At a pivotal time for health care across the Garden State, Deborah Visconi, president and chief executive officer of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, has officially begun her term as 2026 chair of the New Jersey Hospital Association, assuming the role during the Association’s annual meeting in Princeton on January 29.
The appointment places one of New Jersey’s most respected hospital leaders at the forefront of a statewide organization that has shaped health policy, hospital collaboration, and community care for more than a century. Founded in 1918, the New Jersey Hospital Association now represents nearly 400 member organizations spanning the full spectrum of care, including hospitals, health systems, and post-acute providers united by a shared mission to improve health outcomes for residents in every corner of the state.
Visconi succeeds Mark Stauder, the recently retired chief operating officer of Hackensack Meridian Health, who served as the Association’s 2025 chair. Her transition into the role marks a continuation of steady leadership at a moment when New Jersey’s hospitals face some of the most complex operational, financial, and workforce challenges in decades.
Widely recognized across the state’s business and health care communities, Visconi brings deep experience from her leadership of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, the state’s largest hospital. With 1,070 licensed beds, the public safety-net facility plays a uniquely critical role in the regional and statewide care network. Its comprehensive service footprint includes round-the-clock emergency care, expansive behavioral health programs, substance use disorder treatment services, and long-term care operations that collectively support some of New Jersey’s most medically and socially vulnerable populations.
Her professional reputation has been shaped by years of navigating large-scale public hospital operations while maintaining a strong focus on patient access, community health partnerships, and financial sustainability. That background is especially relevant as hospitals statewide confront significant external pressures, including proposed federal Medicaid funding reductions and the potential loss of health insurance coverage for hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents.
In her remarks surrounding the installation, Visconi acknowledged the magnitude of the challenges facing hospitals and health systems, citing the growing impact of federal policy changes, ongoing workforce shortages, and escalating operational costs. At the same time, she underscored the collective strength of New Jersey’s hospital community, emphasizing the resilience of institutions that continue to care for approximately 15 million patients each year.
Those services are delivered by a statewide workforce of roughly 162,000 highly skilled health professionals, supported by more than $7 billion in annual community investment across New Jersey. According to Visconi, those numbers reflect far more than scale—they demonstrate a long-standing commitment to accessible, affordable, and equitable care that remains deeply embedded in the culture of the state’s health system.
“These incredible impacts are the product of our collective values, which are unshakeable – quality, affordable, accessible, equitable care for all New Jerseyans,” Visconi said. She described hospitals as a constant presence within their communities and reaffirmed the responsibility of the health care sector to serve as a stabilizing force during times of social, political, and economic uncertainty.
Her leadership arrives as New Jersey’s health care landscape continues to evolve rapidly, shaped by advances in digital health technology, new models of outpatient and community-based care, and growing public expectations around culturally responsive services. These shifts, along with the financial and workforce realities facing hospitals, have become central themes across statewide discussions surrounding innovation, access, and sustainability within the broader health ecosystem highlighted through Explore New Jersey’s ongoing coverage of health and wellness initiatives.
Alongside Visconi’s installation, the New Jersey Hospital Association announced its full slate of 2026 board officers, reflecting leadership from a diverse range of hospital systems and regions across the state. The newly appointed vice chair is Rob Brenner, president and chief executive officer of Valley Health System. Serving as treasurer is Patricia O’Keefe, president of Morristown Medical Center and senior vice president and chief nursing executive for Atlantic Health System. The role of secretary will be held by Eric Carney, president and chief executive officer of Monmouth Medical Center and Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, both part of RWJBarnabas Health.
Together, the leadership team represents hospitals serving urban, suburban, and regional populations, reinforcing the Association’s statewide perspective as it works to align policy advocacy, operational collaboration, and workforce development across New Jersey’s health care infrastructure.
The organization’s strategic direction was further reinforced by Cathy Bennett, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Hospital Association, who addressed members during the annual meeting. Bennett described the current environment as one shaped by relentless pressures, including reimbursement challenges, workforce strain, rapidly changing technology, and heightened social and political tensions affecting communities throughout the state.
Despite these realities, she emphasized that the fundamental purpose of New Jersey’s hospitals remains unchanged. Every facility, she noted, continues to operate with a commitment to care for all who seek treatment and to provide opportunity for those who choose careers in health care.
Bennett also outlined several priority areas that will guide the Association’s advocacy and operational support efforts in the year ahead. These include maintaining access to essential hospital services in every community, strengthening and stabilizing the health care workforce, ensuring sustainable financing models that allow hospitals to invest in future innovation, closing persistent equity gaps through culturally responsive care delivery, and preserving public trust at a time when health systems are increasingly scrutinized by both policymakers and the public.
For Visconi, the opportunity to guide the Association comes at a moment when leadership must balance urgent fiscal realities with long-term transformation. Her experience overseeing New Jersey’s largest public hospital—while advancing behavioral health access, emergency services, and long-term care—positions her to bring a practical, patient-centered perspective to statewide conversations on policy, funding, and system redesign.
As New Jersey continues to confront rising demand for services, demographic change, and evolving models of care delivery, Visconi’s chairmanship represents a defining chapter for the state’s hospital community. With collaboration, stability, and equity at the center of her message, her leadership signals a renewed commitment to protecting the role of hospitals as anchors of public health, economic vitality, and community trust throughout the Garden State.
