Provided/AtlantiCare broke ground March 30 on a $38.3 million, 69,700-square-foot Medical Arts Pavilion in Atlantic City.ATLANTIC CITY - AtlantiCare ceremoniously broke ground Tuesday on a $38.3 million Medical Arts Pavilion in Atlantic City. The event was held on National Doctor's Day to highlight the significance of the care and services it will provide in the new facility.
The three-story, 69,700-square-foot building will significantly expand AtlantiCare's resources for increasing access to care and addressing healthcare disparities. AtlantiCare will also expand education opportunities for medical students and residents to proactively address the current state and anticipated national shortage of primary care providers.
The AtlantiCare Medical Arts Pavilion will be a modern, patient-centered facility, AtlantiCare President and CEO Lori Herndon said. This new building will give us the space we need to expand the care and services we provide to our community.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, New Jersey CRDA Chairman Robert Mulcahy III and Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. were among local and state leaders who joined AtlantiCare in marking the milestone of the project.
Since the beginning of the Murphy administration, we've been having conversations with Lori and leadership in the hospital to conceptualize the construction of this building and facility, Oliver said. I can remember back 25 years ago people saying that the future economy of this country will be around healthcare. And here we are - healthcare is one of the biggest economic drivers in the United States and definitely in New Jersey.
NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney said the project would "spur economic growth, bring more services to the community and make Atlantic City that much more attractive for potential business owners, homebuyers and visitors.
The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority gave AtlantiCare the land and has pledged $15 million toward the project.
Located at 7 South Ohio Ave., the facility will be directly across the street from AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Atlantic City Campus.
The location is special because Ohio Avenue is where we opened as Atlantic City's first hospital in 1898 in a converted house, Herndon said.
Known as Atlantic City Hospital, it grew into the regional healthcare system AtlantiCare, whose more than 6,000 staff and providers care for the community in more than 100 locations in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Ocean counties of southern New Jersey.
AtlantiCare's Medical Arts Pavilion will place strong focus on combatting two significant challenges in healthcare. One is closing the gap of healthcare disparities in underserved populations. The new facility will house a significant suite of services for women, children and familiesproviding services that are critical to preventing maternal and fetal deaths and supporting health and well-being of families.
AtlantiCare is also taking a proactive approach to addressing the shortage of primary care providers in New Jersey and the anticipated national shortage of physicians. AtlantiCare's Medical Arts Pavilion will offer expanded opportunities for graduate medical residents and undergraduate medical students.
Services in the facility will include:
