Advanced Knee Pain Treatment in Neptune, NJ

NEPTUNE - The trauma center at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center has been verified as a Level 1 pediatric trauma center, the first verified in New Jersey, by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT). This premier Level 1 verification complements the ranking of Jersey Shore’s pediatric facility, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital - which, along with Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital - is ranked #1 in New Jersey in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 Best Children’s Hospital Report.

“All of our surgeons, specialists, advanced practice practitioners, and nurses are highly specialized experts in stabilizing and treating pediatric patients arriving at our academic medical center, typically in life-threatening conditions,” said pediatric general surgeon Victoriya Staab, M.D., medical director of the pediatric trauma center. “Our goal is not only to save lives, but also ensure the best possible recovery, and quality of life for these patients after they leave our care.”

Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and the highest level of institutional performance, as outlined by the ACS COT in its current manual, Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient. There are three levels of ACS trauma center verification, each defined by specific standards that speak to the important roles of the center in serving its community. These standards clarify the care that must be available to the injured patient at the facility, along with other expectations related to research and educational contributions to advance the field and to ensure the availability of highly qualified trauma providers in the future.

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“Our adult trauma center has been Level 1 verified since 2022,” said Vito Buccellato, MPA, LNHA, president and chief hospital executive, JSUMC. “This premier verification for our adult and now pediatric trauma center reflects our surgeons and nursing teams’ high-quality and exceptional critical care, as well as surgical capabilities throughout all of our specialties, whether provided for inpatients or on an outpatient basis.”

The ACS Trauma Verification, Review, and Consultation (VRC) Program helps hospitals to evaluate and improve their trauma care. It provides an objective, external review of a trauma center’s resources and performance. A team of trauma experts completes a site review of the hospital. The team assesses relevant components of the program including their regional role(s), the availability of physical and health human resources, policies, patient care protocols, and the hospital’s quality improvement processes. Of note, patients cared for in ACS-verified trauma centers have a lower risk of death and improved quality of life compared with patients in non-verified centers.

“Residents of Monmouth and Ocean counties and the entire region have long relied on Jersey Shore’s trauma and emergency care teams,” said Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, regional president southern market, HMH. “With this verification, families should be comforted that their children are receiving the best care during a crisis.”

Importantly, the ACS does not designate trauma centers. Instead, it verifies compliance with the standards listed in the manual, Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient. A facility earns the title of “designated trauma center” when it meets the requirements of the government or other authorizing entities.

As an ACS-verified trauma center, Jersey Shore University Medical Center is an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. Being a Surgical Quality Partner signifies a hospital’s dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches, while maintaining a critical eye on process at every step. The Surgical Quality Partner designation lets patients know JSUMC is dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement and has been verified or accredited by the ACS. Patients can trust that the care they receive at Surgical Quality Partner hospitals adheres to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality.

"ACS Quality programs are grounded in more than a century of experience and participation is an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, Jersey Shore University Medical Center has shown a commitment to providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement," said ACS Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Patricia L. Turner, M.D., MBA, FACS.

For information, visit Hackensack Meridian Health online.

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REDEVELOPMENT

Three-minute read

Asbury Park Press

NEPTUNE -- The township agreed to a deal with a joint venture group to redevelop the Headliner nightclub and Sunsets Riverfront Bar and Restaurant on Route 35 into a hotel, two residential buildings, restaurants and retail space called Waterways at Neptune.

The project leaves out the adjoining Neptune Motor Lodge, which at one point was part of the redevelopment effort, so it will continue to sit vacant for now, as it has since it was rendered unusable by a March 2021 storm.

Trip Brooks, a spokesperson for the joint venture North Channel Redevelopment, told the Asbury Park Press that both the Headliner and Sunsets would have to be torn down, potentially after this summer.

The proposed redevelopment includes two residential buildings, with each building consisting of three levels of residences over a parking garage, a 100-room hotel, 800 square feet of retail, a 2,400-square-foot restaurant, and multilevel parking garage consisting of approximately 260 parking spaces. There is also a separate 6,000-square-foot retail building which includes a public rooftop bar, and a separate 5,000-square-foot restaurant.

Waterways at Neptune includes public access to the waterfront, a boardwalk and a fishing pier, as well as an open-air plaza and public promenade, consisting of a paver pathway along the length of the waterfront, and 10 public restrooms.

Initial plans for a similar redevelopment announced in the summer of 2023 included the owner of the former Neptune Motor Lodge.

In March 2021, a powerful storm tore off parts of the roof of that hotel. The damage was caused by straight-line winds between 60 and 70 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

Residents in the surrounding neighborhood have been in contact with Neptune Township officials looking for something to be done with the hotel 2022, when over two dozen residents met on the street outside the abandoned property with representatives from state Sen. Vin Gopal's office and reporters to highlight the problem.

Now almost four years later, the motel is home to more raccoons than people and will remain untouched as part of this waterfront redevelopment.

Bhaskar Halari, owner of the hotel, dropped out of plans to take part in the redevelopment with the other property owners. Halari told the Press that he still plans to redevelop the motel property, "but by himself" and that he is in talks with the township.

North Channel redevelopment is joint venture between IPG at Waterways LLC aka the Ironbound Property Group, which owns the proposed hotel site; Zekaria Family Ltd. Partnership, which owns the Sunset property on the water; and New York Concourse, which owns the Headliner.

The conditional agreement requires North Channel to reimburse all of the costs and fees incurred by the township in connection with the review of the proposal and the concept plan for Waterways at Neptune, and the preparation and negotiation of a redevelopment agreement, among other such expenses.

The township will negotiate exclusively with North Channel for the redevelopment of the future Waterways at Neptune site, according to the agreement.

North Channel will work to get the project before the township planning board for review and approval.

Charles Daye is the metro reporter for Asbury Park and Neptune, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. @CharlesDayeAPP Contact him: CDaye@gannettnj.com

NEPTUNE -- Bojangles, the restaurant chain known for its Cajun fried chicken and its buttermilk biscuits, is coming to Monmouth County.

The restaurant, which will have a drive-thru, will be located at the new Market Place at Neptune shopping center on Route 35 just off the Asbury Circle. Bojangles will join Aldi, QuickChek and Smoothie King at the plaza, the site of a former Coca-Cola bottler's warehouse.

Neptune Chicken Rest LLC, a division of Devs Food LCC, which operates Burger King and Bojangles restaurants, has signed a ground lease for a 2,895-square-foot restaurant to be built at the center, said commercial real estate broker Chris Conway of Atlantic Coastal Real Estate LLC, who represented the tenant in the lease transaction. M&M Realty Partners, the center's owner, was represented by brokers Alison Cohen and Joe Morris.

"The access from both Route 35 and Route 66, along with tremendous visibility from the traffic circle, makes this an A+ for (Bojangles') entry into the Monmouth County market," Conway said in a statement to What's Going There. "All parties maintain extreme confidence regarding the success of the site and Bojangles as a brand."

Bojangles is making a push into the Jersey Shore.

Bojangles and Burger King are on the list of new fast-food restaurants that want to open on the site of the former Beachwood Shopping Center, a long vacant property on Route 9 in Berkeley.

In December, the township Planning Board approved a proposal by redeveloper Berkeley Shopping Center Urban Renewal LLC to build five fast-food restaurants, a coffee shop and a car wash on part of a 40.3-acre property that fronts Route 9 between Mizzen and Gladney avenues.

Conway said deals with M&M Realty Partners also being finalized for a Burger King and Bojangles in Brick. "Both myself and the franchise group look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with M&M," Conway said.

.Bojangles locations also are planned for Marlboro and Vineland, he added.

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 27 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

NEPTUNE – It was the final rehearsal for the big show.

Neptune and Marlboro were tied at the start of the fourth quarter in a warmup game for the girls basketball state tournament Monday before Neptune went on a 20-8 run to nail down a 61-49 victory. The win was the seventh in the last eight games for the Scarlet Fliers, now 13-11 as they head into Thursday’s NJSIAA first round Central Group 3 tournament home game against Hopewell Valley. Marlboro (11-14) will visit Freehold Township in Central Group 4.

The coaches of both teams said the theme was to prep for the state tourney.

“They’re a good team and we appreciate the opportunity to play games like this,” Neptune coach John Brown said. “We needed to work on our focus throughout the game. Still do. But better to address it now than in the playoffs. This is why we play these games.”

Neptune overcame a turnover-filled first half and received double-digit scoring efforts from Christa Ramos, Bre Evans, Majiah Quarles, and Tyeera Howard to hold off the Mustangs.

“We have a really young team. We wanted to get experience under pressure and there is no better team in the state to do that against than Neptune,” Marlboro coach Brad Hagensen said. “I couldn’t be happier with the way we played. The girls may see it differently with the outcome, but they handled it great.”

Christa Ramos nets 21 for Neptune; Bre Evans goes for 14

After a first half in which the teams combined for 21 turnovers, the score was knotted at 27-27 and again at 41-41 after three quarters. In the fourth, Neptune’s relentless pressure defense and improved ball security proved the difference as it focused on getting to the rim and foul line to close the game out.

Senior guard Ramos was a force at both ends of the floor leading all scorers with 21 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line. Ramos also added four rebounds, three steals and three assists. Senior Evans added 14 points and four steals and four assists for the Scarlet Fliers.

“We had a really slow start and we know we can’t let that happen in the playoffs,” Ramos said. “Looking for the extra pass in the fourth quarter worked well for us.”

“And we need to tighten up our defense for the playoffs. That’s our biggest strength,” Evans added.

Howard, Neptune’s freshman forward, contributed 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the win while junior Quarles scored 11 to go with five rebounds.

Freshman guard Mackenzie Klatsky led Marlboro with 13 points and four steals and senior Emily Borgen added 10 points and a pair of steals. Senior Brooke Gordon scored eight points while sophomores Nariah Henderson and Maddyn Callow contributed six points apiece.

Neptune girls basketball defeats Marlboro: Game Takeaways