State Grant to Fund “Green” Rooftop Park at Children’s Hospital
December 29, 2011
GREAT NECK, NY – As part of its new $1 billion jobs initiative, the state has awarded a $450,000 matching grant to the North Shore-LIJ Health System to build a “green” roof on the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) that will provide an outdoor healing environment for sick children and their families.
The health system also received $130,000 in additional funds to train unemployed nurses for information technology-related jobs and existing employees for medical-coding positions needed as part of the rollout of electronic health records .
The unprecedented jobs initiative, announced December 8 by Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state’s legislative leaders, provides $1 billion in grants designed to create employment opportunities throughout the state.
“North Shore-LIJ is pleased to receive three competitive grants under the state’s new employment initiative,” said Michael J. Dowling , president and chief executive officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. “This new funding will help the health system to create new jobs and advance the skills of current staff members as well as make ‘green’ renovations and improvements to our children’s hospital.”
The CCMC roof-top park will provide pediatric patients with the therapeutic benefits of the natural environment. Complete with plantings, grass, green surfacing and fencing and light-emitting diode (LED) exterior lighting, the project will be designed to reduce costs and benefit the environment. The $450,000 grant, to be matched by North Shore-LIJ, is part of the state’s plan to invest in energy efficient improvements in commercial and residential buildings, and upgrade water systems and educational facilities. Trees will be planted not only for their beauty but also to absorb environmental pollutants, and the play area will be built with eco-friendly materials.
“As Cohen Children’s Medical Center continues to renovate essential facilities to meet the needs of our pediatric patients, the green rooftop will be a wonderful new space for children and their families to enjoy,” said Kevin McGeachy , executive director of CCMC. “The goal is to create a holistic healing space and play area for children as well as provide a quiet respite for families and staff members.”
The $130,000 to training funds granted to North Shore-LIJ will be used for two purposes: the health system will target unemployed registered nurses who require up-to-date clinical information technology certification to work in hospital settings. Once certified, the RNs would be eligible for openings in the health system, keeping pace with the federal requirements of electronic health records in all healthcare facilities by 2014.
The other program will train existing staff as medical coders whose skill must be upgraded to meet the national ICD-10 coding system for medical billing, which will be revised and implemented in 2013.
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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. 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.
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. 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.