Two ICU units open at LIJ

Upon completion of the first phase of a $27.5 million project, Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center in New Hyde Park recently celebrated the opening of a state-of-the-art critical care unit – a 13-bed surgical intensive care unit (ICU) and a 13-bed cardiothoracic ICU. LIJ Medical Center is part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
Hospital officials said that for many years, LIJ has struggled with a shortage of critical care beds while trying to meet the growing needs of an aging population.
“Our staff will now be able to practice in a truly world-class facility, and our critically ill patients will benefit from the most advanced technologies as well as a modern, healing environment,” said Michael J. Dowling, President and CEO of the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
On Wednesday, March 28, Dowling joined Dr. Lawrence Smith, North Shore-LIJ’s Chief Medical Officer; Dr. T.S. Ravikumar, Surgeon-in-Chief at North Shore-LIJ; Dr. Jacob Scheinerman, Associate Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at LIJ; and Saul Katz, Chair of North Shore-LIJ Health System Board of Trustees.
During the project’s second phase, LIJ is expected to open a 14-bed critical care unit in July 2007. Once completed, the entire critical care project will encompass 21,000 square feet and expand the number of critical care beds at LIJ Medical Center from 32 to 72.