administrative history

Our History Our commitment to improving the health of the community and advancing medicine through clinical care, teaching, and research have been critical in the history of Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Following are some key moments from our history which speak to our development and establishment as a leader with a reputation for delivering the most advanced programs and services in central New Jersey.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center had its start in 1904 as the 50-bed Convalescent Home for Women and Children in Spring Lake. Mrs. Albionia N. Whartenby donated the land and established the home as a memorial to her late daughter, Ann May Whartenby Robinson.

The Convalescent Home was converted to a hospital the following year, and renamed the Ann May Memorial Homeopathic Hospital. The Ann May School of Nursing was also established in 1905.

The 150-bed hospital relocated to its permanent site on Corlies Avenue in Neptune in 1932 and was renamed the Raleigh Fitkin-Paul Morgan Memorial Hospital.

In 1966, the facility was officially named Jersey Shore Medical Center — Fitkin Hospital. Expansion continued with the construction of the Booker and Emergency Department Pavilions in 1969.

Jersey Shore Medical Center opened the region’s only cardiac surgery program in 1990. That same year, the hospital opened the Jersey Shore Regional Trauma Center and earned designation as a Level II Trauma Center. This is the only Level II trauma center with pediatric commitment in Monmouth and Ocean counties. After 93 years and 1,763 graduates, the Ann May School of Nursing diploma program closed in 1998. The Ann May Center for Nursing was established to support the evolving needs of Meridian’s nurses through educational enrichment, financial support and research initiatives.

Jersey Shore was accepted as a full member of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions in 2002, becoming the only hospital in the region with this designation.

In 2003, Jersey Shore became Jersey Shore University Medical Center, designating its new status as a university hospital affiliate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey — Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Jersey Shore Children’s Hospital, the first state-designated children’s hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties, was renamed the K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in early 2006. The designation recognizes years of advanced pediatric clinical care services provided by Jersey Shore and a history-making donation from Kevork and Emily Hovnanian.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center has grown into a 502-bed regional medical center specializing in advanced cardiac care and surgery, innovative orthopedics and rehabilitation, superior cancer care, and the most comprehensive pediatrics program in the two county region.

The $300 million expansion project, Transforming Care: The “New” Jersey Shore, was completed in 2009 and added 136 inpatient beds, a state-of-the-art Emergency Department and Trauma Center, new surgical suites, an expanded outpatient pavilion and a 975-space parking garage. This addition was the largest hospital expansion in New Jersey at the time.

Contact Information Jersey Shore University Medical Center 1945 Route 33 Neptune, NJ 07753

732-775-5500