Getting to the Point — Acupuncture Arrives at Southern Ocean Medical Center

Ed Walters has seen Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center take enormous strides during his life — and thanks to his generosity, the hospital is taking another leap forward.

“The care has drastically and greatly improved over the years,” he said. “It’s been my hospital since I grew up on Long Beach Island.”

After Ed made a generous donation earlier this year, the hospital expanded its Integrative Health and Medicine offerings and opened a satellite acupuncture office on the hospital’s campus. As part of a gift given in mid-2026, Ed, a trustee for Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation, donated $250,000 for the construction of the new office, as well as $500,000 for surgical services expansion at the hospital.

“Sometimes, you can make a donation, and you don’t really see the direct benefits. This makes a direct, immediate impact,” he said. “Something that wasn’t here, is now here. I’m all-in on acupuncture, and all the amazing benefits that people get through it.”

Acupuncture’s Medical Benefits as a Complementary Approach

Ed says several of his friends and family members have benefited from acupuncture, which Southern Ocean began offering in mid-July.

“We don't view acupuncture as a replacement for conventional medicine, but as an additional therapeutic tool that can be incorporated into conventional care when the evidence, safety profile and clinical circumstances support its use,” said David Leopold, M.D., network medical director for Hackensack Meridian Integrative Health and Medicine.

Both Ed and Dr. Leopold acknowledge that not all healthcare systems provide acupuncture — or even believe in its efficacy.

“It’s the ‘east versus west’ mentality,” said Ed. “To a lot of doctors and programs, it’s mystical. It doesn’t really work, even though there’s so much evidence and documented studies done by reputable medical organizations that prove that it does work.”

Dr. Leopold says acupuncture has proven to be particularly helpful for treating chronic pain and digestive disorders, as well as for patients undergoing cancer care by alleviating stress, reducing pain and nausea, and helping with many other side effects from treatment.

“Over the past several decades, our understanding of acupuncture has evolved considerably,” he said. “Taken together, this evidence moves acupuncture out of the realm of ‘alternative’ medicine and into simply ‘medicine.’”

A Busy Start for Southern Ocean’s Integrative Health Office

The new office at Southern Ocean, which also offers visits with a nurse health coach and a nutritionist, had a soft opening on July 17 and saw patients that day. A month later, the office enjoyed a grand opening and a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and appointments have been filling up quickly.

“Bringing Integrative Health Services to Southern Ocean means that our patients in the community no longer have to travel to access acupuncture and whole-person care,” said Kelly Briggs, DNP, administrative director of Integrative Health and Medicine at Hackensack Meridian Health. “We really believe this should be the standard, not supplemental.”

Dr. Leopold says serious complications with acupuncture are uncommon, and that most adverse effects, such as soreness or bruising, are temporary.

“‘Integrative’ does not mean replacing conventional medicine with alternative therapies. It means expanding the tools available to clinicians and patients by thoughtfully incorporating evidence-informed approaches,” he said. “That includes nutrition, physical activity, mind-body medicine, acupuncture, sleep, stress regulation and other nonpharmacologic interventions, alongside conventional medical care.”

Local Donation Benefits Hometown Hospital

Kelly says the Integrative Health and Medicine team is profoundly grateful to Ed, and that his generosity will make a huge difference in the lives of people in the communities near Southern Ocean.

“We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Ed. This space simply wouldn’t exist without his generosity, and his belief in what Integrative Medicine can do for people who are navigating serious illnesses,” she said.

Ed says he was happy to help his hometown hospital — he thinks more people should donate to make their neighborhoods safer and healthier.

“I think it’s important for everyone in the community to embrace making your local hospital the best it can be. Everyone should be pitching in!”

To learn more about how you can help support Southern Ocean Medical Center, visit GiveHMH.org/SouthernOcean.