West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health will be the lead hospital partner at a new $450 million, 30-acre digital innovation "city" in New Jersey.
Jersey City's SciTech Scity, which is being developed by the Liberty Science Center museum, is a cross-industry collaboration that aims to make healthcare more equitable through digital projects.
"The paramount societal challenge we must focus on now is the transformation of our current sick-care system to true healthcare that detects illnesses in their infancy, or prevents illnesses entirely, through cost-effective digital home health technology," said Paul Hoffman, president and CEO of Liberty Science Center, in a Feb. 29 news release.
Other partners include Israel's Sheba Medical Center, pharma giant Bristol Myers Squibb, accounting firm Ernst & Young, tech company Nokia Bell Labs, and area academic institutions such as Princeton (N.J.) University and New York City-based New York University. They plan to pilot digital health startups and technology in a densely populated, diverse part of New Jersey. RWJBarnabas Health's Jersey City Medical Center is located nearby.
"We are absolutely thrilled to partner with SciTech Scity to collaborate on innovation initiatives and create new pathways to advance health equity," stated Michael Prilutsky, executive vice president for RWJBarnabas Health and president and CEO of Jersey City Medical Center. "Our collaboration as a premier academic health system will help facilitate scientific advancement while supporting our mission of improving the health status of our communities."