The Valley Hospital Relocating Main Campus To Paramus

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. — The Valley Hospital announced plans Friday to build a state-of-the-art hospital in Paramus, ending a decade-long fight with Ridgewood officials and resulting in lawsuits and much contention among residents.

The new main campus has been in Ridgewood for more than 50 years. The hospital already has physicians' hospitals and an outpatient facility in Paramus.

The hospital anticipates breaking ground in 2019. The hospital could open as early as 2023, Audrey Meyers, president and CEO of the hospital and Valley Health System.

The planned site is on Winters Avenue, less than three miles from its Ridgewood home and directly across from its already-existing Paramus facilities. The 372-bed facility will be about 910,000-square-feet and between three and seven stories high. The facility has not yet been formally designed, however.

The new facility will feature cutting-edge technology and house only single-patient rooms, allowing people to stay at the hospital shorter lengths of time, reducing the amount of sleep disturbances and lowering the rate of infections.

“The ‘New’ Valley Hospital will combine Valley’s exceptional level of care and dedicated staff with the latest innovations and advancements in healthcare,” said Meyers. “This new state-of-the-art facility will allow us to raise the bar in all that we do – providing world class healthcare, strengthening our communities and helping people and families live healthier lives.”

Valley's Ridgewood campus will be repurposed into an urgent-care center, laboratory and radiology and endoscopy center. The hospital will also consolidate its ambulatory and outpatient services and business operations there as well.

"Valley Hospital has informed us they will remain a vibrant presence in Ridgewood," said Mayor Susan Knudsen. "We are gathering information and will carefully evaluate the impact any changes may have on Ridgewood and our Village residents."

County, state and federal officials were on-hand when Valley announced the plans.

“This is a milestone day for Bergen County,” said County Executive Tedesco. “Valley’s commitment to the community has been unwavering, and this exciting project will not only provide greater access to healthcare for the residents of Bergen County, but will also strengthen our local economy by creating new jobs. Bergen County is well on its way to becoming the healthcare hub of the state.”

The hospital created a new website and Facebook page where officials will provide updates on the project.

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