South Nassau Communities Hospital will become the flagship hospital on Long Island for the Mount Sinai Health System under an affiliation agreement announced Wednesday, January 24, by the Boards of Trustees of the two institutions. Final state regulatory review is under way, and approvals are expected in the coming months.
A nonprofit medical center and 455-bed teaching hospital in Oceanside, South Nassau is a premier provider of health services to more than 900,000 residents on Long Island’s South Shore. It also operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County, as well as Long Island’s only free-standing 911-receiving Emergency Department, in Long Beach. With 3,500 employees and 900 affiliated physicians, it is one of the few remaining independently controlled hospitals on Long Island.
If the affiliation is approved, South Nassau will become the eighth hospital campus within the Health System, which includes the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 300 ambulatory practices and other affiliated community health centers, and more than 6,500 physicians. Mount Sinai’s current Long Island footprint includes 200 physicians and other health care professionals at 11 practices who indicate they will embrace the affiliation.
Significantly, South Nassau will become a major clinical and academic affiliate of the Icahn School of Medicine. With Mount Sinai’s academic, clinical, and research expertise, South Nassau intends to offer advanced medical care to “rival and surpass any of those available on Long Island,” according to a joint document outlining the transaction.
“The addition of South Nassau to our Long Island network represents our commitment to broadening access to innovative treatment and research in this region,” says Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “We are thrilled about what this transformative partnership means for patients and families on Long Island.”
The two institutions signed a nonbinding letter of intent last May, when they began in earnest to explore clinical programs to enhance and expand patient care and services on Long Island.
“The clinical and administrative leadership of Mount Sinai and South Nassau have been working diligently and collaboratively over the last six months to establish the foundation of this very important relationship and opportunity,” says Arthur Klein, MD, President of the Mount Sinai Health Network. “We are already convinced about the wisdom and success of this partnership.”
As part of its commitment to Long Island, Mount Sinai intends to infuse a total of $120 million in capital contributions over a five-year period for capital projects to be mutually agreed upon.
Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for outstanding nursing care, South Nassau also provides first-rate care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health, and emergency services.
Even before the affiliation was announced, South Nassau was on a path of growth and expansion. Plans are already under way to renovate and nearly double the size of the Emergency Department and to build a four-story facility in Oceanside, and to expand medical services in Long Beach.
“Joining the Mount Sinai Health System represents a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity for all Long Islanders,” says Richard J. Murphy, South Nassau’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “South Nassau and Mount Sinai have a shared vision to improve services, especially on the South Shore, which is why this affiliation makes so much sense.”