Stockton Approves AtlantiCare's Preliminary Plans for Expansion

The ’s Board of Trustees approved a preliminary expansion plan on Wednesday that would allow for the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center to build a six-story tower on its Mainland Campus.

Jennifer Tornetta, director of public relations for AtlantiCare, said the medical center still must obtain several more land-use approvals at the local, regional and state levels.

Tornetta also said before the medical center took any of these steps, it wanted to obtain approval from Stockton, the medical center’s official landlord. She said appearing before the township’s planning and zoning boards were among the next steps, although no exact date was given.

At the meeting on Wednesday, Dominic Moffa, senior vice president for AtlantiCare, told the Board of Trustees the medical center would like to see construction on the new facility begin toward the end of next year.

"I think it enhances what we're doing together and it enhances their own work as well," Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp said during Wednesday's meeting.

Moffa and Lori Herndon, the president and CEO of Atlantic Regional Medical Center and the executive vice president for AtlantiCare, made the presentation to Stockton on behalf of the medical center on Wednesday.

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center also confirmed that the approved resolution also calls for the use of roughly 25,000 square feet of existing space for expansion and improvement of the post-anesthesia care unit.

A same-day surgery unit, upgrades to inpatient surgery holding area and improved sterile processing capacity are also included in the preliminary plans, as are more than 100 parking spaces and modified drop-off areas.

“We’re looking to meet the needs of everyone, but it could change as we move along,” Tornetta said.

According to Tornetta, the first floor of the tower would house a new, non-invasive cardiology suite; the second floor would be set aside for a 30-bed intensive care recovery unit and 33 beds for same-day surgery recovery; and the third floor would be set aside for a 30-bed medical surgery unit.

“The other three floors will be shell floors for future expansion,” Tornetta said.

The number of floors was “based on other expansion projects,” Tornetta said. “We’re expanding to meet the increased need for surgical patients.”

She said more residents are also choosing to stay in the region to meet their medical needs and the amount of senior housing in the area has also increased.

“In 1975, we had 100 beds,” Tornetta said. “We have 345 active beds now. That just shows how we’ve grown over the years.”

However, exact numbers for expansion pertaining to the need for this particular tower were not available on Thursday.