Oceanside hospital debuts $50M emergency department upgrade

Mount Sinai South Nassau’s new emergency department is up and running, with new facilities that mark the first completed phase of the hospital's planned multiyear $150 million renovation and expansion.

The expansion and renovation to the Oceanside facility’s emergency department cost $50 million and doubles its capacity, allowing the hospital to see up to 75,000 patients in the unit annually. With new and updated technology throughout, the renovations are designed to emphasize patient security and safety.

"The ER was so grossly undersized," said Dr. Adhi Sharma, the hospital’s president. Sharma, who is board certified in emergency medicine. He said the goal was to modernize the department.

One of the main additions, he said, are the 54 private exam rooms for patients. "They allow for the department itself to be a quieter place, so the staff can concentrate. There’s less disruption, less distractions," Sharma said. The private rooms also have more space for family members to wait with patients, as well as more area for nurses and doctors to work.

Emergency department chair Dr. Jay Itzkowitz said the expansion not only allows for more patients to be seen, but for more specialized care, including a new behavioral health emergency unit. 

The behavioral health unit has a separate entrance from the main emergency department and capabilities to protect patients who may be a danger to themselves or others. While the behavioral exam rooms have all the same technology and medical equipment as the general ER, large gates on the wall prevent patients from grabbing anything that could cause harm.

"The behavioral health unit is more secluded, out of the way [from the general department], so they’re put in a separate area," said Itzkowitz. There is a psychiatrist on the floor seven days a week, as well as a waiting area for families and loved ones of those being seen in the unit.

Other new features for the emergency room include quick triage rooms where patients are seen and evaluated as soon as they come into the hospital that include "switch glass" that frosts the windows for patient security.

"Having more privacy for the patient is great," said Taylor McLaughlin, a nurse. "We’re able to get patients in and out a lot quicker and increase patient care."

Fundraising efforts

The new ER is the first completed part of the developing Feil Family Pavilion, a four-story section of the hospital that will eventually include nine new operating rooms and 40 new ICU rooms. The next phase is slated to be completed in early 2026.

The Feil Family Pavilion is being funded by community donations, said Anthony Cancellieri, the co-chair of the hospital’s advisory board. Cancellieri has been a donor and supporter of the hospital for two decades, when his daughter, then in her 20s, was hit by a car and was treated there. She made a full recovery, and Cancellieri has had a passion for helping the hospital since.

"I was able to view into the room where my daughter was and she was on a gurney surrounded by several clinical people, and I started to get wobbly in the knees," Cancellieri recalled. "I was held up and supported by two nurses at the door. They comforted and supported me."

Today, Cancellieri runs major fundraising events, including the hospital gala and an annual golf outing, both of which helped fund the new emergency department. The hospital raised $13 million through community donations. Joe Fennessy, a former board chairman, made a large donation in an amount he's chosen to keep private. For his contribution, the department was named the Fennessy Family Emergency Department.

"Being able to provide all of these complex services, to achieve a vision of New York City-quality care in their own backyard ... that's what would make me really happy," Fennessy said.