University Hospital in Newark, N.J., is setting its sights on a major upgrade with a price tag of $1 billion, according to NJ Spotlight.
The existing 519-bed, 42-year-old facility suffers from occasional flooding and overcrowding and needs a more modern structure to support team-based medicine, hospital officials said.
The new facility would include items such as modernized operating rooms, a stroke center, a liver transplant unit, and space to accommodate primary care and population health issues like poverty, housing challenges or poor nutrition.
The proposal of the facility is in early planning days and still needs approval and a formal needs assessment to move forward. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has included $500,000 in a state budget proposal to conduct the formal needs assessment study, which is the first step in the process, according to the report.
New Jersey Lt. Gov Sheila Oliver, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and other state and county officials last week announced their support for the new modern facility.
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