NEWARK, N.J., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) and its Foundation today announced a historic $5 million donation to build the PSEG Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick. The hospital will be built on the campus of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and will be the first pediatric center in New Jersey to combine acute care, rehabilitation and research in a single location. It will allow children to move seamlessly between facilities and enable their parents to be a part of their recovery.
The gift is the largest in the histories of both organizations' foundations, and is believed to be one of the largest philanthropic gifts to a healthcare institution in the history of New Jersey. PSEG has been a key corporate player in New Jersey since 1903. Children's Specialized Hospital was founded in 1891.
Ralph Izzo, president and COO of Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), the state's largest electric and gas utility and a subsidiary of PSEG, will lead the Children's Specialized Hospital's capital campaign to raise monies towards the total $55 million needed to build the new facility. He made the announcement this morning to thousands of PSEG employees in the company's Newark headquarters and across the state.
"For more than a century PSEG and Children's Specialized have been committed to building a better future for New Jersey's children and their families," Izzo said. "This hospital will stand as a visible and lasting tribute to everything our company and our employees stand for."
The PSEG Children's Specialized Hospital will be located on the campus of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, on the corner of Somerset and Plum Streets in New Brunswick. It will be physically connected to the Bristol- Myers Squibb Children's Hospital for acute care and the Child Health Institute of New Jersey of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School for education and research. It is the first such configuration of children's hospitals at a single location in New Jersey.
All of the capabilities of Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital will be immediately accessible to patients at the new rehabilitative hospital. Children with immediate needs will have instant access to high-level acute care.
"With the construction of this facility, New Jersey will have a pediatric center of excellence that has never existed," said Amy B. Mansue, president and CEO of Children's Specialized Hospital. "For the first time, pediatric acute care, rehabilitative care and research institutions will stand side-by- side in our state. We are so deeply grateful to PSEG for their extraordinary generosity and dedication to New Jersey's children -- they are the true beneficiaries of this gift. We could not have a more committed partner and campaign chair."
Ground will be broken for the PSEG Children's Specialized Hospital this spring, with completion scheduled for late 2006 or early 2007. The 140,000 square foot facility will offer highly specialized inpatient care for children with traumatic brain, spinal cord and other injuries, as well as for premature infants and young children with congenital or acquired challenges.
The demand for children's rehabilitative healthcare is at an unprecedented level. While the over 13,000 patients treated last year at Children's Specialized Hospital represents an increase of 206 percent since 2000, it is nowhere near the total need of New Jersey's children. There are an overwhelming number of children affected by attention deficit disorders, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, autism and learning, behavioral or developmental disabilities who are not receiving adequate care.
The 60-bed PSEG Children's Specialized Hospital will be the 10th Children's Specialized facility, and is being designed with input from both patients and their families. Patient rooms will include accommodations for parents to stay with their children overnight, allowing families to take a more active role in recovery. The typical length of stay for inpatients is 45-99 days. It also will include playrooms for siblings, family lounges and kitchen/dining facilities, as well as family laundry and shower/lavatory areas. Classrooms, study rooms and lounges will be included for the older children. There will be a state-of-the-art therapy pool with integrated patient lifts and ramps, two therapy gyms, an outdoor therapy area and play area, an auditorium and a meditation room.
Children's Specialized Hospital is the largest pediatric rehabilitation hospital in the country, treating children from birth to age 21 through a network of programs including inpatient and outpatient services, a full range of rehabilitation services and long-term care. Once the new facility opens, the original Mountainside location of Children's Specialized Hospital will be renovated to expand outpatient services and long-term care.
Children's Specialized Hospital provides continuous and comprehensive care to support approximately 13,000 special needs children and their families each year. Hospital services include inpatient and outpatient medical, developmental, educational and rehabilitative therapies. Headquartered in Mountainside, Children's Specialized Hospital has additional facilities in Fanwood, Freehold, Hamilton, Newark, Roselle Park and Toms River. Children's Specialized Hospital is an affiliate member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health System. Children's Specialized Hospital Foundation is the nonprofit charitable organization that raises funds to support programs and services at Children's Specialized Hospital. The Foundation is the only organization of its kind where every gift has a direct impact on the lives of special needs children.
PSEG is a diversified energy company headquartered in Newark, N.J. PSEG subsidiaries include: PSE&G, New Jersey's oldest and largest combined public gas and electric utility; PSEG Power, a major regional independent power producer; and, PSEG Holdings which includes other unregulated energy businesses. Founded in 1903, the company recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Public Service Enterprise Group IncorporatedCONTACT: Jenn Connell of PSEG, +1-973-430-7734, or Jessica Arkel ofCSHF, +1-908-389-5646
Web site: http://www.pseg.com/