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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

njsuburban.com Final steel structure placed on new Emergency Department at Raritan Bay Medical Center

Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center Old Bridge re- cently held a topping off ceremony to celebrate the final steel structure being placed on the new Emergency Department, a 24,000-square-feet expansion project that will more than double the current footprint.

The topping-off event marks a major construction milestone, symbolizing the completion of the expansion’s structural phase.

Raritan Bay Medical Center leadership and team members, were on hand to sign the steel structure before it was raised, according to information provided by Hackensack Meridian Health.

“Our Emergency Department has successfully served central New Jersey for more than four decades,” Thomas Shanahan, chief hospital executive, Raritan Bay Medical Center said in the statement. “We simply outgrew the existing footprint. The new expansion will create a modern facility that can meet the evolving needs of our patients and solidify our commitment to providing the best patient-centered care to our growing community.”

Construction on the expansion began in October 2019 and represents Hackensack Meridian Health’s commitment to the community, with a $39 million investment.

By KATHY CHANG

Staff Writer

In an effort to prepare himself for Advanced Placement (AP) exams in calculus and physics, Avinash Kumar signed up for classes at Middlesex County College.

It was the summer of 2017 before his sophomore year of high school.

“At the time, my high school, the Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Technologies, did not offer many AP courses,” he said. “While this did not prevent me from taking the AP exams, it did put me at a severe disadvantage when it came to preparing for the exams.”

Kumar, of Edison, has joined a growing number of students who are taking advan

The new state-of-the-art Emergency Department will provide safer, faster arriv- als by adding ambulance bays, newly de- signed pediatric rooms, behavioral health and new on-site technology with equip- ment that will provide more accurate di- agnostics and treatment, according to the statement.

In addition, a new hospital concourse, main entrance, and lobby will modernize the facility and link all three hospital build- ings. The medical center will also be more accessible with increased parking and bet- ter wayfinding.

“We are really starting to see the vi- sion of this state-of-the-art facility come to life,” William DiStanislao, executive site director and vice president of Operations, Raritan Bay Medical Center Old Bridge, said in the statement. “It’s amazing how it has already transformed landscape of our hospital campus.”

The expansion was designed and con- structed by Stantec and Turner Construc- tion, a collaborative joint venture.

The project remains on schedule and is expected to open to the public in December 2021.

For more information, visit www.rbmc.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

From left: William DiStanislao, vice president of Operations and executive site director, Raritan Bay Medical Center Old Bridge; Thomas Shanahan, chief hospital executive, Raritan Bay Medical Center; Todd Way, central region president, Hackensack Meridian Health; Dr. Louis Brusco, chief medical officer, Raritan Bay Medical Center; Donald Ellis, senior vice president, network facilities, Hackensack Meridian Health.

County College sees rise in number of high school students taking college courses

org. tage taking classes at Middlesex County College (MCC) while still in high school.

“We’ve seen extensive growth over the past three years,” said Kimberlee Hooper, director of K-12 Partnerships at MCC.

The number of high school students taking MCC classes has gone from just under 1,800 in 2017-18 to more than 3,100 in 2019-20 – a jump of almost 60%, Hooper said.

Hooper said she believes two major factors play are role in the growth.

“First, school districts are organizing and promoting options for their students better, making sure they understand they have numerous post-high school choices,” she said.

For example, some students would be best served by earning a certificate in a short amount of time, and then going into the workforce. For others, a two-year de- gree that leads to a job is most appropriate, and for others, a two-year degree and then transferring to a four-year school is the right path, Hooper said.

“That’s where we come in because of our flexibility and low cost,” she said, noting that is the second factor. “High school students can take a three or four credit class for $125, including tuition and fees. Parents love that they can save literally thousands of dollars by having their kids take classes that will transfer to a four-year institution.”

Other advantages include allowing stu- dents to get used to the college experience, the amount of work, and what is expected of them in a college setting.

“It allows you to build up your academ- ic profile and it helps solidify your career goals,” Hooper said. “You may think you are interested in one field, but after taking a class or two, decide that it’s not for you. It’s much better to find that out before you are too far along.”

For Kumar, he gained experience in balancing the challenging workload of his MCC courses and his usual high school workload.

“I pulled through largely due to my ex- tremely supportive MCC professors and having developed a much stronger work ethic,” he said.

In June, he graduated from the Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies. (Continued on page 7)