The Valley Hospital recently announced plans to build a state-of-the-art hospital in Paramus. The decision to relocate its main campus will end a decade-long fight between the hospital versus residents and Ridgewood officials. Hospital officials anticipate ground breaking in 2019. The hospital could open in 2023.

The planned new site will be on Winters Avenue which is less than three miles from its Ridgewood home and is directly across from the already existing Paramus facilities. Although there are no formal designs for the facility yet, it is said that the facility will be a 372-bed hospital with about 910,000 square feet and between three to seven stories high.

The new facility will house single-patient rooms only. This will allow people to have shorter stays at the hospital, reducing the amount of sleep disturbance and lower the rate of infection. Audrey Meyers, president and CEO of the hospital and Valley Health System states that the new Valley Hospital will combine Valley’s exceptional level of care and dedicated staff with the latest advancements in healthcare.

According to Meyer, the new cutting edge facility will allow them to raise the bar in providing world class healthcare, helping people and families live healthier and strengthening the communities. Valley Ridgewood campus will be repurposed into a laboratory and radiology, urgent care center, and endoscopy center. Business operations, ambulatory and outpatient services will be consolidated by the hospital there was well as reported in an article by Ridgewood Patch.

According to Meyers, the new hospital will be a $735 million project. The public will have a chance to weigh in at several hearings that will be conducted. Village Mayor Susan Knudsen said that the Valley Hospital informed them that they will maintain a vibrant presence in Ridgewood. Knudsen stated that they are gathering information and will evaluate carefully the impact of any changes will have on the village residents and Ridgewood as reported by Garfield-Lodi Daily Voice.