South Shore University Hospital unveils new neurosciences ICU 

South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore on Tuesday announced the completion of its new intensive care unit for patients suffering from strokes, aneurysms, brain injuries and other life-threatening conditions.

The 6,300-square-foot facility is expected to open in March as part of the Linda and John Bohlsen Neurosciences Center. The ICU offers treatment of critically ill patients in need of brain surgery and other neurological treatments.

"It is a state-of-the-art facility that really stresses healing," said Dr. David Chalif, chair of neurosurgery at South Shore, who joined the hospital’s staff in 2019 after founding the Brain Aneurysm Center at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. "I've worked in ICUs since the late 1970s. I have never seen anything like this."

The new unit can treat up to eight patients at a time as they recover from neuro-cranial procedures, acute treatment of stroke and other treatments. Its equipment includes a portable computerized tomography, or CT, scanner that allows patients to undergo scans without being moved to a different location.

In addition, patient rooms have specialized overhead lighting that allows doctors to perform minor procedures in the room. The rooms also include areas for visiting family members, private bathrooms and natural light, all of which have been shown to improve recovery, Chalif said in an interview before a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.

The number of neurology and neurosurgery patients treated at the hospital has increased nearly sevenfold since 2018, Chalif said.

ICUs that focus on neuroscience have specialized equipment and intensive bedside care that "have been associated with shorter lengths of stay and better outcomes in comparison to general ICUs," Krista Lim-Hing, MD, director of the neuroscience ICU, said in a statement. The new facility, she said, provides "a higher level of care for patients with complicated conditions such as stroke, neurotrauma, brain tumors, seizures and brain bleeds."

The facility is part of South Shore’s "evolution" from a community hospital to one that offers more specialized care, Donna Moravick, the hospital’s executive director, said in a statement. The 313-bed hospital is undergoing a $500 million overhaul.

The new center is named for restaurant developers Linda and John Bohlsen, who donated $5 million for it as part of Northwell’s $1 billion fundraising campaign. The Bohlsen family — whose restaurants include Prime in Huntington, H2O in Smithtown and Tellers in Islip — previously made donations to fund a redesign and expansion of South Shore’s emergency room and renovation of its entrance and front lobby.

By Maura McDermott

maura.mcdermott@newsday.commauramcdermott

Maura McDermott is a reporter on the investigations desk. Since starting at Newsday in 2012, she has also covered real estate and the business of health care.