Hospitals in New Jersey: Licensing, Systems and Oversight

New Jersey fits more than nine million people into the most densely populated state in the country, and its hospital network is built to match. Acute-care centers, children's hospitals, rehabilitation institutes and state psychiatric facilities sit within a short drive of most residents. This page explains how those hospitals are licensed, where they cluster, and how to pick the right one before you need it.

The New Jersey Department of Health licenses hospitals under the Health Care Facilities Planning Act, N.J.S.A. 26:2H-1 and following. Detailed licensing standards appear in the state administrative code at N.J.A.C. 8:43G. They cover staffing, emergency services, infection control, patient rights and the physical plant. The department also accepts complaints about care and can inspect a hospital in response.

Opening a new hospital generally requires a Certificate of Need under the same act. That review is one reason new hospitals open rarely and why large systems often grow by acquiring existing ones. Federal oversight adds another layer. Hospitals that bill Medicare must meet federal conditions of participation, and many also seek voluntary accreditation from The Joint Commission.

Most New Jersey hospitals are nonprofit and belong to regional systems. Hackensack Meridian Health, RWJBarnabas Health, Atlantic Health System, Cooper University Health Care and Virtua Health run many of the best-known campuses. The New Jersey Hospital Association represents the industry in Trenton, but it does not license or rank facilities. State psychiatric hospitals fall under the Department of Human Services instead, as with Ann Klein Forensic Center in Trenton (609-633-0900).

Northern and Central Jersey: Hospital Hubs by County

The directory's heaviest concentrations follow population and academic medicine. Morris County leads our listings, anchored by the Morristown Memorial Hospital emergency department at 100 Madison Avenue in Morristown (973-971-5007). Saint Clares Hospital in Denville (973-983-5506) and Kindred Hospital - New Jersey - Morris County in Dover (973-537-3816) add community care and long-term acute care.

Middlesex County is the center of academic medicine in the middle of the state. In New Brunswick, Bristol Myers Squibb Childrens Hospital sits at 1 Robert Wood Johnson Place (732-253-3300). Edison has John Fitzgerald Kennedy Medical Center at 65 James Street (732-321-7000). Plainsboro hosts the Princeton HealthCare System campus at 1 Plainsboro Road (866-460-4776).

Union County listings include the Trinitas Wound Healing Center and Hyperbaric Medicine Center at 240 Williamson Street in Elizabeth (908-994-5480). Runnels Specialized Hospital on Watchung Way in Berkeley Heights (908-771-5700) offers extended specialty care. Both are specialty services, so call ahead to ask about referrals and admission rules.

Hudson County, directly across the river from Manhattan, packs its hospitals into small, dense cities. Jersey City Medical Center is at 355 Grand Street (201-915-2000). Hudson Regional Hospital is at 55 Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus (201-392-3100), and Kessler Rehabilitation Corporation is at 21 West 25th Street in Bayonne (201-339-4160). Some residents also use New York hospitals, so check your insurance network first.

Essex County adds Childrens Hospital Of New Jersey in Newark at 201 Lyons Avenue (973-926-7000) and the VA Medical Center in East Orange at 385 Tremont Avenue (973-676-1000). The VA campus serves enrolled veterans rather than the general public, so eligibility is checked at enrollment.

South Jersey, the Shore and the Rural Northwest

South of Trenton, access looks different. Camden County anchors the region. Cooper University Hospital at 3 Cooper Plaza in Camden (856-342-2000) is a teaching hospital and the area's Level I trauma center. Kennedy Memorial Hospital - University Medical Center Cherry Hill sits at 2201 Chapel Avenue West (856-488-6802). In Burlington County, Weisman Childrens Rehabilitation Hospital in Evesham (856-489-4520) provides pediatric rehabilitation. Residents of Gloucester, Burlington and Salem counties also use Philadelphia hospitals across the Delaware River.

On the coast, Monmouth County includes K Hovnanian Children's Hospital at 81 Davis Avenue under the Neptune City listing (732-776-4178) and CentraState Healthcare System at 901 West Main Street in Freehold (732-431-2000). Ocean County listings include Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Toms River at 14 Hospital Drive (732-244-3100). In Atlantic County, Atlanticare Regional Medical Center - Mainland Division is at 65 West Jimmie Leeds Road in Galloway (609-652-3420), and the Atlanticare listing is at 2009 Bacharach Boulevard (609-344-5714). Summer crowds can mean busier emergency rooms and slower roads along the Garden State Parkway.

The northwest and the far south are quieter. Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Cape May and Cumberland counties have fewer hospitals per square mile than the urban core. Ambulance crews may bypass the nearest hospital and take a patient to a trauma, stroke or cardiac center when the condition calls for it. Rural families should know both their closest emergency room and the nearest specialty center, and how long the drive takes at night.

What the Listings Include Besides General Hospitals

Not every entry is a place to walk in with an emergency. Shortened place names such as Atlantic and Jersey generally point to Atlantic City and Jersey City. The listings fall into several groups:

Choosing Between an Emergency Room, Urgent Care and a Specialty Hospital

Call 911 for chest pain, stroke signs, severe bleeding, trouble breathing or serious injury. Do not drive yourself if you are alone and unwell. Under the federal EMTALA law, any hospital with an emergency department must screen and stabilize you whatever your insurance or ability to pay. Urgent care centers suit sprains, minor cuts and ear infections, but they are not hospitals and are not in this list.

For a planned admission or rehab stay, call the admissions office first. Ask whether your insurer has approved the facility, what the referring physician must send, and when visitors are allowed. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988, or go to the nearest emergency room, where a screening team can assess you.

Network status affects what you pay. Ask your insurer which hospitals and physician groups are in network before a planned procedure, because a hospital can be in network while some of its doctors are not.

Bring a photo ID, your insurance card, a current medication list, known allergies and the name of your primary care doctor. If you have an advance directive or health care proxy, bring a copy. Phone numbers in our listings come from public records, so confirm them with the hospital before you rely on them.

Hospitals across New Jersey provide a full range of medical services from emergency and trauma care to specialized treatment programs, with public and nonprofit facilities playing a particularly important role in serving uninsured and rural populations throughout the state.

Hospitals locations are available in 99 cities across New Jersey. They are spread across 21 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Morristown, Camden, Newark, which serve as major medical centers with academic teaching hospitals, trauma centers, and specialized treatment facilities for the surrounding region.

Residents of New Jersey should know their nearest emergency room location before a medical crisis occurs, and should check their insurance network to understand which hospitals in the state are covered under their plan.

Hospitals by Counties

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Residents of New Jersey who face large hospital bills should ask about financial assistance programs before the bill goes to collections. Most hospitals are required to notify patients about charity care options, and applications can often be submitted months after a visit.

Browse Hospitals by county across New Jersey to find the nearest location.

Paying for Hospital Care in New Jersey and Planning Ahead

New Jersey has one of the better-known safety nets for hospital bills. The Hospital Care Payment Assistance program, usually called charity care, is run by the New Jersey Department of Health. Uninsured state residents, and in some cases the underinsured, with family income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for free medically necessary hospital care, subject to asset limits. Families between 200 and 300 percent receive a sliding-scale discount. Ask the hospital's financial counseling office for an application, and bring pay stubs, tax returns and proof of residency.

NJ FamilyCare, the state's Medicaid and children's health insurance program, covers many low-income adults, children and pregnant women. Hospitals often ask you to apply for it before approving charity care, so apply as soon as you are admitted rather than waiting for the bill.

Federal protections apply too. The No Surprises Act, in effect since 2022, limits out-of-network bills for emergency care. New Jersey passed its own out-of-network law in 2018. Hospitals must also post prices online under federal transparency rules, which helps when you compare planned procedures.

Planning Ahead for Traffic and Distance

Many households here have more than one hospital within a short drive. That helps only if you know your options before a crisis. Pick two emergency rooms near home and one near work, and save their numbers. Traffic on the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, Route 1 and Interstate 287 can add real time, especially at rush hour and on summer weekends.

Families with children can note the nearest pediatric emergency services, such as the children's hospitals listed in New Brunswick, Newark and Neptune City. Keep a medication list and discharge papers in one folder.

Frequently Asked Questions About New Jersey Hospitals

The New Jersey Department of Health licenses hospitals, and its website publishes facility information and hospital performance reports. For federal data, the Medicare Care Compare tool shows quality ratings and patient survey results for Medicare-certified hospitals. You can also ask a hospital whether it holds Joint Commission accreditation. If you have a concern about care, you can file a complaint with the Department of Health, which can investigate licensed facilities. Compare more than one source, since each measures different things.

Possibly. Charity care covers medically necessary hospital services for eligible uninsured residents with income up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, with discounts up to 300 percent. Emergency departments must screen and stabilize you before asking about payment. Afterward, ask the financial assistance office for the charity care application, and apply for NJ FamilyCare in case you qualify. Keep copies of everything you submit and ask for a written decision. Charity care may not cover every separate physician bill.

Call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 if someone is in immediate danger. New Jersey designates psychiatric screening services, usually based in hospital emergency departments, where clinicians evaluate whether a person needs inpatient care. Programs such as Ann Klein Forensic Center in Trenton and Kilbarchan Residential Treatment Center in Paterson have their own admission routes and are not walk-in crisis centers. If you are unsure, the emergency department nearest you is the safest starting point.

Cooper University Hospital at 3 Cooper Plaza in Camden (856-342-2000) is the Level I trauma center serving South Jersey. In a major emergency, ambulance crews pick the destination based on the patient's condition, distance and protocols, so you usually do not choose. Kennedy Memorial Hospital - University Medical Center Cherry Hill, at 2201 Chapel Avenue West (856-488-6802), handles many other emergencies in Camden County. Some patients near the Delaware River are taken to Philadelphia trauma centers instead.

For an urgent problem, yes. Our listings include Bristol Myers Squibb Childrens Hospital in New Brunswick (732-253-3300), Childrens Hospital Of New Jersey in Newark (973-926-7000) and K Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune City (732-776-4178). For a life-threatening emergency, call 911 and let the crew choose the closest appropriate emergency room. For planned visits or specialists, ask your pediatrician for a referral. Weisman Childrens Rehabilitation Hospital in Evesham (856-489-4520) generally works through referrals.

Contact the hospital's health information management or medical records department. Under federal HIPAA rules, you have the right to see and copy your records, and the hospital generally must respond within 30 days. Most hospitals require a signed authorization form and photo ID, and many offer online patient portals for faster access. A hospital may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies. If a hospital has merged into a larger system, ask the system that took it over where older records are kept.