By Sunayana Prabhu
TINTON FALLS – Red Bank Veterinary Hospital (RBVH) is relocating to a spacious commercial building, leaving its longtime location in Tinton Falls, but moving “right down the block,” according to John Anastasio, DVM, the facility’s medical director.
The hospital has leased a commercial property at 100 Schulz Drive in Red Bank, near Newman Springs Road and exit 109 of the Garden State Parkway. Although recognizable and conveniently located at the corner of Hance Avenue and Apple Street, the current property is no longer able to serve the growing demands of the hospital’s clients.
RBVH has two other locations in New Jersey in Mount Laurel and Hillsborough but the hospital was founded in Shrewsbury in 1986. On its 20th anniversary, in 2006, the hospital moved into the rental property in Tinton Falls. “There’s a lot of history here,” Anastasio said. “And certainly, our predecessors, Drs. Trotter and DeCarlo, did a great job of building this hospital. Unfortunately, we are bursting at the seams.”
Anastasio explained the hospital no longer has the space to provide the care needed for patients and their owners. “We need improved diagnostic modalities and improved facilities,” he said. “I mean, as lovely as this building does seem, it’s showing its age, and it’s really time to get into newer digs, have the space to grow.”
The recent uptick in pet adoptions has been largely attributed to the pandemic. According to Libby Landry, RBVH’s hospital director, the pandemic has “elevated clients’ awareness of what’s going on with their pet.”
“Now that they’re working from home,” she said, owners “have the ability to get new pets, more pets and also provide them great health care.”
But adapting to the surge in clients has been a challenge within the facility’s limited space, Landry said. “Clients feel like we’re making them stay out in the parking lot because of COVID (restrictions) and being curbside. That’s not it. The waiting room a week or so ago was standing room only and that’s a very uncomfortable experience for the client. So, the clients right now are staying outside and then we come out, get the pet and bring it in. Because there’s just no room in the building.”
There is a long walk to get to the circular lobby with a calming giant cylindrical aquarium and showing up at the hospital to find a full parking lot can be frustrating for clients. Mike Zeto, who grew up in the neighborhood, said the hospital has a “beautiful facility but I think they do need a bigger space because it’s pretty crowded in there.”
Ericka Kliszus traveled to Red Bank from Jersey City to get the care needed for her cat suffering from bone cancer and was relieved to know that the hospital will be moving closer to the Garden State Parkway. “It will be a bit north, and it will be better for us,” she said. “The level of expertise here is just phenomenal. Our local vet in Jersey City said to bring them to Red Bank.”
The new commercial building “is zoned for veterinary use and is 103,000 square feet,” Landry said. Apart from a separate entrance for emergencies, a complete remodel is planned to build it to medical code. The new facility will also have enough room to add more advanced medical equipment.
“The CAT scan will be improved, four to five times faster than our current CAT scan,” said Anastasio. “The MRI technology is going to be improved dramatically. We’re adding something called a PET CT which should be able to identify cancers by screening pets, and identify multiple places more quickly so we can treat more appropriately. We also have a new linear accelerator that we should be able to provide better treatments for radiation oncology.”
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital will continue to serve as a 24-hour emergency, critical care, and specialty care hospital. But patients and their owners will have to wait a little longer before the new facility becomes a reality.
“We’re hoping to be in our new space by April 24, 2024,” Landry said.
The article originally appeared in the August 4 – 10, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
