Nassau University Medical Center to share in nearly $40 million state grants for health care

Nearly $40 million in state money is coming to Long Island for medicine, speech therapy, psychiatric emergencies, neonatal telehealth consultation and other “essential health care services” projects.

The money — $20.14 million for Suffolk and $19.71 for Nassau, a total of a dozen projects — is part of grants statewide for over $658 million covering 127 projects.

The biggest single recipient of the state grants on Long Island is Nassau Health Care Corp. It operates the county’s only public health care system, which includes Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, largely serving poor and uninsured patients.

The $16.16 million grant is for capital improvements to establish a comprehensive psychiatric emergency program, relocate the dialysis program and install automatic sprinklers, according to a chart provided by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.

"New Yorkers deserve access to quality health care and a strong, stable, and equitable health care system," Hochul said in a news release. "These grants will provide critical funding for improvements at hospitals and other facilities throughout our state to ensure they deliver the top rate care New Yorkers deserve."

Other grants include $121,000 to Adults & Children With Learning and Developmental Disabilities Inc. in Nassau for "equipment to add audiology and speech therapy services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” the release said; $1.08 million to New Horizon Counseling Center Inc. to modernize and expand a facility to address "substance use disorder services"; and $630,640 to Stony Brook University Hospital for “neonatal telehealth consultation program to provide remote services to 5 birthing hospitals, 2 nonbirthing hospitals, and 1 midwifery home birth provider and extend intensive neonatal care" to medically underserved areas, the release said.

In an email, Dr. Harold L. Paz, executive vice president for Health Sciences, Stony Brook University, and chief executive officer of Stony Brook University Medicine, said the project will help “[a]nswer a growing need for neonatologists throughout Suffolk County and allow direct assessment of neonates by Stony Brook Children’s Hospital-based specialists.”
He said it will also support the county’s neonatal telehealth program, “which will provide area hospitals and home birth providers with advanced cameras and tablet computers loaded with Stony Brook's telehealth platform software.

“These telehealth devices will allow for rapid initiation of consultations with Stony Brook Children's Hospital neonatal specialists for assessment of infants,” the email said.

The release explained the program, known as the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program, supports efforts "to reduce health care costs and improve the health outcomes of New Yorkers by expanding access" to medical services.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.