By Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul

We worked hard in the State Assembly to secure funds for public health in the FY2026 State Budget as hospitals and other providers in Monmouth County and across the state brace themselves for cuts in federal funding.

In addition, the state Supreme Court just upheld the state’s charity care law, which requires hospitals to provide care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Our hospitals are committed to providing accessible, affordable health care and they do a great job. But they cannot do it alone. The fund that reimburses hospitals for patients who cannot pay has decreased by 50 percent in the past decade. In the FY2026 state budget it is about 10 percent of what it was in 2015, and the state faces the loss of billions of federal dollars in the years to come. 

Residents who rely on assisted living services also will feel the impact of federal budget cuts in Medicaid as our state continues to address the shortages of workers who provide services such as homecare nurses. We worked to address these cuts in the state budget in what promises to be a challenging year for New Jersey and its healthcare providers, including our hospitals in Monmouth County. 

We secured funds in the state budget for a wide range of smaller, local, non-profit organizations that provide public health services. Here’s a look at some of the budget grants we successfully fought for that have a countywide impact.

We’re pleased to report that we secured $250,000 for Jersey Shore Medical Center. The Neptune hospital will use these funds to carry out its critical mission of providing quality care.

We also secured $350,000 for Monmouth Medical Center’s Intensive Outpatient Program. With the goal of providing individuals with a timely alternative to emergency room crisis units, the Long Branch hospital’s program provides up to 30 days of outpatient behavioral health treatment for Monmouth County adults older than 18. These are patients who have serious mental illness and are at risk of needing hospital services.

To help address the troubling shortage of assisted living workers, we secured $5.5 million to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates by 10 percent for assisted living providers statewide. We need to increase salaries for these critical  jobs to help recruit workers as our population ages and their services are even in higher demand.

New Jersey also has a shortage of nurses, which is why we’re proud to have secured $300,000 for Monmouth University’s nursing simulation lab. Established in collaboration with Monmouth Medical Center, the nursing simulation lab supports the university’s Department of Nursing and the medical center’s staff training and certification. The lab is housed at Monmouth University’s Graduate Center. It provides hands-on learning for nurses working on medical-surgical intensive care, pediatrics, maternity, and operating rooms.

We also secured $1 million for the Visiting Nurses Association, which provides home nursing services throughout Monmouth County from its Tinton Falls location, and $75,000 to support the operating costs of Preferred Behavioral Health - Prevention First. Preferred Behavioral Health provides therapy and counseling services in-person or through telehealth anywhere in New Jersey, 24-hours a day.

Other Monmouth County hospitals that we supported in the state budget grants include Riverview Medical Center, in Red Bank; Bayshore Hospital, in Holmdel, for EKG equipment, and CentraState Hospital, Freehold, to purchase equipment for heart surgeries.

Investments in making public health resources accessible and affordable to all residents has been a top priority for us. It is a statewide priority that we and our Legislative District 11 partner, Senator Vin Gopal, will continue to look for innovative ways to support.

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