MDNews - Long Island

L O C A L N E W S Stony Brook University Hospital was among an elite group of or- ganizations to receive the Environmental Excellence Award from the New York State Depar tment of Environmental Conser vation (DEC). These awards are presented annually in recognition of each or - ganization's innovative programs and outstanding commitment to environmental sustainability, social responsibility and economic viability. A statewide review committee of 20 representatives from both public and private sectors assisted in selecting the award winners from an array of competitive applications. The recognition awards were presented at the DEC's 15th Annual New York State Environmental Excellence Awards Celebration on Nov. 14, 2018, in Saratoga Springs, New York. Feinstein Institute for Medical Research Assistant Professor Monowar A ziz, PhD, received a five-year, $1.68 million R01 grant from the NIH to examine a protein's role in increasing inflamma - tion and injur y in sepsis to develop new therapies. I dentif ying ways to combat sepsis is a major research priority for the Feinstein Institute and Nor thwell Health and have formed the Sepsis Task Force. To help shor ten the diagnosis time — a cru - cial element to preventing loss of life — the Sepsis Task Force re- viewed previous cases to identif y the key signs for sepsis. Through this work, they identified a protocol, which includes early admin - istration of fluids and antibiotics, to implement across Nor thwell Health's 23 hospitals. As a result, sepsis-related mor talities at those facilities were reduced by almost 70 percent. South Nassau Communities Hospital and the Mount Sinai Health System have finalized a par tnership, making South Nassau Mount Sinai's flagship hospital on Long Island in a move designed to bring advanced-level health care to the South Shore of Nassau County and to Long Island. South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside becomes par t of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the nation. As par t of the relationship, Mount Sinai will provide $120 million to help expand South Nassau's campus and ser vices, including plans for a new four-stor y addition in Oceanside with an expanded Emergency Depar tment and new intensive care beds and surgi - cal suites. South Nassau's Board of Directors an - nounced its plans with Mount Sinai in January 2018 after having signed a nonbind- ing letter of intent in May of 2017. During the past 10 months, Mount Sinai and South Nassau worked together to prepare to combine Mount Sinai's academic, clinical, and research expertise with South Nassau's award winning community-based care, particularly in the areas of heart and can - cer treatments. South Nassau's Board of Directors will be retained and direct the day-to-day operations of the Oceanside campus. The South Nassau and Mount Sinai boards will share representation on each other's boards, with South Nassau's Chair, Joseph J. Fennessy, serving on the Mount Sinai Executive Committee. This has been approved by the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Attorney General and the New York State Department of Education. It has also won the support of local com - munity leaders and elected officials who welcome Mount Sinai to Long Island. The Stony Brook University Cerebrovascular and Stroke Center (CVCSC) and the Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine Department of Emergency Services will launch Long Island's first Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) program to provide residents with immedi - ate, on-site advanced stroke care. The service is expected to deploy its first unit on March 1, with a second to be deployed in April. The MSUs will be available seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., which is the window of time when most stroke calls are received. The specially equipped ambulances will be strategically based at exits 57 and 68 on the LIE, and will take calls within 10 miles of their base, which should ensure response times of 20 minutes or less. Scientists have uncovered that an emerging gene therapy for Parkinson's disease creates new circuits in the brain associated with improved motor movement. These findings, published in Science Translational Medicine by Feinstein Institute for Medical Research Professor David Eidelberg, MD, and his team explain the therapeu - tic mechanisms involved in the emerging Parkinson's gene therapy called A AV2-GAD. These findings help the scientific and clinical communities by progressing A AV2-GAD into clinical trials while 2 8

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