Hackensack Meridian Health, one of New Jersey's biggest hospital chains, has debuted what it's touting as the nation's first health-and-wellness center at a major travel hub.
The $200 million facility is located at Metropark station, a stop on the Northeast Corridor for NJ Transit and Amtrak trains, in the Iselin section of Woodbridge. The development, celebrating its grand opening on Wednesday, marks the first example of a broader plan that NJ Transit announced in October to generate additional non-fare revenue by utilizing its real estate portfolio for development.
Hackensack Meridian’s Health & Wellness Center is part of the Metropark complex being developed by DOR, a partnership of the Dinallo family, Onyx Equities and Russo Development to add housing and retailers to the Woodbridge community.
The station is also home to the Vermella Metropark apartment complex, managed by Russo Development. Russo and Onyx are partners that own both Vermella Metropark as well as Vermella Woodbridge.
The health center sits alongside NJ Transit’s second busiest train station, and with its extended hours offers patients the flexibility to stop by or a quick appointment before commuting to work or after commuting home in the evening, according to Hackensack Meridian. The goal is to offer easy access to quality medical care for patients who rely on mass transit "in a highly suburban vehicular transit-reliant state," the chain said in a statement. The project is part of Hackensack Meridian's $3 billion investment to expand access to healthcare.
Roughly 60,000 commuters who go through Metropark Station each month, and they will have access to service such as advanced imaging, urgent care plus, primary care, surgical specialties, medical specialties, retail pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, rehabilitation and phlebotomy.
"By locating this center steps from a major transit hub and incorporating new housing, we are advancing transit-oriented development that makes it easier for residents to live, work, and access care without relying on a car, strengthening the connection between healthy communities and sustainable infrastructure," New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement.
In 2024 the project was awarded $113.7 million in state tax credits by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
Hackensack Meridian Health is moving its headquarters from Edison, New Jersey, to the upper floors of the roughly 60,000-square-foot Iselin building, allowing the chain to bring all its corporate employees previously spread across several buildings under one roof.
Hackensack Meridian expects that by moving its headquarters directly to the Amtrak station it will have an easier time recruiting top talent from across the entire Northeast Corridor, with employees easily able to commute from major cities like New York and Philadelphia.