Fundraiser Supports Critical Emergency and Oncology Care Projects
By Stephen Appezzato
RED BANK – A Red Bank tradition returns July 3 as the Hackensack Meridian Riverview Medical Center Foundation hosts its annual Fireworks on the Navesink celebration. The event, set to take place at the DiPiero residence along the Navesink riverfront, begins at 6:30 p.m. and concludes with a fireworks display between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m.
Aside from a festive kickoff to the Independence Day weekend, the evening serves a vital purpose: raising funds for Riverview Medical Center’s ongoing capital projects, including a fully reimagined Emergency Care Center and expanded inpatient oncology services.
“It’s a continuing show of support that I’ve just been amazed about throughout the years,” said Timothy J. Hogan, FACHE, executive vice president, Network Service Lines, and president and chief hospital executive of Riverview Medical Center. “So much of what we do that’s made this such a great hospital has really been due to the generosity and interest and support of our community, and it really wouldn’t be possible to provide the exemplary level of service that we provide to the community were it not for the support of the community,” he said.
These words resonate strongly in 2025 as the hospital works toward major infrastructure projects that will improve health care delivery in the region. The Emergency Care Center expansion, slated for completion by the end of 2026, will add treatment space, improve patient and staff safety, integrate new imaging technology directly into the department, and include a specialized crisis care unit. Meanwhile, the oncology expansion, expected by the end of this year, will add 20 private inpatient beds to support the growing number of cancer patients in need of local, high-level care.
“(It) will basically have 20 private rooms that will help us really stay on the cutting edge of oncology care in the community and in the region,” Hogan explained. “The emergency department will be, as I said, state of the art. It will have placed imaging equipment. It will have a dedicated crisis center for patients, and it will be about 33% bigger than the current unit.”
Held annually, the Fireworks on the Navesink fundraiser plays a critical role it plays in sustaining Riverview’s mission.
“This event is important on many levels,” said Sheri Marino, executive director of the Riverview Medical Center Foundation, which raises funds to support the hospital’s initiatives.
“Number one, it creates awareness for Riverview Medical Center. It lets the community members know that we are here to serve them,” she said.
“We have a lot of new, younger community members that have moved here since the pandemic, and so creating awareness that an excellent hospital with multiple service lines and areas of specialty are available to them right here in their community, that they don’t need to travel to New York City for good health care,” Marino explained.
Philanthropy is also what makes Riverview’s high standard of care possible.
“Philanthropy is essential for all of our hospitals. We need the latest and greatest technologies, we need better facilities, we need specialists, and all of that is supported by philanthropy,” Marino said.
The new Emergency Care Center and oncology unit is a $63 million project that is being fully funded by philanthropy, Marino added. “Philanthropy is critical,” she said.
Beyond the local fundraising effort, the fireworks event also supports Hackensack Meridian Health’s Be The Difference campaign – an initiative launched in 2024 focused on enhancing the delivery of patient care, accelerating groundbreaking research and discovery, expanding equitable access to advanced care and revolutionizing medical education while supporting the nursing profession.
“The campaign is touching on every aspect of health care that Hackensack Meridian Health is providing to our local communities,” said Marino.
While the evening event promises scenic views and festive fun – including food trucks and front-row seats to the fireworks – hospital leaders underscore that its deeper purpose lies in community-driven support of lifesaving services.
“It’s a great feeling, because the community has been so good to us and so generous to us and so supportive of us,” Hogan said.
“We look forward to this event every summer because it’s a fantastic way to celebrate the Fourth of July, while bringing the community together to raise funds for our community hospital. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I extend our deepest gratitude to the DiPiero family for their generosity and to all of those who continue to support Riverview Med- ical Center’s vital work,” said Jonathan Schultz, chair of the Riverview Medical Center Foundation Board of Trustees.
The Fireworks on the Navesink fundraiser tickets ($500 for adults, $100 per child) can be purchased at givehmhorg/rmcfireworks. For sponsorship inquiries, email Hilary Cohen, executive director of Strategic Events, at hilary.cohen@hmhn.org.
The article originally appeared in the June 26 – July 2, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
