LBMC officials work to reopen

arifilato@liherald.com

The storm-battered Long Beach Medical Center, which was slated to reopen its doors this week, is now eyeing a mid- to late-April opening.

The 162-bed hospital has remained closed as it undergoes repairs, after 10 feet of water damaged the facility’s basement area, which housed not only its electrical, heating and mechanical systems but also its pharmacy, central supply and purchasing departments as well as a family care center.

The facility’s CEO, Doug Melzer, said he is hopeful that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover almost all of the $56 million in damage. Though FEMA typically picks up 75 percent of such costs while the state and hospital would each pay 12.5 percent, Melzer said he is hoping that FEMA kicks in a larger percentage — 90 percent — to help the facility reopen.

“While we anticipate the money from FEMA, it’s not holding the work up,” spokeswoman Sharon Player said.

Player explained that insurance covered some of the costs. LBMC is applying for a federal Social Services grant to help cover some operating costs, she said, and a $10 million to $20 million community development block grant to make some repairs at the 200-bed Komanoff Center and to build an assisted-living facility.

The hospital was recently awarded $200,000 by the Robin Hood Foundation, and received a $250,000 AmeriCares grant to continue primary care services for low-income and uninsured patients and to help offset operating costs for the hospital’s Family Care Center.

Working around the clock

Player said that two of the hospital’s five wings are expected to reopen by the end of April — its west and main pavilions, which include its emergency department. “We are working hard to restore emergency and inpatient services as quickly as possible,” she said.

Those wings, she said, are undergoing mostly cosmetic repairs. A new heating system is being installed on the second floor of the west wing, while the pharmacy and supply room will be located on the third floor as part of the hospital’s mitigation efforts with FEMA.

“Everything that was in the basement will no longer be maintained there,” Player said. “They’re reconfiguring that space [on the third floor], so you’re building new walls and doorways, and we’re almost finished reconfiguring that space. The pharmacy needs certain equipment, and that has to be figured into the rebuild as well.”

The hospital is currently working off temporary power in the main building, although electricity in the west wing — which houses the emergency department — has been restored. Player attributed the biggest delays to the challenges of obtaining sewage and fire pumps, which have been hard to come by since the storm.

“I think a few things threw us off — one thing was that certain equipment, like sewer ejector pumps and fire pumps, were difficult to find in the aftermath of the storm,” she said. “Those are essential for us to operate. [The Long Island Power Authority] also delayed us a bit. We’re trying to get permanent electrical power into the building … for example, our boiler system is temporarily right outside the building …”

Player noted that some services have been restored. More than 100 residents who were evacuated to 12 facilities across Nassau County returned to Komanoff on Jan. 28, and the hospital’s family care center, group practice, home care agency and counseling center have all reopened. LBMC’s Project Hope counselors are providing free support services to residents impacted by Sandy.

“Our family care center has opened, and that’s important for people because so many people have lost their jobs, and it offers primary care medicine at a reduced rate for someone who does not have health insurance,” Player said. “Our mental health counseling has relocated to Baldwin, and we’re helping people with transportation there.”

Longer turnaround times

With the hospital closed, those in need of emergency care are being transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital, Nassau University Medical Center and other facilities. “We recognize the importance of reopening the hospital as quickly as possible to provide needed health care services to the community,” Melzer said. “And the city tells us that as well, because obviously they have to run the ambulances, and that becomes a challenge to be able to constantly travel outside of the community. We’re told it takes about a 90-minute turnaround time … depending where you are on the island. It’s a challenge for the EMS system in Long Beach.”

Fire Chief Rich Corbett said that the hospital’s closure has strained the department’s resources, since ambulances are traveling farther north to reach other hospitals. “We’re looking forward to Long Beach Medical Center reopening,” Corbett said. “It will definitely help our turnaround time and free up our resources a lot quicker — we have a great working relationship with the E.R. staff there, and we want everyone to get back to work as well.”

Mark Bogen, SNCH’s chief financial officer, said that there has been a significant leap in emergency room visits there. The hospital was averaging about 200 visits per month prior to the storm, and is now seeing more than 400. But Bogen said that there have not been any patient deaths resulting from longer turnaround times.

“From the day that Long Beach Medical Center officially closed … volume has been up here at South Nassau,” he said. “We were probably averaging about 110 inpatient admissions, and since November we’ve been averaging double that.”

Coming back

The medical center is one of the largest employers of Long Beach residents, and was forced to lay off 700 of its 1,200 workers after the storm. In December, the New York State Department of Labor released its November unemployment figures, and the jobless rate in Long Beach jumped from 7.7 percent in October to 10.1 percent in November. A year ago, the rate was 6.6 percent, and hospital officials attributed the spike in part to its layoffs.

“When Komanoff opened, we took back 175 employees, and we now have 200 back because it has gotten busier,” Player said. “We still have arrangements with different hospitals. [Fifty employees] are working at Nassau University Medical Center and Brookhaven [Memorial Hospital], and they remain on our payroll.” She added that getting employees back to work is a main priority.

“We’re going to come back stronger, smarter and safer,” she said. “It’s so important for the hospital to be here, to not only provide health care to all the residents in surrounding communities, but for the economy as well.”

Marnie Greenfield, a 23-year employee who was displaced after the storm, is looking forward to returning to work. “If I was back at work, I’d feel better about circumstances — I wouldn’t be as nervous about work progressing on my house or paying my mortgage,” she said. “I know the boardwalk is really important for the community, but I don’t think the community really realizes how important it is to have hospital services back up.”

Alexandra Spychalsky contributed to this story.

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Long Beach Medical Center services

Family Care Center has reopened at a new location, 761 Franklin Blvd. The center accepts Affinity, Health First, Medicare and Medicaid, and charges those who do not have health insurance a modest fee. Financial counselors also help people apply for low-cost health insurance programs where applicable. Primary medical care services are available Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. For more info or to make an appointment, call (516) 544-2351.

Long Beach Group Practice offers primary-care services in its new location, 206 W. Park Ave. It comprises board-certified internal medicine and family practice physicians. The office is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and accepts many health insurance plans. For appointments, call (516) 544-2100.

The Counseling Center LBMC’s mental health services have reopened in a temporary location, 950 Church St. in Baldwin, and offer counseling and medication management. Call (516) 415-7210 for appointments and information. Transportation assistance is available for those who meet specific criteria.

Home Care Agency If you or someone you know needs health-related support at home, call (516) 897-1300.

The Komanoff Center nursing facility is now open, offering short-term rehabilitation, long-term care and inpatient Hospice services. For more information or to tour the facility, call (516) 897-1110.

LBMC Project Hope counselors offer free, confidential support to anyone impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Call (516) 897-4326.