Present Day

The Essex County Hospital Center is a modern, state-of-the-art psychiatric facility dedicated to providing high-quality, evidence-based mental health care for adults aged 18 and older. Completed in December 2006 and welcoming its first patients in February 2007, the Hospital Center was designed to promote recovery and support patients’ successful return to community living. It delivers care using a bio-psycho-social approach to the treatment and stabilization of individuals experiencing acute psychiatric conditions, and it maintains a strong commitment to equity and access, ensuring that no person is denied admission based on race, gender, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or ability to pay. As the receiving hospital for all short-term psychiatric facilities in Essex County and a central meeting site for community mental health organizations such as the Mental Health Advisory Board, PAC, and NAMI, the Hospital Center plays a critical role in coordinating an integrated local system of care. Its well-structured discharge-planning process ensures timely and appropriate transitions, while its advanced design supports innovative information technology initiatives that benefit both patients and providers. Further strengthening its mission, the Institute for Mental Health Policy, Research and Treatment was established in October 2006 as the first academic division of its kind in New Jersey, fostering clinical-academic partnerships and advancing six centers of excellence that bridge research, treatment, workforce development, technology integration, and mental health policy to improve outcomes and inform evidence-based decision-making.

The Essex County Hospital Center in New Jersey originated in the late 19th century, when Essex County acquired land in what is now Cedar Grove to address overcrowding in Newark’s hospitals. Construction began in the 1890s, and the facility initially functioned as a general hospital before evolving into a large public institution primarily dedicated to mental health care. Known for much of its history as Overbrook Hospital, the original complex grew into a vast, self-contained campus made up of dozens of buildings, including patient wards, administrative offices, kitchens, laundries, a powerhouse, staff residences, and connecting corridors that allowed movement across the grounds. At its height in the mid-20th century, Overbrook housed thousands of patients making it one of the largest psychiatric institutions in New Jersey. Like many such hospitals nationwide, it became overcrowded and strained by limited resources, reflecting the institutional model of psychiatric care common at the time. The original Overbrook complex continued operating at reduced capacity until it closed in 2007, when services were transferred to a newly constructed Essex County Hospital Center nearby. The modern facility represents a shift away from long-term institutionalization and focuses on short-term, acute psychiatric treatment; it contains approximately 130 inpatient beds and emphasizes contemporary behavioral health care standards.