History of
Newton Memorial Hospital

Newton Memorial Hospital traces its origins to 1926, when Thomas E. Murray bequeathed a portion of his estate to "the establishment in Newton of a hospital that would accept persons of all creeds and religious denominations and provide equal privileges and accommodations for all". With this gift, as well as the proceeds of a financial campaign which raised over $500,000 from the community, the Newton Hospital Association began planning the construction of a hospital facility on 24 acres of land off Route 94 in Newton.

The hospital opened its doors in 1932 with 40 acute care beds and 10 bassinets to serve the population of Sussex County in what is now the Administration Building. Rapid increases in the use of the hospital established the need for expansion, resulting in a new building program which, by 1951 had added 60 additional inpatient beds, including a complete maternity suite, a newborn nursery with 20 bassinets, and expanded ancillary and diagnostic services.

Over the next ten years, the hospital made substantial changes to its existing physical plant, increasing its inpatient bed complement to 119 beds. These changes included the establishment of a separate Pediatrics unit, a 6-bed Intensive Care Unit, a separate recovery room for surgical patients, and expanded ancillary space for outpatient clinics.

Despite these changes, continued growth in the use of the hospital necessitated further expansion. In 1961, the hospital acquired 10 acres of land adjacent to the original parcel, bringing the total land available for the hospital to 34 acres. In 1967, construction of a new wing to the hospital (the Pavilion Building) was begun to house a new Radiology Department, clinical and pathology laboratories, an Emergency Room, Intensive and Coronary Care Unit and a 20-bed general medical surgical unit, as well as additional space for support services. This expansion increased the hospital's bed complement to 148 beds.

In 1975, a new construction program was begun to relocate all inpatient units from the original building to the Pavilion Building, relocate and expand the radiology and laboratory departments, and accommodate other changes in support areas. This construction program was completed in 1977.

In 1979, an 8-bed Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit was opened, providing a unique service to the residents of northwest New Jersey. In addition, a new, modern obstetrics unit was opened in the Pavilion building, housing 20 postpartum beds and 24 newborn bassinets and construction was begun on a new wing to house a 12-bed Mental Health unit and outpatient facilities .

In the 1980s, growth in the use of the hospital again required expansion of it's facilities. In 1987, construction was begun to add a second floor to the Mental Health wing, construct a new, state-of-the-art 10-bed intensive care unit, expand and relocate the hospital's Emergency Room, and construct an Ambulatory Diagnostic Unit to increase the ease of using the hospital's outpatient services. Construction of this program was completed in 1989.

In 1998, Newton Memorial opened the doors to Sparta Health and Wellness Center at 89 Sparta Avenue, Sparta. This 8 million dollar project is comprised of a 30,000 square foot facility dedicated to outpatient diagnostics and treatment.

Today, Newton Memorial Hospital is a state-of-the-art medical center providing inpatient and outpatient health care services to residents of Sussex, northern Warren and Pike Counties. In concert with it's over 150 physicians, 900+ employees, and the many volunteers, auxilians and others who commit their time to meeting the needs of this region, Newton Memorial Hospital strives to provide high-quality, patient focused health care services at a low cost, insuring that the residents of its service area have convenient access to needed health services.

In 2000, Newton Memorial Hospital admitted 10,262 patients for inpatient and same day surgery cases, including 750 births. Newton Memorial Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. The Hospital is licensed by the State of New Jersey Department of Health, participates in the Federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, and is recognized by all major New Jersey insurance programs.

The year 2000 concluded the final phase of a ten million dollar project which included upgrading Cardiac Rehabilitation, a redesign of Ambulatory Surgical services, implementation of four state-of-the-art surgical suites and the construction of a new atrium lobby. By the fall of 2001, Newton Memorial Hospital will extend it's outreach to Pike County, Pennsylvania. The Milford Health and Wellness Center will house ten physician groups as well as diagnostic services including Laboratory and Imaging.

The year 2001 brings continued improvements in facilities and processes at Newton Memorial Hospital. A new "Fast Track" program has been instituted in the Emergency Room to enable shorter and more efficient treatment of our less critically ill patients. Plans are underway for the redesign of the Emergency Room.