Requires hospitals to maintain minimum services when relocating from underserved community.

S 4940 requires hospitals approved to relocate from underserved communities to maintain minimum services at their original location. Specifically, it mandates that such hospitals preserve the same professional departments, inpatient beds, and essential services required of general acute care hospitals under existing regulations (N.J.A.C. 8:33-3.1). The law applies to hospitals relocating from areas meeting strict criteria for medical underservice, defined by federal designations and New Jersey’s own index. It takes effect immediately and applies retroactively to relocations approved within the prior 12 months. This policy directly affects hospitals seeking to move from communities designated as medically underserved.