“Mega site” now vaccinating as many as 3,500 people per day
ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP, NJ – March 16, 2021 – This week the County of Morris and Atlantic Health System announced that the Morris County Regional COVID-19 Vaccination Center, or “mega site” has administered its 100,000th dose, a noteworthy milestone in the fight against COVID-19. The facility, housed in a former Sears store at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall, has delivered nearly half the doses of COVID-19 vaccine distributed in all of Morris County.
The 100,000th dose was administered Monday to Susan Henry, a resident of Morris County. She was joined by her husband Paul Henry who was also vaccinated. Both are teachers in Morris County.
“The Morris County mega site has empowered us to provide lifesaving protection to our neighbors, first responders, teachers and essential workers,” said Brian Gragnolati, President and CEO, Atlantic Health System. “I am grateful for the Atlantic Health heroes caring for our communities at the mega site and thankful for our incredible partnership with the county and state.”
“As more vaccine is becoming available to the state of New Jersey, we are inoculating more and more people at our Morris County facility. This 100,000th dose is symbolic in that it comes as the State of New Jersey released data showing nearly 144,000 people have received an initial vaccination in Morris County, and more than 74,000 have received their second dose. We know many people are still patiently waiting, but we are making great strides and we will get to them,” said Morris County Commissioner Douglas Cabana, the board liaison to law and public safety.
Since opening its doors in early January with a visit by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, the mega site has dramatically expanded its capacity from several hundred doses a day and is now able to administer 3,500 daily, seven days a week from 7:00am to 7:00pm.
As one of six mega sites in New Jersey, the Morris County mega site is joined by locations in Gloucester County (Rowan College of South Jersey in Sewell), East Rutherford (The Meadowlands), Edison (New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center), Burlington County (The Moorestown Mall) and Atlantic City (The Atlantic City Convention Center).
To create the mega site, the 30,000 square foot first floor of the former Sears store was converted from shuttered retail space in less than four weeks. To help ensure safety, the building features 16 air purifiers that turn over the air every nine minutes. An estimated 150 county workers, Atlantic Health team members, sheriff’s officers and National Guard are on site to ensure smooth operations.
To learn how to sign up for an appointment at the Morris County Regional COVID-19 Vaccination Center, visit www.atlantichealth.org/covidvaccine.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of almost 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 offers more than 400 sites of care, including seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, and Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ.
Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey and joins Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners as part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.
Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 16 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere’s Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of seven regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research – a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across seven health systems in New Jersey.
Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.