'Preparing the Soil'

July 2006
A Message From Barry S. Rabner, President & CEO, Princeton HealthCare System

As we are planning to hold the groundbreaking for the new hospital, we are in the process of preparing the soil, so to speak.

Princeton HealthCare System (PHCS) administrators and planning consultants are working with Princeton Borough and Township officials to obtain the zoning approvals needed for the sale of the Princeton sites, while simultaneously developing master plan strategies in collaboration with Plainsboro officials to facilitate the development of the new site in Plainsboro. There are ongoing discussions among the physicians on the Medical Staff, nurses and other employees, members of the senior management team and the expert architects, designers and planners we have engaged to help us design the new site. One important consideration being explored is designing and constructing the new hospital so it can serve as an emergency management center that would respond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism and pandemics.

On June 2, 2006, PHCS held an Emergency Preparedness Design Workshop at the New Jersey Hospital Association with emergency management officials throughout central New Jersey and asked for their input on how best to build a new hospital with the flexibility to deal with a variety of disaster scenarios.