New facility to provide many medical services
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

Construction is continuing on the CentraState Ambulatory Campus adjacent to CentraState Medical Center, West Main Street, Freehold Township. The ambulatory campus will house a fitness center open to the public, the Multiple Sclerosis Center, rehabilitation facilities, a dialysis unit and physicians offices,

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - Centra-State Medical Center, West Main Street, will soon have a new facility to serve the community with a number of up-to-date services and programs.

The CentraState Ambulatory Cam-pus is rising next to the medical center and some of the facilities are expected to be available to members of the community in September.

Jim Karaman, assistant vice president of ambulatory services, said the need for such a center was predicted by John Gribbin, the CEO of CentraState Medical Center.

"He had a vision of creating this ambulatory campus that would focus on wellness and education," Karaman said. "He wanted to offer tools to community members to enhance their health and lifestyle."

And the 171,000-square-foot facility will do just that. From a fitness center to a healthy eating cafe to an extensive rehabilitation program, the ambulatory campus will provide services to help people learn about disease prevention and how to lead a healthy lifestyle; it will also provide various types of rehabilitation and assist residents in taking better care of themselves.

Construction on the ambulatory campus began about a year ago and occupancy of at least the first floor is targeted for late September.

The first floor will be where most people visit for any number of reasons - to improve their fitness level, to attend cardiac rehabilitation or outpatient programs, as well as other special programs created to improve quality of life. They may also participate in various educational programs.

"The first floor will focus on health and wellness," Karaman said. "It houses our 40,000-square-foot fitness and wellness center."

Memberships to the center are available now.

Services will include cardiac rehabilitation and diagnostics, pulmonary rehabilitation, cardiac and strength training programs and outpatient services such as physical rehabilitation, sports therapy, speech and swallowing disorder therapy and wound care. The building will also house the Multiple Sclerosis Center and the lymphedema center.

Karaman said a 1,000-square-foot child day care center will be under the supervision of the fitness center staff.

The ambulatory campus will also feature a cool water lap pool where members can swim, a warm water therapy pool and a Jacuzzi pool. A personal trainer and an exercise physiologist will be on staff at the fitness center.

Also featured will be an expanded rehabilitation program which is adjacent to the fitness center.

"Patients will have access to our equipment in rehabilitation and use the fitness equipment and pools as well," Karaman explained.

The rehabilitation program will include an aquatic training pool which will have a running treadmill that submerges under water. This type of therapy, he said, is excellent for people who have had knee replacements, among other conditions.

Karaman said the CentraState Health Awareness Center will move from its present home on Gibson Place to the first floor of the ambulatory campus.

According to Karaman, the second and third floors of the ambulatory campus will include a center for sleep disorders, a dialysis unit and 50,000 square feet of medical office space.

The ambulatory campus will be connected to the medical center with an enclosed walkway at ground level.