Medical “Miracles”: Long Island Hospitals Go State-Of-The Art

Unless we, or someone we know is giving birth, the hospital is no place most of us want to be. Add to that long waits, often crowded and dark rooms and lots of other “unpleasant” factors, and that only makes matters worse.

But it seems that, that may all soon change. In fact, some Long Island hospitals are making “luxury” part of their health care “programs”. In fact, the rooms are spacious and well-lit, and the accommodations include an adjustable bed and a comfortable seating area fro family members, plus a private bathroom Add to that some aesthetic ambiance of jade green carpeting to compliment the walls, curtains and paneling. Not ot mention a silk orchid arrangement for each room and an indoor café (down the hall) where folks can go for a cup of coffee or a beverage.

It’s all part of an $11-million, 22-bed unit (at Manhasset hospital) that opened on April 23, and one of several major projects that have recently come to fruition or are underway at North Shore and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park. And, that’s all part of a $260-millipn plus expansion and modernization effort slated by North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System.

Their goal, according to officials, is to provide Long Islanders with the same comforts and services available to many Manhattanites who wind up in the hospital. And, Kevin Dahill, head of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council has personally gotten involved in this “renovation” project.

Back in February two areas were opened at the 450,00-square-foot Center for Advanced medicine, which features a $7.8 million institute for Urology, including a pelvic pain center, a men’s health center and state-of-the-art treatment fro prostate, kidney and bladder cancers as well as a $2.9 million, 7,500-square-foot breast imaging center.

Long Island Jewish (LIJ) and Schneider’s Children’s Hospital are also slated for significant improvements and changes. LIJ looks forward to being the first to premier a $46.5-million emergency department expansion to be completed in June and a $110-million expansion project scheduled for next year.

In the interim, LIJ recently opened a 13-bed cardiothoracic intensive care unit for heart and lung surgery patients; and an identical unit for surgical patients is anticipated in June. Another 14-bed ICU is expected to be complete by July; and it’s all part of a 27.5-million measure to add more critical care beds to the hospital.

Changes in the cardiothroacic unit are being implemented to reduce anxiety levels with each patient being offered a single room with a door and no curtains. Also, each room is double in size (of the typical ICU unit), with enough room and comforts for visiting family members. And, nurses are “decentralized” at stations giving them access to look in through window on two patients simultaneously while they sit at their computer monitors.

Basically, Long Island hospitals are going high tech