STATEN ISLAND, NY– Seeking to enhance healthcare for seniors in Staten Island, the North Shore-LIJ Health System today announced the signing of a clinical affiliation agreement with Eger Health Care and Rehabilitation Center.

“With the population of residents ages 65 and older on Staten Island expected to double in the next two decades, there is a tremendous, ongoing need to deliver quality healthcare services to meet the changing needs of older adults in the diverse communities we serve,” said Michael Dowling, president and chief executive officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. According to the New York City Department of City Planning, Staten Island will see the largest increase in the elderly population, doubling from 51,000 in 2000 to 103,000 in 2030.

“As one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers, the North Shore-LIJ Health System, in close coordination with Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH), is pleased to partner with an outstanding facility such as the Eger Health Care and Rehabilitation Center, where we will have the opportunity to share resources and expertise to collaborate on quality initiatives and clinical programs to improve public health in our community,” said Anthony Ferreri, president and chief executive officer of SIUH.

SIUH has an established working relationship with Eger, providing a continuum of care for emergency and inpatient care, laboratory services and sub acute rehabilitation. Among the services that North Shore-LIJ will provide under the new agreement are: rapid intervention and referrals to specialists, support on clinical care and quality management issues, geriatric medical resident education; home care services, hospice care services, and palliative care/end-of-life care.

“We at Eger are very excited to increase our collaboration with North Shore-LIJ and know it will help us continue to provide the best quality healthcare to the people of Staten Island whom we serve,” said Jack Pease, president and chief executive officer of Eger Health Care and Rehabilitation Center.

About Eger Health Care and Rehabilitation Center
Eger Health Care and Rehabilitation Center consists of 300 long-term care beds, 78 sub-acute beds, a 75-bed Assisted Living facility, a Social Adult Day Care Center, and is in the process of building the first free standing Hospice Residence in the New York metropolitan area. www.eger.org

About North Shore-LIJ Health System
The nation's second-largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, the North Shore-LIJ Health System cares for people of all ages throughout New York City and Long Island – a service area encompassing more than seven million people. The winner of the National Quality Forum’s 2010 National Quality Healthcare Award, the North Shore-LIJ Health System consists of 15 hospitals, including a children’s medical center and psychiatric facility, 17 long-term care facilities, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, three trauma centers, five home health agencies, a hospice network and dozens of outpatient centers. In addition, the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine has been approved and will admit its first class in August 2011. North Shore-LIJ’s owned facilities house about 5,600 beds, employ more than 10,000 nurses and have affiliations with more than 9,000 physicians. Its workforce of about 42,000 is the largest on Long Island and the ninth largest in New York City. For more information, go to www.northshorelij.com.

Media Contact: Betty Olt, North Shore-LIJ
(516) 465-2645, bolt@nshs.edu
Vienna Profeta, Eger
(718) 989-3087, vprofeta@eger.com