South Nassau Communities Hospital to Acquire LBMC Assets

Oceanside, NY, May 22, 2014 --(PR.com)-- South Nassau Communities Hospital today announced that the United States Court for the Eastern District of New York Bankruptcy Court has approved its amended asset purchase agreement (APA) to acquire substantially all of the assets of Long Beach Medical Center (LBMC), subject to the entry of a final order by the court.

Under the amended APA, South Nassau acquires LBMC’s assets, including land, buildings, and equipment, with the exception of the Komanoff Center for Geriatric and Rehabilitative Medicine, which will be acquired by another bidder at a separate closing.

Upon the closing of the sale of the LBMC assets, which is scheduled to occur on or about June 30, 2014, South Nassau will move forward with planning to redevelop medical services consistent with the needs of the South Shore communities served by Long Beach Medical Center and South Nassau Communities Hospital. Working with key constituencies, including community leaders, city officials, county officials and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) South Nassau plans to develop and hold community forums following the closing of the asset sale to gather input from the public regarding its plans to improve the accessibility of healthcare for South Shore residents.

The court’s decision paves the way for revitalization of the area’s health services more than 18 months after LBMC was closed due to the significant damage it suffered when Superstorm Sandy ravaged Long Island and the Tri-State Region on Monday, October 28, 2012. At the recommendation of the NYSDOH, South Nassau and LBMC entered discussions in June 2013 to develop a new healthcare delivery model to restore medical services in Long Beach consistent with the needs of its residents. The discussions continued into 2014, and resulted in the APA between South Nassau and LBMC that was submitted on Wednesday, February 19, when LBMC and the Komanoff Center for Geriatric and Rehabilitative Medicine each filed a petition for relief under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Court for the Eastern District of New York Bankruptcy Court.

South Nassau’s redevelopment of the LBMC campus will commence promptly with the establishment of a modern 21st century family medicine-urgent care center. The facility will provide state of the art treatment and triage for a wide array of urgent medical conditions as well as ambulatory care with subspecialty backup supported through an integrated information technology system connecting the center to South Nassau’s main campus in Oceanside. Laboratory and radiology imaging services will be provided on-site, as well. Care will be provided on a walk-in basis, with no appointments required. Patients who are assessed as in need of further emergency care or hospitalization will be transported to South Nassau or the hospital of their choice via on-site ambulance services.

Upon state approval, which will be sought immediately following the sale closing, South Nassau will convert and expand the urgent care center to a state-of-art, freestanding 911-emergency receiving facility. While South Nassau implements these plans it will also invest in programs and services on its Oceanside campus, recognizing that the facility plays a critical role as a “defend in place” hospital in the event of future natural disasters affecting residents of the South Shore of Nassau and Queens Counties. As part of the development of these programs a long range plan for the two campuses will also be completed assuring that access to vital services are assured and residents benefit from population health measures which improve patient outcomes and improve community health.