Mebane Honored for Outstanding Legal and Community Achievements at Ceremony Held on May 14
West Orange, NJ, May 15, 2024 – David Mebane, Esq., Executive Vice President and General Counsel of RWJBarnabas Health, has been selected as a NJBIZ 2024 Leaders in Law Award recipient. The distinction recognizes outstanding legal professionals and firms who are dedicated to the industry and to their communities. The honorees were celebrated on Tuesday, May 14 at a ceremony held in Somerset, New Jersey.
Mr. Mebane is responsible for legal affairs, privacy and insurance for RWJBarnabas Health, additionally serving as President of the System’s captive insurance company. With over 30 years at the organization, his leadership was key to the establishment, development, and growth of the legal department and the merger of Robert Wood Johnson Health System and Barnabas Health, which resulted in the formation of RWJBarnabas Health in 2016. He was instrumental in integrating internal legal resources into the newly consolidated system’s day-to-day operations, resulting in greater efficiency and more robust growth of what is now the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey.
When RWJBarnabas Health was first established, one of its major priorities was to create an efficient, streamlined process that could best serve the larger entity. Mr. Mebane achieved a centralized department by shifting the team’s approach and restructuring many of its processes to operate with greater agility. He developed discipline around the department’s operations, mandating increased responsiveness, greater understanding of the needs of each internal client, and better reliability. His efforts made the legal team invaluable to the organization and the structures he helped build have enabled nimble support of the System’s legal needs, including densification in ambulatory care and physician transactions
Mr. Mebane is incredibly proud of the world-class legal team that he has recruited, mentored and developed over the years. He is equally passionate about advocating for patients through the delivery of medical-legal support. He led the establishment of RWJBarnabas Health’s partnership with LAMP: Legal Assistance to Medical Patients Project (Legal Services of New Jersey) by creating legal offices in facilities across the System. This made it easier for healthcare providers to refer patients to LAMP in order to assist them with legal issues associated with their medical care. The System’s LAMP partnership has helped thousands of patients since that time.
Mr. Mebane also started the Legal Department for the former Community-Kimball Health Care System prior to its joining the System as a founding member. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University. Following law school, he clerked for the Hon. Herman Michels, the Presiding Judge for the N.J. Superior Court (Appellate Division). He was in private practice at Lowenstein Sandler and Brach Eichler. Mr. Mebane is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York and is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association. He was honored as the NJBIZ Healthcare Attorney of the Year in 2017.
The full list of 2024 Leaders in Law Award recipients can be found on the NJBIZ website here.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering eight counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, three acute care children’s hospitals, Children’s Specialized Hospital with a network of outpatient pediatric rehabilitation centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, affiliated medical groups, multi-site imaging centers and two accountable care organizations.
RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers – with more than 41,000 employees and 9,000 physicians– and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health launched an affiliation with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers' education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care.
Contact: Carrie Cristello
Carrie.Cristello@rwjbh.org