Nassau Health Care Corporation Receives $23,971,308 of Capital Funds Under Phase II of "Heal NY" to Consolidate Inpatient Operations, Upgrade Ambulatory Services, Construct a State-of-the-Art Emergency Room, Rebuild the Hempstead Community Health Center, Develop the Institute for Minority Health Disparities, and Expand its Information Technology Systems
Represents the Largest “Heal NY” Grant Awarded to Any Hospital or Nursing Home in New York State
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East Meadow, N.Y.-----Joined by County Executive Suozzi, Legislator Gonsalves, Chairman Payson and members of the Board of Directors of the Nassau Health Care Corporation (NHCC), representatives from NHCC’s administrative and clinical leadership teams, and various other public officials, Arthur A. Gianelli, the President and Chief Executive Officer of NHCC, today announced that NHCC has been awarded $23,971,308 in capital funds by Governor Pataki and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH)under the Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability Law (HEAL NY Phase II) grant - the largest such award made to any hospital or nursing home in the State of New York.
“This very significant capital grant of almost $24 million is welcome news for the Corporation. These funds will support our $240M Modernization Program and will be used to consolidate inpatient units at the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC), improve ambulatory services at NUMC, construct a state-of-the-art Emergency Room, build a new Community Health Center in Hempstead, develop an Institute for Minority Health Disparities, and expand our computer capabilities,” said Mr. Gianelli, “Securing these funds is a major accomplishment and a critical step towards rightsizing and modernizing NUMC and its ambulatory care network. This award demonstrates the continued commitment of Governor Pataki, the State Senate, the State Assembly, and NYSDOH to support Nassau’s only public healthcare system,” said Mr. Gianelli.
Phase II of the HEAL NY grant program provides funds on a competitive basis to hospitals and nursing homes that have demonstrated a willingness to invest in the restructuring and reconfiguration of their facilities to further improve the delivery of quality care to patients. This is part of a very large effort being undertaken by the State to right-size and strengthen New York’s health care system. In total, $268 million in grants are being awarded to 53 hospitals and nursing homes in every region of the State. The awards are for capital projects aimed at reconfiguring and rightsizing inpatient space in favor of improved hospital-based ambulatory and outpatient care, as well as upgrading emergency departments in order to foster better care and reduce the unnecessary admissions to inpatient care that often result from overcrowded emergency rooms. “This award will promote financial stability and operational efficiency in our effort to reduce excess bed capacity at the Nassau University Medical Center and further improve the delivery of quality care to our patients,” added Mr. Gianelli.
Nassau County Executive, Thomas R. Suozzi expressed his delight at the great news by stating: “This substantial award—the largest in the state—is another sign that the new leadership of NHCC is taking advantage of every opportunity to strengthen the hospital’s financial footing while finding new ways to meet the medical needs of the County’s residents, particularly those who are most at risk. This award marks another significant step forward.”
The HEAL NY grant program award underwrites 70% of the cost of six restructuring and modernization initiatives at NUMC and at its community health centers:
PROJECT
PROJECT COST
HEAL FUNDS
LOCAL MATCH
Construct New Hempstead Community Health Center and Institute for Minority Health Disparities
$7,050,726
$4,935,508
$2,115,218
Consolidate Pediatrics and the Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit on the Same Floor of the Main Hospital Building
$555,000
$388,500
$166,500
Relocate Ambulatory Surgery and Pre-Surgical Testing Areas While Expanding Endoscopy Suites
$1,150,000
$805,000
$345,000
Relocate and Upgrade the Department of Radiology
$4,869,000
$3,408,300
$1,460,700
Renovation of the Emergency Room, Including 23-Hour Short Stay and Fast Track Areas
$18,000,000
$12,600,000
$5,400,000
Health Information Technology Projects, Including Patient Scheduling and Registration Systems; Utilization and Bed Management Systems; a Discharge Planning System; and IT Linkages with Outside Service Providers
$2,620,000
$1,834,000
$786,000
TOTAL
$34,244,726
$23,971,308
$10,273,418
As part of its HEAL NY grant application, NHCC committed to surrendering 101 inpatient beds to NYSDOH to help rightsize the State’s health care system. These beds have not been in use at NUMC for some time. The local match for these projects is expected to come from proceeds that will be made available by the County through the resecuritization of its outstanding tobacco debt. These funds were incorporated in NHCC’s $240 Million Modernization Program which was announced this past October.
Mr. Gianelli expressed his appreciation and gratitude to New York State officials and to those involved in the submission of the successful grant application, especially George Kalkines and Jeff Thrope from Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips: “A great deal of appreciation must go to the NHCC leadership team that pulled together to work on this application and to the Manatt consulting team, led by George Kalkines and Jeff Thrope, who truly drove the grant application process and submitted a very credible response on our behalf, helping us to obtain everything that we had requested to rightsize and modernize the Medical Center, while expanding and enhancing our ambulatory services,” added Mr. Gianelli.
