Union campus. In the past year or so, Overlook sought to more aggressively enhance the campus in response to the needs of the community, adding outpatient services, diverse physician services and advanced imaging services.
“What brought Overlook to Union over a decade ago was a very clear need by the community for high quality care,” said Overlook president Alan Lieber. “That hasn’t changed, and in fact, has guided us to take an even larger role in delivering the services that patients need directly to their community, in one convenient location.”
Among the enhancements:
- Primary Care at Union, an eight-physician practice that is part of Atlantic Medical Group, was opened in the building, providing not only convenient access to board-certified primary care physicians, but also same-site access to the imaging center, lab, and other specialty services at the Union Campus
- In response to a demonstrated need from the surrounding community for oncology services, Overlook opened an infusion center and oncology office, in early 2019, in which six oncologists from Overlook treat patients throughout the week, including providing chemotherapy
- Atlantic Rehabilitation doubled in size in 2019. Offerings there currently include physical therapy, but will soon offer lymphedema and occupational therapy
- The satellite ED created a new area specifically designed for patients who have been seen and are awaiting results, freeing up space elsewhere in the ED for patients waiting to be treated or tested, improving the flow and delivery of care
- Laboratory services expanded from one chair to five, with expanded hours including Saturdays
- A new CT scanner was installed at the imaging center, which also includes x-ray, ultrasound, mammography, MRI and dexa bone density scanner
- A nephrology practice was added, with physicians there leading a diabetes education program within the Union Community
This transformation required a significant investment, including extensive construction within the building. Since just 2018, Atlantic Health System has renovated 24,700 square feet of space, with significant alteration of nearly every space, and in most cases, requiring total demolition.
The majority of this construction, more than 15,000 square feet, occurred in 2019, with 7,000 square feet alone being renovated for the Primary Care suite, which includes 17 exam rooms and numerous other spaces as well as an interior corridor connecting the suite with rest of building allowing patients to more easily access other services.
For more information on Overlook’s Union Campus, call 908-522-3770 or visit: www.atlantichealth.org/unioncampus.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System has a long-standing tradition of providing exceptional patient outcomes and experiences. Home to seven award-winning hospitals including Morristown Medical Center, the number one hospital in NJ according to U.S. News & World Report, Castle Connolly and Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals, the system has been ranked first in New Jersey in consumer preference by Monigle and first among health systems in New Jersey as a “best workplace” by both Modern Healthcare and Fortune Magazine
Many of the system’s programs have received national accolades and designations, including Morristown Medical Center’s Cardiology and Heart Surgery program ranked among the top 30 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report; Morristown Medical Center’s Orthopedics program ranked among the top 35 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report and Atlantic Health System’s Cancer Care program, New Jersey’s first and only National Cancer Institute National Community Oncology Research Program. Additionally, Atlantic Health System Neuroscience at Overlook Medical Center, working with Atlantic Mobile Health, was the first in the nation to deploy and use portable Telestroke technology in ambulances for routine pre-hospital assessment of stroke patients.
Powered by a passionate workforce of 17,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey, including 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The system provides care for the full continuum of health needs across a wide array of settings, including Atlantic Medical Group, one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey with more than 1,000 physicians and providers, 12 urgent care centers, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute, Atlantic Home Care and Hospice and Atlantic Anywhere’s Virtual Visits. Facilitating connections between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
With a clear sense of purpose and an unparalleled culture, Atlantic Health System attracts top leaders in the field of health care, from CEO Brian Gragnolati, who was Chairman of the American Hospital Association in 2019, to the numerous team members who serve as leaders across national clinical associations and research entities.