RWJBarnabas Health makes new strides in advancing emergency care and rapid transport for critically ill or injured patients.
Hamilton Township, NJ — November 17, 2025 — Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJUH Hamilton), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, unveiled its new Helistop on Thursday, November 13.
“Our system is home to the largest and oldest mobile health operation,” said Mark E. Manigan, President and Chief Executive Officer of RWJBarnabas Health. “We have over 1,700 EMS workers, touching over 200,000 individuals a year. When every second counts, the shortest distance between two points is an important thing. If we need to get a patient from here to New Brunswick, the quickest, shortest, fastest way possible is a direct shot, in the air, in a direct line.”
Group pictured: RWJUH Hamilton Board Members; Michael Pratico, Jr., Board Chair; Dr. Cynthia Vona, Vice Board Chair; Nina Melker, Mercer County Commissioner and Board Member; Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy, Hamilton Township Mayor, Jeff Martin; Mark Manigan, President and Chief Executive Officer, RWJBarnabas Health; Bill Arnold, , Executive Vice President, President of the Southern Region, RWJBarnabas Health; Jim Smith, Senior Vice President of Mobile Health, RWJBarnabas Health; Lisa Breza, Chief Administrative Officer, RWJUH Hamilton; members of Senior Leadership, Physician Leadership and Leadership Council at RWJUH Hamilton; Bradley DeLorme, Director of Air Medical LifeFlight; and pilots and crew of the Air Medical LifeFlight crew.
The Helistop will provide a designated landing and takeoff area for medical helicopters, including those in RWJBarnabas Health’s LifeFlight fleet, and expand RWJUH Hamilton’s ability to quickly transfer critically ill or injured patients in need of advanced, specialized, or trauma care.
“Saving lives is our business, and this new helistop enhances our ability to respond quickly when time makes a difference. While it is a small addition to our campus, its impact will be profound---saving time, saving lives, and strengthening our network of care,” said Lisa Breza, Chief Administrative Officer at RWJUH Hamilton. “This helistop symbolizes progress and readiness and is a true testament to our commitment to the community and to providing lifesaving care.”
Picture seated left to right is Lasanta Horana, MD, Vice President, Medical Staff Leadership, and Chair, Department of Emergency Services at RWJUH Hamilton; Seth Rosenbaum, MD, MMM, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at RWJUH Hamilton; Mark E. Manigan, President and Chief Executive Officer, RWJBarnabas Health; and in the helicopter is Michael Pratico, Jr., Chair of the Board of Trustees at RWJUH Hamilton.
The Helistop will be available 24/7 for critical medical emergencies, working in tandem with the hospital’s ground ambulance team. Designed to reduce the time it takes to transfer emergent patients in need of trauma, stroke, cardiac, or other specialized care, the Helistop will enable rapid transport during life-threatening scenarios.
RWJBarnabas Health’s Mobile Health air medical program launched in 2019.
“As New Jersey’s largest hospital EMS program, the addition of the Helistop provides another access point to efficiently and effectively move critically ill patients across the state to higher levels of care without delay,” said Jim Smith, Senior Vice President, Mobile Health.
For more information about RWJBarnabas Health’s Mobile Health, visit https://www.rwjbh.org/treatment-care/mobile-health/
At the ceremony, Assemblywoman Tennille R. McCoy, District 14, presented a Joint Legislative Resolution from herself, Assemblyman DeAngelo, and Senator Greenstein, on behalf of the Senate and the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, commending everyone who contributed to this important milestone for the hospital and the community, recognizing the helistop will serve as a critical hub for saving lives.
Picture from the Helistop ribbon cutting ceremony at RWJUH Hamilton on November 13, 2025.
About Mobile Health
Mobile Health is home to the state’s largest EMS program, present in ten counties, handling 225,000 emergency medical response assignments annually, with a fleet of 300 vehicles including a helicopter and 40 EMS stations, with primary responsibility for 38 percent the state’s population. The EMS Training and Education Center, the largest provider of emergency medical education in New Jersey, serves over 20,000 community members. Mobile Health has eight EMT school locations, teaching approximately 800 students annually and two accredited Paramedic school locations.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton
Located in Hamilton Township, NJ, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJUH Hamilton), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, serves Mercer County as well as a larger five-county region of New Jersey. RWJBarnabas Health and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s Cancer Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey – the state’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to its cancer center, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. RWJUH Hamilton is Joint Commission Certified, Primary Stroke Center Certified from The Joint Commission, and a Center for Excellence from The Joint Commission for stroke, spine surgery and hip and knee replacement and is MAGNET® Recognized from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), as well as designated a NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) hospital.
RWJUH Hamilton’s other specialties include heart and vascular care, including emergency and elective angioplasty, heart failure intervention program, groundbreaking therapies and new surgical techniques with an innovative team of neurosurgeons, subspecialty neurologists, and neuroscience researchers coupled with the specialty-trained support staff, treatment and care for minor injuries and life-threatening illnesses, outpatient diagnostic and treatment services and medical/surgical services, bariatric surgery, wound care, women’s health, geriatrics/ senior health and wellness care, infusion services, outpatient rehabilitation and physical therapy centers, including cardiac rehab, orthopedic rehab, speech therapy, aquatic therapy, a balance and hearing center and sleep center.
For more information, visit us at rwjbh.org/Hamilton or call 609-586-7900.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive academic health system, caring for more than five million people annually. Nationally renowned for quality and safety, the system includes 14 hospitals and 9,000 affiliated physicians integrated to provide care at more than 700 patient care locations.
RWJBarnabas Health partners with its communities to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey. It provides patient-centered care in a compassionate manner and is the state’s largest safety-net provider and leader in addressing the social determinants of health. RWJBarnabas Health provides food to the hungry, housing for the homeless and economic opportunities to those most vulnerable.
RWJBarnabas Health’s commitment to enhancing access to care includes a transformative partnership with Rutgers University, including the Rutgers Cancer Institute — the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers, with more than 44,000 employees, contributing more than $7 billion to the state economy every year. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org
Media Contact:
Carrie Cristello
Carrie.Cristello@rwjbh.org