Media Contact: Michelle Pinto
516-465-2649
mpinto@nshs.edu

MANHASSET, NY – North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) today celebrated the completion of construction on the first phase of the Katz Women’s Hospital, a $50 million expansion and modernization project that features 73 private, single-bed rooms. The new facility is expected to be opened to patients later this month, as soon as the hospital receives state approval.

Offering the highest level of comfort and convenience, the hotel-like accommodations enable women and their family members to remain together during and after the birthing process. All rooms are wired and computerized so that patients’ medical data can be charted at the bedside, making information more accessible to medical staff. New postpartum and high-risk antepartum units for prolonged hospital stays include bedside fetal monitors.

The scope of the project included the addition of a new fifth floor to what is now known as the Katz Pavilion – named in honor of former North Shore-LIJ Health System Chairman Saul Katz and his wife Iris – and the gutting and rebuilding of the third and fourth floors in the same building. The fourth and fifth floors are postpartum units, while the third floor will be used for women receiving high-risk antepartum services.

In addition to the expansion and modernization projects at NSUH, construction is scheduled to be completed later this year on the Katz Women’s Hospital at nearby Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center on the Nassau-Queens border in New Hyde Park. A new 10-story pavilion that has been under construction for three years will house 88 maternity beds.

“These beautiful new facilities, combined with the highest level of medical expertise and service excellence, will make North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center the “go to” destination for women’s health services throughout the New York metropolitan area,” said Michael Dowling, president and chief executive officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System.

During a news conference today to celebrate the transformation of the hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology services, Debra Bank, a physician’s assistant at NSUH and her husband, Matthew Bank, MD, a trauma surgeon here, shared their story about the birth of their triplets on May 6. “Having our babies born at this hospital has made us even prouder than we are to work for the health system,” said Ms. Bank, a Jericho, NY resident. “My husband and I, as healthcare providers, share this hospital’s commitment to patient comfort and safety. Now, having been on the other side…as a patient… we can report that the care we received here was wonderful and the perfect way to bring our children into the world. We are so happy that future generations of new parents and their children will be able to enjoy this new facility.”

North Shore-LIJ Chairman Richard Goldstein noted that North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center have two of the busiest maternity programs in New York State, delivering about 10,400 babies combined in 2010, including 5,700 at NSUH. “In total, we’ve investing more than $300 million for the Katz Women’s Hospitals at North Shore and LIJ,” he said. “In our view, it’s a wise business investment – and it’s also the right thing to do from a quality-of-care standpoint.”

As a health system, North Shore-LIJ hospitals delivered more than 24,000 babies in 2010, about 10 percent of all births in New York State.

One more outstanding feature is the fact that this women’s healthcare center is the greenest healthcare facility on Long Island, from concrete floors that use recycled fly ash, to LED night lights in every room. Even the water fixtures were created with sustainability in mind…the new facility uses about 50% less water than would be allowed by code. Solar shades block the sun in the summer, so that the space stays cooler without having to add air conditioning. But in the winter, the design allows the sun to come in to heat the space.

About North Shore-LIJ Health System
The nation’s second-largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, North Shore-LIJ delivers world-class clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area, pioneering research at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a visionary approach to medical education, highlighted by the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. The winner of the National Quality Forum’s 2010 National Quality Healthcare Award, North Shore-LIJ cares for people at every stage of life at 15 hospitals, long-term care facilities and more than 200 ambulatory care centers throughout the region. North Shore-LIJ’s owned hospitals and long-term care 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 43,000 is the largest on Long Island and the ninth-largest in New York City. For more information, go to www.northshorelij.com.