A Place Where Families Find Answers
Pregnancy is often imagined as a season of joy and anticipation. But sometimes the journey shifts in unexpected ways. An ultrasound shows something concerning. A test result brings uncertainty. In those moments, parents look for reassurance and providers seek trusted partners who can help guide the way. The Hersh Fetal Diagnostic and Treatment Center, the first and only multidisciplinary center of its kind in New Jersey, was built to give families facing complicated pregnancies what they need most: clear answers, compassionate care, and a clinical team working together to guide them with expertise and hope.
The Hersh Fetal Center is designed for advanced medicine and human connection. Parents come here to better understand what is happening with their pregnancy and to know they are not facing uncertainty alone. They meet experts who explain results clearly, sit with them through hard conversations, and take time to listen.
At the core of the Hersh Fetal Center are sophisticated diagnostics. This includes high-resolution imaging, genetic evaluations, and testing that sharpen the picture of what is happening in the womb. Specialists in maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, pediatric surgery, cardiology, neurology, and genetics come together to interpret findings holistically.
Families walking into the Hersh Fetal Center are often anxious. Some have previously been told something is “abnormal” without much explanation. Others are managing known high-risk conditions. They encounter a process designed to ease fear in an environment that offers privacy, collaboration, and expert care.
For Dr. Jeffrey Dayton, fetal cardiology is about giving families clarity when they learn about heart conditions before birth. He describes how advanced echocardiography allows him to see the baby’s heart as early as 13 or 14 weeks, transforming uncertainty into a plan. “Even when the diagnosis is complex, we can reassure parents that many children go on to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives,” he says.
Every family has a clear point of contact and knows what the next step will be, and why. This continuity continues after birth, with coordinated transitions into neonatal care and ongoing follow-up that supports the infant’s health and the family’s well-being.
Instead of a series of separate appointments in various locations, families see a unified plan emerge. Collaboration in one location shortens the path from uncertainty to action and gives parents a clear roadmap when they need it most.
Dr. Karen Russo brings expertise in maternal-fetal medicine, caring for both mother and baby as equal patients. She is candid about families' challenges and the need for a system that eases rather than adds to their burden. “Historically, the way a patient was given care when they had a complex pregnancy was that they were told what the patient needed, and then they were given phone numbers and instructed to arrange care for themselves,” she says.
For her, the Hersh Fetal Center represents a culture shift. Highly coordinated care. Clear and compassionate communication. The presence of social workers and navigators who guide families through the hardest days. This is what patients and families can and should expect.
Referring physicians and midwives can rely on the Hersh Fetal Center to remove guesswork from high-risk pregnancies. Instead of questioning whether to make a referral now or later, they can trust their patients will be seen quickly and thoroughly. Reports are straightforward, communication is consistent, and recommendations integrate smoothly back into the provider’s care. This partnership reduces trial and error, avoids delays, and helps everyone focus on what matters most: the outcomes for babies and the support parents require.
Neonatologist Dr. Amy Presti reminds us that the work doesn’t stop at birth. She and her team are already preparing with families before delivery, ensuring every baby is born into a ready environment of support. “Here at the Hersh Fetal Center, communication is our priority – and not just with families, but with all the disciplines,” she explains. For her, the greatest joy is watching fragile newborns grow strong enough to leave the hospital. “A good day is when you see a patient who was sick when you first met the family, get better, and you see them go home.”
Designed for Hope
The Hersh Fetal Center brings science and humanity into the same room. Advanced imaging and genetics, subspecialists from across pediatrics, nurse navigators, and social workers are all part of the same mission: to help families feel less alone, more informed, and more hopeful about their futures. The generosity of the Hersh family made the center possible, but what has been built is more than a facility—it’s a model of care that steadies parents through uncertainty, supports families with every resource available, and gives providers the confidence of a trusted partner. As Dr. Russo says, it is about “the highest level of care with the lowest level of stress.” That balance makes the Hersh Fetal Center not only the first of its kind in New Jersey, but also a new model for family-centered fetal and neonatal care.