L To R: Dana Serao, PharmD, BCPS, BCEMP, ED/Stroke Pharmacist; Vincent Silvestri DNP, RN CPHQ, Assistant Vice President, Neurosciences; Hemali Desai, MD, Neuroradiology Division Chief; Risa Katz-Gottfried MSN, RN, CCRN, Clinical Stroke Manager; and Khalid Z. Tabbarah, MD, Interim Stroke Director, Division Director, Adult Neurology
Newark, NJ (February 3, 2026) — Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, has received a $578,100grant from theHealthcare Foundation of NJ to accelerate delivery of more advanced stroke services.
The grant will fund “Erasing Barriers to High Quality Comprehensive Stroke Care in Greater Newark,” a project aimed at expanding the hospital’s ability to deliver complex care to stroke patients. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is currently a Joint Commission accredited Primary Stroke Center, able to treat ischemic stroke patients and provide initial stroke services.
“This grant will expand our ability to treat stroke with the highest levels of interventions, set a new standard for stroke care in the Greater Newark area, and ultimately save lives. We are incredibly grateful to the Healthcare Foundation of NJ for their generous support, and longstanding commitment to our patients and the communities we serve,” said Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, MPH, FACHE, FHELA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey.
“The city of Newark is home to world-class hospitals, and we are proud to continue our history of providing crucial support to these institutions,” said Michael Schmidt, Executive Director and CEO of The Healthcare Foundation of NJ. “Hospitals are anchor institutions for the delivery of healthcare in their neighborhoods, and by strengthening hospitals, we are ensuring the continued delivery of quality healthcare for all communities throughout Newark.”
In 2025, Newark Beth Israel treated nearly 200 patients with a primary diagnosis of stroke.
Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in New Jersey and a leading cause of long-term disability, with nearly 1 in 4 survivors experiencing another stroke—making timely, comprehensive care essential.
The HFNJ grant will support the launch of an Advanced Stroke Center team which will include a Neuroscience Quality and Education Coordinator, Stroke Transitions of Care Registered Nurse, Stroke Advanced Practice Provider and an Electromyography Trained Technician.
RWJBarnabas Health operates New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive stroke network, ensuring that patients have access to rapid, advanced treatment. With 10 Joint Commission accredited primary stroke centers and two advanced comprehensive stroke centers, the network provides cutting-edge therapies, neurointerventional capabilities, and multidisciplinary teams dedicated to improving outcomes.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is a Top Teaching Hospital and home to one of the nation’s top ten heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,100 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs complex cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs). Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. RWJBarnabas Health and The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health 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 fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. Newark Beth Israel also offers many preventive health programs that promote wellness in the community, including The Beth Greenhouse, which provides access to fresh produce and health and wellness education to residents
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities.
About HFNJ:
The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, originally called The Beth Israel Foundation, was established in 1996, when Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) was sold to the Saint Barnabas Corporation after a proud history of providing quality care and a humanistic environment to people of all backgrounds in greater Newark who came to the hospital for treatment or for employment.
The Foundation seeks to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable, underserved populations in greater Newark and the Jewish community of Greater MetroWest, NJ; elevate the quality of community healthcare; reduce disparities in access; and promote the infusion of compassion and humanism into our healthcare system. To achieve these goals, HFNJ has awarded grants in excess of $160 million over the course of its 25-year history.
The Healthcare Foundation of NJ has played an integral role in Newark Beth Israel Medical Center’s Newark Strong project, in 2024 the hospital opened its Healthcare Foundation of NJ Emergency Pavilion, a renovated emergency department which includes nine new adult treatment bays, a new fast-track treatment area, and three new pediatric treatment area as well as dedicated pediatric waiting space.
For more information about stroke services at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.