Oceanside, N.Y.-based South Nassau Communities Hospital has announced plans to convert its Urgent Care Center at Long Beach to an off-campus, hospital-based emergency department by July 1.
South Nassau's president and CEO, Richard Murphy, plans to submit the Certificate of Need to the Department of Health in March for approval of the project, which will cost $4.5 million in upgrades, according to a statement.
The upgrades will help redevelop health services in Long Beach, after the Long Beach Medical Center was destroyed in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy.
"Restoring services at Long Beach Hospital has been one of my top priorities," New York Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky said in a statement. "Barrier Island residents have fought hard for improved hospital coverage since Hurricane Sandy — so it is heartening that our efforts so far have led to this commitment by South Nassau. However, more must still be done to restore proper medical services to the island. Today I look forward to a safer summer in our community; tomorrow we will continue to work with South Nassau to ensure that it provides adequate healthcare coverage to local residents."
The urgent care center was newly built and opened last July with 10 private exam rooms, two procedure rooms, lab suites, radiology and CT imaging services. To become a free-standing emergency department, it will need to upgrade its generator and ventilation system and widen hallways, according to the statement. Patients who require hospital admission will still need to be transferred to South Nassau's Oceanside campus or to another hospital.
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