Hempstead Town Giving $1 Million To Each Of 4 Local Hospitals

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, NY — The Town of Hempstead announced today that it would be giving $1 million to each of the four hospitals in the township's borders to help them cover costs associated with fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

The four hospitals are Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital, Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow and Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside. The funding will help offset the costs of adding ICU beds, acquiring more personal protective equipment, establishing new ventilator systems and other unanticipated aspects of taking-in and treating thousands of COVID-19 patients. In addition, this funding is also intended to counter the expenses of meeting state mandates that were beyond the hospitals’ control, such as becoming a testing center for first responders.

“The healthcare workers at our four local hospitals have been on the front lines throughout this entire public health emergency, and this funding will hopefully help ease the tremendous burden these facilities have endured to keep us safe,” said Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin. “Thank you to Senator Schumer and members of Long Island’s Congressional Delegation for securing the funding that the Town of Hempstead received through the federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act. The funds were intended to help support major economic entities that have been overwhelmed by the exorbitant, unexpected costs related to handling COVID-19. It is only right that the town support the heroes that have supported us throughout this entire ordeal. Our healthcare workers are our heroes, and we hope this aid will help alleviate these unforeseen financial stresses.”

The town determined the allocation of funding based on an application process, which detailed the need for funding support and the impact new government mandates related to COVID-19 had on these hospitals’ finances. Each application was reviewed by the town board as part of the Town of Hempstead’s Economic Recovery Committee, comprising leaders from business, labor, education and the community to regulate how to most effectively and responsibly apportion aid.

“Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead are working together to ensure the allocation of federal funds are distributed fairly to those on the front lines and with the greatest need, especially as expenses to fight COVID-19 continue to mount,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. “Nassau University Medical Center is the public’s only safety-net hospital and dependent on these federal funds to care for our area’s most vulnerable.”

Nassau University Medical Center plans to utilize the funding to support the purchase of personal protective equipment to meet the 90-day inventory that was recommended by state and federal guidelines for COVID-19 care.

Mount Sinai South Nassau will be using the grant funds to support the capital investments that were necessary in both equipment and facilities to handle the COVID-19 patient surge. For example, 50 ventilators were purchased in the early stages of the pandemic to support the increased surge in critical care patients. There was also an increased need of dialysis machines to support those experiencing kidney failure.

Mercy Medical Center will utilize the funds to offset the significant added costs of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies that were required as thousands of new patients were admitted to the facility.

Long Island Jewish Valley Stream plans to utilize the grant funding to offset the costs of adding new systems to the ICU facilities to support physical stresses. It will also be used to offset the mandated purchase of personal protective equipment, bedside monitoring systems, cleaning equipment and dialysis machines among many other equipment that needed to be purchased to meet patient need.