NASSAU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER OPENS ITS NEW $6.7M STATE-OF-THE-ART NASSAU COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS BURN CENTER AT NUMC, PROVIDING CONTINUED ACCESS TO WORLD CLASS BURN CARE SERVICES AND HELPING TO SAVE LIVES IN NASSAU COUNTY’S ONLY BURN CENTER WITH A REPUTATION FOR SUPERIOR BURN AND WOUND CARE TREATMENT
February 20, 2008
Contact:
Shelley Lotenberg
(516) 572-6055
shelley@numc.edu
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OPENING OF NEW BURN CENTER, FUNDED THROUGH NASSAU COUNTY TOBACCO SECURITIZATION PROGRAM AND DONATIONS FROM THE NASSAU COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS BURN CENTER FOUNDATION, ENHANCES NUMC’S MISSION TO PROVIDE QUALITY CARE BY EXPERIENCED STAFF DEDICATED TO THE RECOVERY AND HEALING OF BURN PATIENTS
RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AS A LEADING TREATMENT CENTER FOR BURN VICTIMS, THE NEW BURN CENTER IS OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS, VICTIMS OF CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENTS AND TO THE NUMEROUS EMERGENCIES THAT OCCUR IN DENSELY POPULATED LONG ISLAND
East Meadow, New York…. Joined by Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi, Martin Payson, chair of the Nassau Health Care Corporation (NHCC) board of directors, federal, state, county and fire services officials, Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NHCC, announced the opening of the new $6.7M state-of-the art Nassau County Firefighters Burn Center at NUMC, providing continued access to first-class burn care services and helping to save lives in Nassau’s only Burn Center.
“Recognized nationally as a leading treatment center for burn victims, the new Burn Center, treating 200 in-patients and 1000 out-patients each year, is of critical importance to the numerous emergencies that occur in our region by providing first class burn care and helping to save lives. The new Burn Center enhances our mission to provide quality care by highly specialized surgeons and nurses, with sophisticated equipment designed to ease patients’ excruciating pain, fend off complications and promote healing,” said Mr. Gianelli.
Stressing the importance of Nassau’s only burn center, Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi stated: “As Nassau County’s only burn center, it is vital that NUMC is able to provide first-rate care to patients with life-threatening burn injuries. With this new state-of-the-art facility, the burn center now has even more resources to continue to provide first-rate treatment to burn victims and be recognized nationally.”
The new Burn Center, established in the 1950’s and last renovated in 1974, was constructed at a cost of approximately $6.7M in its new location on the sixth floor of NUMC. Funding for the burn center was made possible through the Nassau County Tobacco Securitization Program, along with donations from the Nassau County Firefighters Burn Center Foundation. The new Burn Center will occupy 12,000 square feet on the 6th floor of NUMC. The ten-bed unit with a maximum capacity of 18 beds will contain a new 4-bed critical care unit and a 6-bed acute care unit. The critical care beds will occupy the end of the wing to minimize non-related traffic. The beds will be located in a typical Intensive Care Unit bedroom with glass front and continuous visualization from the central ICU nurse station. Each ICU room will contain a roll-in shower and a freestanding “unit shower.” The remaining burn beds will be located in four private bedrooms and two isolation rooms. A separate nurse station will serve these beds. The other supporting elements to the burn center bed unit consist of a Hubbard tank room to clean patients’ wounds and promote drainage, a procedure room, a horizontal shower room, a physical and occupational therapy room, a conference room and the normal support facilities for an acute care nursing unit. The connecting wing will contain outpatient plastic surgery space with six exam rooms, waiting room, and office space.
New York State Senator Kemp Hannon added: “NUMC is at the epicenter of burn care in Nassau County. As Nassau’s only burn center, it is vitally important to firefighters and victims of fires and other accidents. The earlier a burn is treated by experienced, knowledgeable professionals, the better the healing process. I am glad to see NUMC opening this new burn center to better serve our residents.”
Roger Simpson, MD, director of the Burn Center, stated: “The new Burn Center will enhance our mission to provide high quality care to all, with staffing by certified physicians supported by a 20-nurse staff trained in the latest burn treatments. We will also have the support of physical and occupational therapists, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, psychiatrists, a nutritionist and a chaplain. The Burn Center has individually temperature- controlled rooms, mattresses with circulating air, synthetic material that serves as a temporary skin substitute and beds that automatically turn immobile patients to prevent further skin damage.”
Steven Walerstein, MD, senior vice president for medical affairs and medical director, stated: “The new burn center, with a reputation for superior burn and wound care treatment, will continue to provide access to world class burn care services, of critical importance to firefighters, victims of catastrophic accidents and to the numerous emergencies that occur in densely populated LI.”
The Nassau County Firefighters Burn Center Foundation, Inc. was organized by a group of dedicated Nassau County firefighters in 1990 to augment funding of the then Nassau County Medical Center’s Burn Center and to promote public awareness of burn prevention and fire safety. Paul Napoli, co-chair and Nelson H. Finkelman, secretary of the Nassau County Firefighters Burn Center Foundation, said: “This is a wonderful day for all firefighters in the region. For the past 16 years, the Nassau County Firefighters Burn Center Foundation has donated money and resources to the Nassau University Medical Center Burn Center through various fundraising efforts hosted by Nassau County’s 71 fire departments to make sure it delivers the best burn care available. In addition, it helps fund and staff relevant rehabilitation and recreation programs to address burn treatment needs as well as paid staff training, equipment, furniture and televisions.”
Funds raised by the Nassau County Firefighters Burn Center Foundation have provided a complete physical therapy room at Nassau University Medical Center with all the necessary equipment so staff can treat both inpatients and outpatients at one central location. The NCFBCF also provided for a separate children’s room featuring a television, and children’s books and games to help alleviate the stress young burn victims can experience while in therapy. Each year the NCFBCF sends professional staff members from the NUMC Burn Center to continuing education seminars and training certification programs and seminars. This access to the most recent treatment techniques lets referring physicians and their patients have confidence in every Burn Center staff member.
Mr. Gianelli concluded by stating: “NUMC is one of the principal first responders to any terror event or other incident of concern to homeland security. The Burn Center is a critical component of such first response, ensuring that the residents of Nassau County continue to have access to first-class burn services, which they deserve.”
