Congressman Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens) has announced that he has secured $2 million in federal funding for the Geriatric Center of Excellence at Glen Cove Hospital. The funding for this project, along with seven other community initiatives, was spearheaded by Suozzi and included in the federal budget.
Suozzi noted why he fought to include this $2 million community project:
“There are four factors: 1) I have always had a special concern for seniors and their healthcare based upon my four grandparents living in my home growing up. Three were very sick and more recently, I helped care for my parents who lived until they were 93 and 95 years old. 2) Nationally, there are 10,000 new seniors every day in America with fewer family members to care for them as they grow older and face illness. We need to develop a national model. 3) Glen Cove and the peninsula is unique with three nursing homes, three assisted living facilities, multiple senior housing developments, and a robust Senior Citizen Center. And 4) Glen Cove Hospital is uniquely situated to develop a model for the country and a Geriatric Center for Excellence. I am so gratified to help make this facility a reality.” said Suozzi.
“The Geriatric Center of Excellence at Glen Cove Hospital will work with the local community, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and the Glen Cove Senior Center to serve as a model for geriatric care for the region and the nation,” said Suozzi. “This center is already providing some of the best care for seniors in the region and has helped revitalize the hospital. We have an opportunity not only to develop programs for seniors locally, but the center can serve as a regional and national model for best practices on how to provide seniors and support to our aging population.”
The Geriatric Center of Excellence at Glen Cove Hospital, part of Northwell Health, brings together a full continuum of care for older adults, from outpatient primary care and community resources to emergency and inpatient hospital care, specialized hospital programs, at-home services as well as long-term skilled care and end of life. The center builds upon existing programs tailored for geriatric care, including the hospital’s state-of-the-art Caregiver Center that opened six months ago.
Joining Rep. Suozzi at the event were Glen Cove Hospital Executive Director Kerri Anne Scanlon, RN, Maria Torroella Carney, MD, Chief of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Northwell Health, Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck, along with hospital staff and Northwell Health system leadership.
“We are extremely grateful to Congressman Suozzi for his years-long commitment to secure funding for the Geriatric Center of Excellence and his advocacy for the health and well-being of seniors in our community, and those we provide complex medical care to in the hospital,” said Ms. Scanlon. “In the last decade alone we’ve seen a 20 percent increase in the number of residents over age 65 in Nassau County. In addition, nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities represent up to 20 percent of all facilities in the county at large. This new funding will help us in our mission to provide the most advanced and compassionate care for the growing number of seniors in our community.”
“As New York’s largest health system, we are incredibly appreciative for Congressman Suozzi, who advocated for the awareness, development, and support of a designated Geriatric Center of Excellence for our region,” said Dr. Carney. “The aim of the center is to promote longevity, improve the quality of care for older individuals, and support caregivers and their loved ones facing complex care needs. It also is designed to serve as a catalyst for much needed change – both in the scientific and clinical approach to how we deliver multidisciplinary care for older adults and those with serious illness.”
Among the achievements Glen Cove Hospital has earned in geriatric care include: the first community hospital in New York State and the 19th in the nation to be awarded Level 1 geriatric accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians, to meet the needs of aging adults; recognition as an Age-Friendly Center of Excellence by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; developing a groundbreaking program geared for patients with Parkinson’s disease, part of the hospital’s inpatient Rehabilitation Unit; and developing a MindFULL care Unit for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
