NUHEALTH SYSTEM HURRICANE IRENE UPDATE– MONDAY AUGUST 29, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2011
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
Shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
NUHEALTH SYSTEM HURRICANE IRENE UPDATE– MONDAY AUGUST 29, 2011
East Meadow, NY……..The following is an update of Monday, August 29, 2011, on the NuHealth System, following Hurricane Irene:
Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System announced that the situation at the Nassau University Medical Center and at the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility is being well managed, with the final phase of NuHealth’s response to Hurricane Irene being implemented in safely returning patients and nursing home residents back to Long Beach Medical Center (LBMC) and the Long Beach Komanoff Nursing Home.
We have commenced the first wave of transferring back 56 patients who were evacuated from the LBMC via ambulances and Able Ride bus.
The second wave of patient transfer will occur around mid-day.
FEMA resources, brought into the area during Hurricane Irene, will assist with the transport of patients and nursing home residents.
A National Guard 18 wheeler truck will assist with the transport of bed mattresses and equipment out of the A. Holly Patterson nursing home back to the Long Beach Komanoff nursing home.
28 Komanoff nursing home residents will be transported back to Long Beach via ambulances and Able Ride bus starting in the early afternoon today.
The Hospital Incident Command System, implemented on Friday afternoon, August 26, 2011 is ongoing and will remain in effect during Monday, August 29, 2011.
Gianelli went on to thank all those staff members for their dedication on behalf of all their hospital patients and nursing home residents: “NUMC and AHP played a most important role in Nassau County, particularly because of the number of transfers that we accepted and the increase in emergency room visits as a result of southern-most hospitals not being able to accept patients. At times of crises, NuHealth’s staff rose to the occasion, proving to everyone how indispensible our health system is and demonstrating the quality of the professionals that we employ. Thank you all.”
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.