Thursday, April 17, 2025
In an ambitious project that began in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Mount Sinai South Nassau has unveiled its new, cutting-edge emergency department, ushering the hospital into a new era of patient care and community service.
Mount Sinai South Nassau has opened the Fennessy Family Emergency Department, in the newly constructed Feil Family Pavilion, continuing the expansion to meet the acute and emergency medical needs of the South Shore of Long Island.
A Vision Born from Crisis
The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 left Long Beach Medical Center underwater, and ultimately forced it into bankruptcy. In a bold move during bankruptcy court proceedings, Mount Sinai South Nassau emerged as the sole hospital to take advantage of critical FEMA funding, being the only hospital to show up in bankruptcy court. They used part of the $170 million in FEMA funds to build the medical arts pavilion in Long Beach. The facility was rebuilt and reopened, with the medical arts pavilion completed in June 2023. The project was part of a broader reconstruction effort that also included the current emergency department renovation at the main hospital location.
“This really started with Sandy,” Joe Calderone, Mount Sinai’s senior vice president of corporate communications, said.
Strategic Investment and Innovative Funding
The new emergency department, part of a larger multi-project initiative that includes the Medical Arts Pavilion in Long Beach and a central utility plant, benefited from between $160-$172 million in FEMA funding. The decision not to rebuild a hospital in Long Beach was driven by safety concerns — Long Beach had been under a gubernatorial evacuation order during Sandy, and the hospital’s new location, further inland, promised a safer alternative.
“By 2014, we had gotten together and thought about what we wanted the facility to look like for the next 20 to 50 years,” Dr. Adhi Sharma, the hospital’s current president, said. “And part of that was adding this entire wing, but also understanding the emergency department at the time was undersized for the capacity that was needed to serve the communities that we serve. The vision then was to build an ED that would be welcoming to patients and families who accommodate family members.”
A Modern Emergency Department
Doubling in size from 15,000 to 30,000 square feet, the revamped emergency department now boasts 50 exam rooms featuring hard walls instead of traditional curtains, ensuring greater privacy and enhanced infection control. The design improvements, many of which were influenced by lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic, include the installation of sliding glass doors to improve safety and airflow.
“We learned a lot during Covid, and these design changes reflect our commitment to the health and safety of both patients and staff,” Dr. Sharma said.
The new ED is a cornerstone of a new four-story, 100,000-square-foot Feil Family patient pavilion that will include nine new operating rooms and 40 new critical care suites set to open later this Spring. The new ED will be able to see approximately 80,000 patients annually. The new ED features centralized nursing stations for direct oversight of patient rooms, bedside triage, and a state-of-the art trauma unit with an adjoining radiology bay.
Enhanced Capabilities and New Facilities
In addition to the enhanced exam rooms, the new facility includes an upgraded triage area designed to streamline patient flow, ensuring those with minor issues are seen quickly and efficiently, and a state-of-the-art trauma room, featuring four bays capable of accommodating up to eight patients. The trauma room is equipped to handle severe injuries and medical emergencies, including cardiac arrest.
Also, two new critical care floors — each with 20 private rooms and dedicated family accommodations — are set to open in April and June, respectively. These upgrades replace outdated bays with modern, spacious rooms that enhance patient care and comfort.
Additionally, nine new operating rooms are scheduled to open in August, with these rooms being significantly larger than their predecessors. With operating spaces ranging from 600 to 1,000 square feet, they are designed to accommodate advanced surgical equipment and procedures, positioning the hospital to perform more complex surgeries.
Community Impact and Future Outlook
Hospital leadership expressed confidence that the expansion will reduce patient wait times and improve overall emergency care efficiency, thanks in part to an innovative triage system that deploys providers immediately upon the patients’ arrival. The new department is designed to accommodate a diverse range of patient needs — from pediatric to geriatric care, as well as specialized areas like behavioral health, which now benefits from a separate, dedicated space to provide a more therapeutic environment.
“What we're building for the community, all the different aspects of the community's needs, whether it's behavioral health, pediatrics or geriatrics or even trauma care,” Dr. Jay Itzkowitz, the hospital’s department chair for emergency medicine, said. “We're increasing our capacity to care for more patients, reducing wait times by having a provider in triage. More nursing at the front end to see the patients being brought in quicker with more efficient emergency care. We now have state-of-the-art equipment, additional treatment rooms, and dedicated teams of medical professionals made up of doctors and nurses caring for the patients from the moment they get in until the moment they're ready to go. More importantly, for the community, we're bringing more services to the hospital.”
A Bold Step Forward
The project has not only modernized the hospital’s infrastructure but also positioned Mount Sinai South Nassau as a leading facility capable of serving thousand in its area. Joe Fennessy, former board chairman and donor, whose family name now adorns the emergency department, expressed pride in the project.
“It’s not just about bricks and mortar — it’s about ensuring that every individual receives the highest quality of care,” Fennessy said.
