Riverview Receives $5 Million Donation from Two River Theater Company Founders

Riverview Medical Center officials announced Monday that the hospital is the recipient of a $5 million gift from Bob and Joan Rechnitz, the founders of the Two River Theater Company in Red Bank. 

The $5 million donation, one of the largest single gifts ever received by the hospital, will support the construction of a new 22,000 square-foot surgical center. The center will allow patients to receive advanced surgical procedures close to home, instead of traveling to New York City or Philadelphia.

Bob Rechnitz said he was motivated by how closely knit the hospital is to own life, and that of his own family. “Our children were born there. When we need help, we go there. And I imagine my final days will be spent there,” he said. 

Rechnitz, 80, is a retired professor of English at Monmouth University, where he taught for 30 years. Together with his wife Joan, he created the Two River Theater Company on Bridge Street. He is the executive producer.

The new center will include two specialty surgical suites, renovated post-anesthesia care area, relocated and renovated same-day surgery suite, and a state-of-the-art conference and educational center.

Riverview Medical Center President Tim Hogan said the Rechnitz family have been friends of the hospital for years. When the possibility of giving the gift came up in discussions with the hospital, the couple expressed their interest in helping fund educational resources at the new center.

The education facility, which will be named for the Rechnitzs, will host seminars, lectures, and symposiums open to the public.

Hogan said he hopes the donation helps generate more public awareness for the hospital and its goals.

“A hospital will not be successful unless it has the support of the community," said Hogan. "The problem is, very few of us think about healthcare until we’re standing at the doors of the hospital.”

Keeping the donation anonymous was a consideration, but Hogan said he believes that name recognition could help generate donations and inspiration from the community.

“In tough economic times it’s even more of a necessity to get the word out as to how important it is to upkeep, to maintain a high level of care,” Hogan said.