University Hospital Begins 2023 With New Master Plan Draft, CEO

NEWARK, NJ — A new “ultimate vision” for University Hospital is based on principles made as part of the Newark Agreements of 1968, administrators say.

Hospital administrators discussed the preliminary draft of a new “facility master plan” during the regular meeting of the board of directors on Jan. 30. Administrators presented the latest update from Gensler, the global architecture, design and planning firm chosen in 2022. Now that a preliminary draft of the plan has been agreed on, University Hospital will review it with the same internal and external community groups and stakeholders who participated in early interviews and discussions.

A final master plan isn’t expected to be ready for several months, hospital administrators said.

When completed, the plan will serve as a guide for the “preservation, adaptation, refurbishment and potential redevelopment of all current facilities, as well as the identification of new facilities to enhance and optimize space to create a care environment that addresses all of the acute care, emergency, health maintenance, and community health needs of the community now and into the future.”

According to a news release from University Hospital, the current draft of the plan and the ultimate vision for the renewed hospital are based on three main principles, “all of which are based on the hospital enduring commitment as an anchor institution in the Greater Newark area and to the Newark Agreements of 1968.”

They include:

• “Foster a Sense of Safety and Trust” – UH will allocate more resources towards creating a care environment that makes everyone feel seen, heard, and cared for at the hospital.
• “Build Community and Opportunity” – UH will bring the community into the facility through strengthening its community outreach and showing itself as more than a trauma center with associated care services.
• “Create Conditions for Health and Well-Being” – To care for the community, the new UH will serve as a place of healing that not only addresses specific health needs, but also addresses racial equity and the social determinants of health.

“As we embark on this next phase in the history of University Hospital, I am confident that our Facilities Master Plan will ultimately provide the resources this exceptional team needs to continue delivering on the promises made to our community decades ago,” former interim president and CEO Mary K. E. Maples said.

University Hospital is the Level 1 Trauma Center for Northern New Jersey. Located at University Heights in Newark, University Hospital is a principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.

The hospital was founded as part of the Newark Agreements, an accord reached between state and local officials following the Newark riots of 1967. The agreements state that, in exchange for the city donating nearly 60 acres of land for the construction of a hospital, the facility would place a particular focus on the needs of Newark residents. Read More: UMDNJ Merger a 'Win for Newark'

NEW CEO

The recent board meeting also acknowledged a changing of the guard at the helm of the hospital: Maples turned over control of the hospital to incoming president and CEO Ed Jimenez on Jan. 30.

“At this pivotal time, we are also grateful to our interim president and CEO, Mary Maples, for leading the organization over the past number of months and for her service as chief legal officer and corporate secretary for several years prior,” University Hospital Board of Directors Chair Tanya Freeman said.

“Through her tireless work with her colleagues, she leaves the hospital in an excellent and optimistic position as we welcome our new leader,” Freeman said.

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