New Jersey Statutes Title 26. Health and Vital Statistics 26 § 2H-12.111

As used in this act:

“Community access location” shall mean a facility that includes the following components and provides the following services to all patients without regard to their ability to pay:  forty-eight medical surgical/observation beds with at least twelve acuity adaptable beds capable of providing intensive care;  a full-service emergency department that complies with 42 U.S.C. 1395dd;  inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services;  surgical services with general anesthesia that can support more than twenty-four hours of recovery in a surgery center/surgical outpatient department with up to six operating rooms;  outpatient clinics;  and comprehensive diagnostic imaging services.

“Hospital” shall mean a general acute care hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c. 136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).

“Underserved community” means a municipality with a population greater than 30,000 residents in calendar year 2024, according to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which has only one hospital within the municipality, and which:  (1) is within a Medically Underserved Area or includes a Medically Underserved Population, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration in the United States Department of Health and Human Services in 2025;  (2) has an Index of Medical Underservice Score, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration, that is less than, or equal to, 62.0 in 2025;  and (3) has been identified as a medically underserved municipality by the Commissioner of Health based on the New Jersey Medically Underserved Index.