South Nassau Begins SEQRA Process for FEMA Projects in Long Beach and Oceanside

OCEANSIDE, N.Y. - July 11, 2017 - PRLog -- South Nassau Communities Hospital submitted building department applications and environmental assessment forms (EAF) to the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach to commence the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process for the for the following proposed expansion projects: a Medical Arts Pavilion in Long Beach on the site of the shuttered Long Beach Medical Center that will include an expanded Emergency Department; four-story Southwest Addition in Oceanside will include an expanded Emergency Department, new critical care beds and new operating suites.

A three-story parking structure and new central utility and emergency electrical plant also are proposed for Oceanside to alleviate neighborhood parking issues and to harden South Nassau's main campus against future storms.

The state environmental review process is a mandatory review of the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed projects. The review process is expected to take at least 18 months to complete.

The projected combined cost of the projects is $279 million.  This includes an estimated $113 million for the Southwest Addition, $45 million for the Medical Arts Pavilion, $93 million for the Central Utility Plant/Emergency Electrical Infrastructure (CUP/EEI) and $28 million for the parking structure.  South Nassau will invest $154 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds that were appropriated by Congress in 2014. The funds will be used in the construction of the Southwest Addition in Oceanside and the Medical Arts Pavilion in Long Beach and to partially offset the cost of the construction of the new central utility plant in Oceanside. No FEMA funds will be used for the proposed parking structure in Oceanside.

The hospital's 'alternative use' application for the funds was approved by FEMA in 2016.  South Nassau estimates that it will invest approximately $108 million of its own funds to pay for the construction of the parking structure and cover the remaining balance of the estimated cost of the new central utility plant.

More than $38 million has been invested to date on the barrier island as part of the effort to restore emergency medical services to Long Beach, including the acquisition of the Long Beach Medical Center property, opening of a temporary urgent care center and the upgrade to a free-standing 9-1-1 receiving emergency department, the first and only one of its kind on Long island. The $38 million used included a combination of South Nassau's own resources, FEMA funds and New York State Department of Health grants.

Long Beach Medical Arts Pavilion

The two-story, 25,000 sq. ft. Medical Arts Pavilion will be the permanent home of an expanded free-standing Long Beach Emergency Department.  The expanded emergency department will have an estimated 15 exam rooms while also incorporating primary care medicine and radiology (including CT imaging).

The building and utilities will be stressed to add a third floor to meet potential community health care needs in the future.  The site will also include an emergency staging area that can be utilized to transport patients via medevac helicopter, in the event of an extreme emergency. A boat ramp and dock also will be constructed at the new facility in Long Beach for waterborne emergency access.

South Nassau also plans to repurpose the current home of the Long Beach Emergency Department – built at a cost of more than $13 million - pending regulatory approval from state and federal officials.  One option under consideration is a multi-station dialysis center.

Southwest Addition

The proposed four-story Southwest Addition to the hospital campus in Oceanside will nearly double the size of the hospital's existing Emergency Department, add nine new operating rooms and a new Critical Care Unit as the need for intensive care is projected to grow in the South Shore Communities.

The proposed building also will include a two-floor, 40-bed intensive care unit to meet a growing need for critical care on the South Shore.


The expanded and upgraded emergency department will have an estimated 50 treatment areas, increased ambulance bay space,  improved waiting areas, and separate areas for Pediatric and Behavioral Health emergencies.

Parking Structure

Following a meeting last May with the community, South Nassau commissioned a traffic study to determine the total existing parking demand that included intensive observation of on-street and off-street parking conditions. South Nassau's current parking lots have a total capacity in excess of 1,200 cars. Based on the traffic study, the hospital's consultant has recommended adding at least 300 additional parking spaces to alleviate current parking pressures on the neighborhood.

As a result of the study and consultation, South Nassau proposes to construct a parking structure in the east lot of One Healthy Way (parking lots 1 & 2). The proposed parking structure would be three stories and produce a net increase of more than 400 additional parking spaces.

Central Utility Plant and Emergency Electrical Infrastructure

In conjunction with the hospital's plan for the construction of the Southwest Addition, the hospital is proposing to upgrade and advance the capabilities of its Central Utility Plant.  The proposed project will fortify the Oceanside campus' electrical, heating ventilation and air conditioning systems. The project will supplement the upgrades to the hospital's emergency back-up power system that is called upon to withstand power outages resulting from severe weather.

For more information go to www.southnassau.org. (http://www.southnassau.org/)