By MIKE CAPUTO
Preliminary plans are in the works to transform the hospital-s property into what NUMC officials envision as an attractive health care village to better serve the community and the medical field.
This hospital in the end needs to transform itself, said Arthur Gianelli, chief executive officer of the Nassau Health Care Corporation. We need to do enough to support the issues confronting the community that we serve. By redoing our facilities, we believe we can do that.
A hospital modernization project launched in 2004 included the eventual molding of a master plan, and the plan-s preliminary framework was unveiled at a public meeting at the hospital on Oct. 23. It was the first of a series of community forums that are planned for the coming months.
The NUMC, at Hempstead Turnpike and Carman Avenue, is only a mile from the Nassau Coliseum, where the massive proposed Lighthouse project is aimed at creating a residential and business hub on the land surrounding the arena. Gianelli noted that development of the 52 acres around the hospital would have a different purpose, but can be compared to the Lighthouse project, and others. It is consistent with the development of the Hub and the former Grumman site, Gianelli said. The uses and approaches are different, but the sizes are very comparable.
NUMC-s revitalization would be funded through what planners describe as a partnership with private entities. According to hospital officials, the facility would share its real estate with private physician groups. We want to bring physicians here and give [them] a reason to come to this campus and practice, Gianelli said.
Five preliminary plans were presented at the meeting. Each called for new offices, medical facilities and community centers. They also outlined an expansion and improvement of open space and landscaping around the campus. Each one included at least one grassy area, perhaps to be used as a recreational park and/or athletic fields by both the hospital and the community.
John Wood, a lifelong East Meadow resident and a Police Athletic League coach, said the community would benefit greatly from open space created by the hospital. Football and lacrosse teams are dying for field space, Wood said. To provide space for them, the community becomes part of the hospital.
Insufficient parking and poor traffic flow were identified as crucial issues facing the current facility, and developers who attended the meeting recommended that, rather than focusing on expanding the existing garage or building a new one, underground parking be added.
In order to attract more medical students and improve their experience at NUMC, residence halls on the north end of the campus would be redeveloped.
Modernization efforts within the main tower and other existing buildings are already under way. They include the reconstruction of the emergency department, renovations of several other departments and the improvement of community health centers. These projects, announced in 2004, were paid for through a capital reserve fund from tobacco settlements and help from the state health department.
Changing the face of NUMC is important not only to the medical community, but to residents and business owners in East Meadow, Gianelli explained. This kind of redevelopment makes a lot of sense for East Meadow, he said. There are a lot of wonderful small businesses in East Meadow. If we create a vital campus here, people will use those businesses. We want to be a catalyst to help small businesses here grow.
Christopher Hackert, president of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce, agreed that improvements to the campus should benefit local businesses. Improving the hospital-s appearance and facilities will bring in people from all over the area to use their services, Hackert said. If they are coming here for health care, they-ll also be coming here to eat or shop or make other stops in the neighborhood.
The hospital plans to hold another community meeting in November. The time and date have yet to be announced.
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