Saint Peter’s Healthcare CEO Leslie Hirsch: Being independent and innovative

There are only a handful of independent hospitals remaining in New Jersey.

Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, based in New Brunswick, N.J. and anchored by the 478-bed Saint Peter’s University Hospital, is one of the sole single hospital systems left in the Garden State. Most of New Jersey’s hospitals are part of larger health systems.

Even in a challenging environment, Leslie Hirsch, president and CEO of Saint Peter’s, takes pride in the Catholic nonprofit organization’s ability to provide top-notch care. Saint Peter’s has attained Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center of the American Nurses Association for seven consecutive terms, becoming one of only five hospitals worldwide to earn that distinction. The program recognizes health systems that are applying the highest level of nursing standards for patient care and to honor organizations providing support to nurses through their careers.

This year, Hirsch also received the NJBIZ 2026 Health Care Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award. NJBIZ saluted Saint Peters’ offering tuition-free education benefits for healthcare employees and opening a new family health center. Last month, Saint Peter’s opened a new pediatric intensive care unit.

In an interview with Chief Healthcare Executive®, Hirsch says he appreciates the NJBIZ award as recognition for accomplishments of the entire organization, along with a bit of self-deprecation.

“I'm honored by that and humbled by it also,” he says.

“It's also a realization, I guess, that I've been around a long time,” he says.

Hirsch began his career in the healthcare industry nearly 50 years ago, and he has been president and CEO of Saint Peter’s since 2017 (he has served as president since 2015). He also serves on the American Hospital Association’s board of trustees.

Hirsch has led a number of hospital systems. He served as president and CEO for seven years at Saint Clare’s Health System in New Jersey, and also served as president and CEO of Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, beginning just a week before Hurricane Katrina struck the region. He formerly served as president and CEO of the Cooper Health System (now Cooper University Health Care) in Camden, New Jersey.

In a recent interview, he talks about finding ways to be innovative even as Saint Peter’s remains independent.

“We are dwarfed by the bigger health systems in the state, and in fact, where we are located and serve, we are sandwiched in between the state's two largest healthcare systems, and so it presents challenges,” Hirsch says.

“But, fortunately, we're continuing to fulfill our mission and the service and the responsibility that we have in the community for those who we serve within the context of a Catholic mission.”

Seeking partners

Saint Peter’s remains independent, but the organization has been on the cusp of joining larger partners twice in recent years. Those plans never came to fruition.

Atlantic Health and Saint Peter’s announced plans to merge in June 2024, but the two systems said in October 2025 that they wouldn’t be coming together after all. The two systems cited changes in the industry landscape but pledged to collaborate in the future.

Previously, Saint Peter’s announced plans to merge with RWJBarnabas Health, but the Federal Trade Commission moved to block the deal, citing concerns about potential cost increases. Facing opposition from federal regulators, even as state officials signed off on the deal, RWJBarnabas and Saint Peter’s mutually agreed to drop their plans in 2022.

Hirsch says he is disappointed that the FTC sought to block the RWJBarnabas merger and didn’t “see the benefit of what we were trying to do for the communities.”

“I think that they applied a narrow view and focus, and didn't really see the broader benefit for the community,” Hirsch says.

At this point, Saint Peter’s is moving forward on its own and isn’t looking at merging with another hospital system.

But Hirsch says Saint Peter’s is exploring other possible relationships.

“We decided to focus on what we need to do to advance Saint Peter's, and we are doing that,” he says. “We're not seeking a merger right now, but we are exploring various forms of partnerships with other healthcare providers. It could be physician groups, payers, and, you know, other players.”

He points to Saint Peter’s forming a solid partnership with Astera Cancer Care, the largest oncology group in central New Jersey.

While a smaller system, Saint Peter’s has found ways to expand services. The new pediatric ICU was developed with a $10 million appropriation from the state of New Jersey and a contribution from the The Dorothy B. Hersh Foundation.

The new pediatric ICU features 14 private patient rooms, with more space for patients and caregivers. The added space makes it easier for parents to stay by the bedside.

Retaining top staff

Part of Saint Peter’s ability to thrive stems from the system’s ability to attract and keep top talent. Hirsch points to the Magnet recognition as an indication of the system’s success in retaining nurses, a perennial challenge for many hospitals.

Saint Peter’s employs more than 3,700 people. Hirsch says employees are attracted to the system’s “reputation for our quality and service and the culture that we have.”

“People generally like working here,” Hirsch says.

“We still have a familial atmosphere here at Saint Peter's as opposed to a big corporate environment,” he adds.

He also notes that operating as a Catholic health system is attractive for those who want to work with a faith-based system.

“We take care of people that need healthcare, and we do it irrespective of their ability to pay,” Hirsch says. “And we are a safety net hospital here in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and we have a significant responsibility, both inpatient and outpatient, for those that don't have any ability to pay.”

Hirsch stresses the value of being direct and honest with staff, in good times and bad. He says that’s vital in retaining credibility with staff.

But he notes high responses on employer surveys as a sign that workers know the organization values their feedback.

“The important thing is to be a good employer, where you're trying to provide a best-in-class experience for the people that are going to work with you,” he says. “It's always a work in progress. Culture is very important.”

“There's a lot of moving parts,” he adds. “But even though we're smaller, can and do we compete? Yes.”