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LOCAL NEWS Five members of the New York Islanders team visited the children in the pediatric units of the Nassau University Medical Center. Victor Politi, MD, and hospi - tal officials welcomed team members and introduced them to children in the emergency room, on the 18th floor, and in the pediatric outpatient practices. The children, who are big fans of the Islanders, were thrilled to have the players visit them and bring some cheer during their hospi - tal stay. Ryan Strome, Josh Bailey, Nick Leddy, Thomas Hickey and Brock Nelson signed autographs and gave the children T-shirts, blankets and Islanders cups. New York Islanders and hospital officials (L–R): Linda Walsh; David Fagan, MD; Vincent DiSanti; Craig Rizzo; Harold McDonald; Victor Politi, MD South Nassau Communities Hospital's president and CEO, Richard J. Murphy, announced today that South Nassau will submit a Certificate of Need (CON) to the New York State Department of Health in March to seek approval to upgrade the South Nassau Urgent Care Center in Long Beach to an off-campus, hospital-based emergency services department that will be able to receive ambulances via the 911 network. Assuming timely review and ap - proval of South Nassau's CON application, the hospital's goal is to have the free- standing emergency services department fully operational by July 1. South Nassau estimates it will cost $4.5 million to upgrade the existing Long Beach Urgent Care Center to an off-campus emergency department. This sum is in addition to the $5 million South Nassau has already invested to establish the Urgent Care Center, which opened last July. In order to meet state requirements for certification as an off-campus emergency depart - ment, the Urgent Care Center will need significant upgrades including (but not limited to) an emergency generator, wider corridors and a new ventilation system. The Cancer Center for Kids has estab - lished comprehensive support programs that enable children who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families to better cope with the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. For more infor - mation about the programs, please visit winthrop.org/cck. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Ashley Carlo at Winthrop's Cancer Center for Kids at 516-663-9409 or visit winthrop.org/events. Staff at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center joined administration and physi- cians at the recent ribbon cutting for the Mother Baby Couplet Care Unit, in which mothers and newborns remain together for the entire hospital stay. For the nearly 2,800 babies delivered a year, this approach offers several benefits, including facilitating mother-baby bonding and establishing breastfeeding. Newborn and postpartum nurses have been cross- trained to provide more continuity of care. Each patient room is decorated with soothing wall coverings and artwork and includes a full bath, with patient refrigera - tors in private rooms. For more information on maternity services at Good Samaritan Hospital, call 631-376-4444. Good Samaritan Hospital SVP of Administration Joseph Loiacono; Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter; Associate Chief Medical Officer Donald Teplitz, DO; Town of Islip Trustee John C. Cochrane; Fr. Cletus Nwaogwugwu; Nurse Manager of Mother/Baby Joanne Schroeder, RN; Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology Benjamin Schwartz, MD; The Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation board member Henry Schreiber, Jr.; Foundation Chair Kelly Daniele-Crosman, Esq. The Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine unveiled an ultramodern 63,000-square-foot addition and an - nounced it has earned full accreditation, signaling the start of a new era as the char- ter class prepares to graduate this spring. The new building features a soaring, sun-filled atrium and state-of-the-art facili- ties, including a 7,300-square-foot struc- tural anatomy lab. It more than doubles the size of the medical school. M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Long Island | 2 9