ER Wait Times in Union County Hospitals
Average wait times at hospital in Union County show the time patients can expect to spend. Actual wait times will depend on many factors, such as severity of the injury, time of day, and staffing. Patients are quickly evaluated as part of a triage process, so the most severe cases can be treated first. Depending on the hospital, this initial wait can run from a few minutes to over an hour. The times below also include wait times for initial treatment, since there can be many delays after the triage process. Choose an ER with a shorter wait time to get seen more quickly.| Hospital - Share Your Experience | City |  Total Wait Times | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rahway | 2h 32m | ||
| Summit | 3h 24m | ||
| Elizabeth | 3h 28m | ||
| Berkeley Heights | N/A |
Add an Urgent Care Center to the list
These are the average time from entering the ER to being admitted to the hospital by a doctor. In a busy ER, patients will be seen by a triage nurse first. Then the wait time will vary by severity, and how busy the ER is at the time of day. Patients with less serious problems could have substantially longer waits.
There is a 56 minute wait difference between the fastest ER in Union and the slowest.
Stories
Jan 11, 2026, 7:04 PM
Jersey City Medical Center: "My experience at Jersey City Medical Center (part of RWJBarnabas Health) raises serious concerns about patient treatment and billing practices.
I presented to the ER on July 21–22, 2025 with a stable neck lesion. After labs and imaging, I repeatedly asked to be discharged. Instead, I was told I had to stay overnight because ENT surgery was supposedly planned for the next morning. When I questioned this, I was told I could not leave and that "police officer at the door won't let me out".
Despite being kept overnight, I received no active care. From roughly 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM, I was left unattended in an ER bay — no bed, no blanket, no food or water, and no documented monitoring. The next morning, the ENT stated surgery would be scheduled over a month later, confirming there was no emergency and no medical reason for the overnight “observation.”
Nevertheless, JCMC billed high-acuity ER and hospital observation charges for this stay. Later, an ENT follow-up visit billed a diagnostic nasal endoscopy that was never performed; that charge was removed only after I challenged the documentation in writing.
I submitted detailed complaints to JCMC Patient Advocacy and Billing in August 2025, including a code-by-code dispute. In September, JCMC responded with a generic letter stating that all services were appropriate and closed the case without addressing the lack of care or contradictory medical evidence. Since then, leadership has stated they are “reviewing” disputed CPT codes for weeks, while billing timelines continue to run.
Subsequent MRI imaging and independent ENT opinions confirmed there was no abscess or emergent condition.
Patients deserve transparency, consent, and care — not coercion, inflated billing, and prolonged delays. I strongly encourage anyone treated here to carefully review observation status, documentation, and charges, and to advocate for themselves." - Irina
Dec 03, 2025, 6:19 PM
Cooper University Hospital: "Went for gall bladder pain. Put in hallway for 3 days. 15 to 20 hour wait between catscan mri and scope. Still in hallway after 3 days" - Mark
Nov 02, 2025, 4:23 PM
Jefferson Stratford Hospital: "I have sat in pain and with diarrhea due to colitis and had people who came in after me taken care of. This hospital was my favorite until today. Poor service!!!!!!" - Karen
Nov 02, 2025, 1:33 PM
Jefferson Stratford Hospital: "I have sat in pain and with diarrhea due to colitis and had people who came in after me taken care of. This hospital was my favorite until today. Poor service!!!!!!" - Karen
Oct 09, 2025, 4:28 PM
Jefferson Stratford Hospital: "Y does it take so long to see a doctor?" - Lucille
