MISSION
The Mission of Eastern Long Island Hospital is to provide essential healthcare services to the communities of the North Fork and Shelter Island and critical access to specialized services. The Vision supporting this mission is for Eastern Long Island Hospital to be a regional leader in healthcare, committed to an integrated East End healthcare system that ensures excellence, compassion education, and the improved health of the community.
Eastern Long Island Hospital is an 85-bed; full-service community hospitals committed to delivering excellence in patient care and meeting all the health needs of the North Fork and Shelter Island. Established in 1905, Eastern Long Island Hospital is Suffolk County’s first voluntary hospital and boasts a reputation for combining advanced technology with “compassionate caring” and extraordinary personal attention.
The hospitals Mission has not changed since the submission of its 2007 Community Service Plan. However, the hospital is now a member of the East End Health Alliance. The East End Health Alliance, the Article 28 parent of Eastern Long Island Hospital, Peconic Bay Medical Center and Southampton Hospital, was created in response to the recommendations of the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century.
Consistent with the Mission of Eastern Long Island Hospital, the goals of the Alliance are as follows:
- To collaboratively develop high quality, comprehensive and accessible health care services to meet the needs of the community served;
- To rationalize health care services across the system; and
- To realize management efficiencies.
SERVICE AREA
Eastern Long Island Hospital has two distinct service areas: one for their medical surgical services and one for their behavioral health services. As the Map below indicates, the hospital’s medical surgical service area extends East to West from Orient to Mattituck.
Service area zip codes include: Cutchogue (11935); East Marion (11939); Greenport (11944); Laurel (11948); Mattituck (11952); Orient (11957); Peconic (11958); Shelter Island (11964); Shelter Island Heights (11965); Southold (11971).
The Hospital’s medical surgical service area has approximately 24,000 year round residents and the population of the region is expected to increase modestly over the next five years. Because the service area is a resort destination, the population increases significantly over the summer months. As a result, demand for hospital services increases during this period, in particular demand for the Hospital’s emergency room.
The population served by the Hospital is significantly older on average than Suffolk County, New York State and nationally. As the Table below indicates, more than thirty-nine (39) percent of the residents in the service area are fifty-five (55) and older with more than one in four residents over the age of sixty-five (65).
The Hospital has developed programs that are specifically geared towards meeting the health care needs of this older population, including the Hospital’s Geriatric Center of Excellence. The program was opened at Eastern Long Island Hospital to provide a team approach to professional care for the growing elderly population of the North Fork and Shelter Island.
The program offers advanced technology as well as traditional responses to the needs of patients and includes the services of a board certified geriatrician, educational programs, social work support and a nutritionist. Additional disciplines and specialties are always available for consultation. The staff of the Center is committed to enhancing the quality of each patient’s life with an emphasis on maximizing their independence.
There are no firm estimates of the number of migrant agricultural works that come into this area. Agriculture is one of Suffolk County’s leading industries. Its success relies on workers, primarily from Central America, who move through the Eastern United States in response to the availability of seasonal work.
Eastern Long Island Hospital recognizes that this population presents serious health problems. Many of these individuals are uninsured and unable to speak English. They rely on the Hospital’s Emergency Department, as well as the Suffolk County Health clinics for health care. Eastern Long Island Hospital provides translation services for non-English speaking people, using staff if available, and purchased telephone translation services to supplement.
The Hospital ‘s service area for psychiatric and alcohol and detoxification services is the entirety of Suffolk County.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Eastern Long Island Hospital has an extensive program of community outreach that is complemented by the efforts of the East End Health Alliance, the Hospital’s active parent. Input on the Community Service Plan is received from both internal and external sources. Needs are assessed on an annual basis by the Board of Trustees, Hospital management and staff, volunteers, and leaders of local not-for-profit organization and governmental agencies.
Community programs are publicized in a variety of ways: direct mail, flyers, calendar listings, e-mail communications, telephone information lines, newsprint advertising, and local cable television. Community members are encouraged to offer input on Eastern Long Island Hospital’s community programs by e-mail and via surveys collected at public events.
Eastern Long Island Hospital’s Community Service Plan is mailed to local elected officials and organizations and is publicized through our community newsletter. It is also available on the hospital’s website, www.ELIH.org and will be available on the East End Health Alliance website, www.healli.org and by mail as requested.
Services for short-term care and long-term care for chronic and acute illness are continually evaluated through statistical data that include quality indicators and patient outcomes. This data is compared nationally with other healthcare facilities and informs the Hospital’s Strategic Plan and Community Service Plan.
The Hospital’s Strategic Planning Committee consists of representatives from the community on the Hospital’s Board of Trustees along with representatives from the physician community and hospital administration. The Hospital’s Community Relations/Development Committee is comprised of seven members of the Board of Trustees, twelve community representatives and five Hospital staff. The Committee is an important source of providing the Hospital access to the community’s assessment of health care gaps.
The Hospital is a member of both the East End Council and the Peconic Community Council. Both Councils are coalition organizations with members who are dedicated to the promotion and preservation of health and human services for the North Fork of Long Island and share information with the Hospital as to relevant health and economic issues.
In addition, Eastern Long Island Hospital continually solicits patient input through its Patient Satisfaction Survey process, which includes every inpatient, ambulatory surgery patient and emergency room patient. The data collected from these comprehensive surveys provides valuable information on a wide range of quality indicators and areas of interest to our patients.
In addition, the Hospital receives input from the community through Hospital staff and Board of Trustee participation on community service organizations and open dialogue with respected community leaders, including:
- Emergency Medical Squads
- Greenport and Southold Rotary Clubs
- Long Island Blood Services
- Mattituck Chamber of Commerce
- Mattituck Community Fund
- Mattituck High School Business Advisory
- Mattituck Lyons
- Nassau Suffolk Hospital Council
- New York Organ Donor Network
- North Fork Breast Coalition
- North Fork Chamber of Commerce
- North Fork Promotion Council
- Peconic Landing
- Southold High School Business Advisory
- Southold Town Senior Services
- United Way of Long Island
The following provides a schedule of organized venues for community outreach and community services.
- Blood Drives (February, May and November)
- Blood Pressure Screenings (February)
- Poly-Pharmacology One-on-One Medical Evaluation Brown Bay Day (October)
- CEU Training – Rescue/EMS Squads (Monthly)
- Hospital’s Charity Care Program (Ongoing)
- Child ID Program – WHALE (Ongoing)
- Flu Shot Distribution (Seasonal as necessary)
- Geriatric Assessment program (Ongoing)
- Hand Washing Program (Ongoing)
- Hearing Screening (August)
Insurance Counseling: Eastern Long Island Hospital provides monthly insurance counseling with information related to Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus. Sessions are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month.
Educational Programs: Eastern Long Island Hospital’s staff regularly presents educational programs to the Board of Trustees, the Auxiliary, students and service organizations in the community. In addition the Hospital holds a yearly job shadow program. The Hospital sponsors a career day in the spring in four of the Hospital’s local school districts. The Hospital sponsors a nursing scholarship program that admits three students every year and sponsors a scholarship program for high school seniors in four school districts. A work experience training program complements the scholarship program offering qualified high school juniors a six-week program during the summer. The Hospital also sponsors a senior education series that is geared towards the health care needs of the elderly. Finally, the hospital offers access to a speaker’s bureau on request.
Improved Health of the Community through Early Detection and Prevention: The Hospital offers a series of early detection and prevention services throughout the year including skin cancer screening, smoking cessation, second hand smoking education, stroke assessment screenings blood drives, blood pressure screening, and influenza vaccinations and a sharps safety disposal program. The hospital also supports a physician referral service for patients seeking a physician.
Other Programs: Other programs include an ongoing opportunity shop, a weekly pet therapy program and a safe sitter program that is sponsored three times a year.
In addition to these outreach efforts, the Hospital -- through its Geriatric Assessment Program -- conducted a community needs survey in order to identify those services that the community believed would foster independent living for the elderly residents of the service area. Surveys were sent to members of the Hospital’s auxiliary, residents of Peconic Landing, members of Senior Citizen Centers, recipients of “Meals on Wheels” and participants in congregate dining programs and provided in doctor’s office’s, other allied professional offices and the Hospital’s lobby. Approximately 400 seniors responded and identified issues like improved access to transportation to services and improved access to in-home care as issues that that Hospital and its community partners should address. The Hospital is using the results of these surveys to submit grant applications for funding the initiatives identified by the survey.
In collaboration with the East End Health Alliance, the three Hospitals have also used a number of resources to assess community need and provided this information through a number of organized advisory boards with participation from physician groups that include a Strategic Planning Committee with representatives from public trustees, leadership from the Hospitals’ medical staff, physician trustees and chief medical officers; a Cancer Advisory Committee with representation from public trustees, community oncologists and primary care physicians; and a Cardiac Advisory Committee with representation from public trustees, community cardiologists and primary care physicians.
The Hospitals have provided these groups with information related to the incidence and prevalence of disease in the service area, preventable quality indicators, comparative use rates, and patterns to accessing health care services.
Strategic Planning
The Strategic Planning Committee has been meeting since the beginning of the formation of the East End Health Alliance and adopted a Strategic Plan that focused on near and mid-term opportunities for improving management efficiencies and strategies for working more closely with our respective physician communities. The strategies identified in the first Strategic Plan are well on their way to completion.
The Committee has expanded its members to include more trustee and physician representation and has begun to determine the community needs of the East End Health Alliance’s service are over the next three years. The Committee will be assessing these needs through means of the following:
- Analysis of SPARCS data
- Review of Prevention Quality Indicators
- Evaluation of reports from community, local, state, and federal government agencies
- Communication and collaboration with the Suffolk County Department of Health
- Communication and collaboration with Suffolk County Office for he Aging
- Assessment of information solicited from patients through patient satisfaction surveys
- Review of Hospital generated statistical information
- Review of current industry journals, periodicals and newsletters
- Analysis of trends identified in healthcare journals and periodicals
- Ongoing administrative staff planning session
- Monthly Board of Trustee meetings
Cancer Advisory Committee:
The Cancer Advisory Committee has had five meetings to date as follows:
- April 15, 2009
- May 13, 2009
- June 10, 2009
- July 29, 2009
- September 5, 2009
Meetings were scheduled and confirmed via telephone and e-mail. Based on data obtained from the New York State Department of Health and SPARCS data, the Committee concluded that the primary service area of the three East End Health Alliance Hospitals has significantly higher incidences of the following cancer types: prostate, lung and bronchus, breast and colorectal cancers. The committee also recognized that a significant number of patients leave the service area to receive cancer treatments and that the development of comprehensive cancer services at the Alliance Hospitals would significantly improve access to cancer services.
The Committee also recognized the importance of finding alternative provider models, including employment of physicians, to ensure that all individuals in the community have adequate access to these services irrespective of their insurance status and ability to pay.
The Committee is in the process of developing a set of recommendations for the three Alliance Hospitals that, when implemented, will increase access to cancer services.
Cardiac Advisory Committee
The Cardiac Advisory Committee has had six meetings to date as follows:
- June 23, 2009
- July 1, 2009
- July 22, 2009
- August 2, 2009
- August 17, 2009
- August 27, 2009
Meetings were scheduled and confirmed via telephone and e-mail. The Cardiac Advisory Committee reviewed data obtained from the New York State Department of Health and SPARCS. In addition, the Advisory Committee met with the directors of emergency medicine at the three Alliance Hospitals, community cardiologists and primary care physicians to obtain their input into barriers to access to cardiac care and opportunities to improve access.
Based on this information, the Committee has concluded that use rates for diagnostic catheterizations, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology and open heart surgery are significantly lower that the New York State average and significantly lower than both Nassau and Suffolk County. At the same time, admission rates for heart disease, congestive heart failure and stroke are significantly higher than Suffolk and Nassau County. In addition, prevention quality indicates document the potential to improve access to preventative cardiac services.
The Committee also recognized that a significant number of patients leave the service area to receive care and that this presents an opportunity for the Alliance Hospitals to further develop cardiac services to improve access to these services to the community. The Committee is in the process of exploring with Stony Brook University Medical Center, an affiliate of all three hospitals, potential opportunities for enhancing the provision of cardiac care at the Alliance Hospitals to better serve the health care needs of the community.
ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITIES
Eastern Long Island Hospital was an active participant in the collaborative planning process with the Suffolk County Department of Health and community partners to assess community health needs, to identify health priorities, and to develop public health programs to meet these identified needs. This collaborative group met from the fall of 2008 through August of 2009, and selected tobacco use and unintentional injury as the two health priorities identified in the New York State Prevention Agenda toward the Healthiest State.
Smoking cessation was selected because the use of tobacco is the number one underlying risk factor for multiple diseases. Moreover, Nassau and Suffolk Counties suffer from some of the highest mortality rates from heart disease mortality in New York State. Unintentional injuries was selected as a priority given the fact that Suffolk County has a relatively high mortality rate for unintentional injuries when compared to New York State and nationally. The group also agreed that given the shortage of resources available to advance public health agendas, it was important to select priorities that could build on programs that are already in place.
Both smoking cessation and programs to reduce unintentional injuries accomplish this goal. One of the priority initiatives for the Suffolk County Office of Health Education is to develop and implement effective anti-smoking programs that will reduce the rate of tobacco use in school-aged children. In addition, many of the Hospitals in Suffolk County, including Eastern Long Island Hospital have programs and support groups in place to work with their employees and community based organizations to reduce smoking. Community based programs augment County and Hospital efforts in reducing tobacco use. The Tobacco Action Coalition and Healthy Mothers/Healthy baby Coalition will be sought out to engage in collaborative efforts.
There are also a number of existing programs in Suffolk County that have developed strategies for reducing the incidence of unintentional injuries. The County’s Bureau of Public Health Nursing provides home health care services for patients suffering the sequel of unintentional injuries. The County also provides education and support to mothers and children aimed at preventing injuries from burns. A partnership between St. Josephs College and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services has help identify the appropriate target population for education and interventions to reduce these injuries.
Finally, Article 6 funds can be used by the Suffolk County Health Department consistent with New York State’s Health Agenda.
These two priorities will be a major operational commitment of Eastern Long Island Hospital over the next three years. The hospital will continue to collaborate with the Suffolk County Department of Health and community partners in ensuring that we reach the goals set for these two priority areas, measure progress in achieving these goals and eliminating racial, ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities where they exist.
Once the planning group adopted these priorities, representatives from the Suffolk County Department of Health, Suffolk County Hospitals, including Eastern Long Island Hospital and community representatives divided into two work groups. Each work group was charged with developing a set of recommendations to implement effective strategies to address both health care priorities.
Unintentional Injury Work Group
This work group was charged with developing strategies to prevent unintentional injuries, with a focus on fall presentation in those aged sixty-five and older.
The work group assigned to develop a work plan for addressing unintentional injuries had the following membership:
Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, D.O., Commissioner, Suffolk County Department of Health
Jane Corrarino, Chair, Working Group, Public Health Nurse
Dr. Ed Nadel, Biostatistician
Adele H. Klenk, AARP
Pamela Ash, Director, Dominican Sisters Family Health Service
Mary Jean McKeveny, Community Representative
Juliet Fordella, Eastern Long Island Hospital
Dale Chaikin, North Shore- LIJ Health System
Judy Beizer, Pharmacist
Miranda Corcoran, St. Catherine’s Hospital
Bill Hannigan, St. Charles Rehabilitation Hospital
Laurel Breen, St. Joseph’s College
Dr. Catherine Nicastri, Stony Brook University Medical Center
The group adopted by the following recommendations for action related to reducing unintentional falls:
- Design and develop health education materials designed to prevent falls in the elderly that:
- Include ideas from both the target population and from experts and community members
- Incorporate strategies know to be effective for those with low literacy skills
- Develop companion booklets, posters and calendars (with prevention strategies outlined each month of calendar year)
- Develop materials for partner agencies with space for the logo of a given organization/agency who may be printing the materials for themselves to provide to their given target group or community
- Conduct pre- and post- testing to ensure that educational information is effectively increasing knowledge
- Incorporate these materials into a community outreach plan. This plan should be community focused, with participation from all hospitals, the Health Department, and community agencies and organizations
- Coordinate the activity between the partners
- The outreach plan should include
- Education at Senior Centers, Meals on Wheels, etc.
- Education of providers (e.g. physicians, pharmacists, nurses, etc.)
- Distribution and outreach via supermarkets
- Home Health Agencies, Hospitals, Adult Day Care
- Organizational newsletters and marketing plans
- Develop Data Subcommittee that will analyze pertinent Suffolk County data regarding demographics and high-risk areas, in order to target high-risk areas and subpopulations,
Specific assistance and expertise for moving forward was offered as follows:
Dr. Nicasri, from Stony Brook University Medical Center, offered to oversee medical Residents and Fellows who will be available to conduct professional and community teach. Dr. Belzer offered to assist with session similar to brown bag day and medication chats that she conducts in other locales. Ms. Corrarino offered to design health education materials. Ms. Rhodes-Teague offered to coordinate efforts with Senior Centers and Nutrition sites. The group will also explore the ability of home health agencies to bill Medicare for all prevention activities in the home.
The work group will continue to meet. They will meet in September to review the health education materials that have been developed and continue to move forward and solidify plans.
Smoking Cessation Work Group
This group was charged with developing strategies to reduce the number of Suffolk County residents who smoke.
The group assigned to reduce tobacco use included the following:
Grace Sparacino, St. Charles Hospital
Sabra Boughton, Stony Brook University Medical Center
Jack Hoffman, Eastern Long Island Hospital
Pat Folan, North Shore – Long Island Jewish Health System
Stephanie Perfer, North Shore – Long Island Jew Health Care System
Nance Bodnar, John T. Mather Hospital
Ann Cuccia, Southampton Hospital
Donna Loy Murino, Southside Hospital
Felice Jones Lee, Southside Hospital
Julia Macchiaroli, Huntington Hospital
Martha Kahan, Eastern Suffolk BOCES
Susan Kennedy, Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island
Lori Benincasa, Suffolk County Department of Health Services
Wendy D. Darwell, Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, Inc.
Lori Ginsberg, North Shore – Long Island Jewish Health System
Craig Homis, Southampton Hospital
Michael Thom, Brookhaven National Laboratory.
The Tobacco Cessation Working Group developed a recommended template for a tobacco control policy to be considered and adopted by the Suffolk County hospitals. The Template is as follows:
- Policy Statement (to include)
- Why
- Commitment to health/statistics – the cost of tobacco use in morbidity, mortality and financial loss
- Hospitals need to set example, lead the way
- Baseline data. Current policies and procedures. Rates of tobacco use and/or cessation
- Who
- Policy may cover staff, patients, visitors, community members
- Where
- Hospital
- Complete ban on grounds or partial
- Other buildings and/or clinics located off site
- Effective data
- What
- Restrictions – all tobacco products?
- Procedures for implementation – briefly will be covered fully in II
- Educational goals
- Community Outreach
- Procedures
- Communication of Policy
- Employees
1. Existing
2. New – Will tobacco use affect hiring?
- Patients
1. What will be given upon admission, i.e. materials, medication, program referral
2. Follow up
- Visitors – signage, materials, cessation products
- Vendors and independent contractors
- Education/Prevention
- Within Hospital
1. Cessation (staff, patients)
2. Environmental tobacco smoke
- Community
1. Cessation
2. Environmental tobacco smoke
3. Community forums at Hospitals
4. Participation in outside community events with cessation and environmental tobacco use the priorities
5. Newsletters, pamphlets. Tobacco control always be included
- Outside resources to be used
- Medical Management Compliance
- Physicians Orders
- Medication/education
- Staff assigned to follow up
- Education
- Patients who smoke
- Follow up cessation services after discharge
- Sale of tobacco on Hospital grounds
- Enforcement
- Responsibility
- Enforcement Officers
- Responsibility of employees
- Penalties
- Hospital Personnel
- Patients
- Visitors
- Evaluation
- Effective date of changes
- Rates of tobacco use and/or cessation
- Compliance.
THREE YEAR PLAN OF ACTION
- As was previously discussed both prevention of unintentional injuries and tobacco cessation have been program goals of the Suffolk County Department of Health and Eastern Long Island Hospital.
- The Suffolk County Department of Health has committed to support the ongoing work of the two groups focused on these health care priorities. This support will include convening meetings, providing expertise and data. Eastern Long Island Hospital is committed to be an active participant in this process.
- The overall goals for the two priorities are as follows:
Tobacco Cessation
Short Term Goals
- To use the template developed by the Tobacco Cessation Working Group as a guide for the development of a comprehensive tobacco policy.
- To set a timeline with an implementation date and benchmarks towards achieving a smoke free campus
- To provide educational programs for staff, patients and the community.
- To provide tobacco education and cessation programs and resources for patients, staff and the community.
- To generate community support for smoke free hospitals.
- To incorporate the use of resources available through the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, the Center for Tobacco Control and community partners into the comprehensive policy.
Long Term Goals
- To improve the health of Suffolk County residents.
- To reduce the prevalence of tobacco use in Suffolk County
- To work towards creating a culture of safety by eliminating exposure to environmental tobacco smoke
- To reduce health care cots associated with tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
Unintentional Injuries
Goals
- To address injury prevention with a focus on fall prevention in those aged 65+
- To utilize the collaborative relationship between the Suffolk County Hospitals in the development of their Community Service Plans and the Suffolk County Department of Health in its development of the Community Health Assessment
- Develop a calendar with monthly prevention strategies
- To seek grant monies to support educational activities
- To understand the risk factors for falls in the target population
- To identify effective health education strategies
- Improve health literacy
- Develop educational forums for adult children and caregivers, health care providers and seniors through various venues: senior housing, physician offices, senior centers, Hospitals, newsletters, home visits, meals on wheels, peer education, caregiver support groups, home care nurses and physical therapists, pharmacies, and public awareness and public relations campaigns.
- Agree on pre- and post-testing measures for outcomes.
The Suffolk County Department of Health work group will develop common measures for evaluating the success of the community Hospitals and community partners in addressing the two selected health priorities.
The County will also support ongoing participation and input from community groups and integrate into the planning and implementation process for the two selected priorities to ensure that the goals are met.
FINANCIAL AID PROGRAM
The major obstacles that Eastern Long Island Hospital has faced since the implementation of the Charity Care/Financial aid policy is non compliance in completing the application, lack of documentation, and failure to pay once financial aid has been granted. To assist with these challenges the hospital provides on site financial aid counselors to complete and answer questions regarding the application process. However, in the collection of documentation for proof of eligibility, some applicants have refused to provide the minimal amount of information needed to prove entitlement. Additionally, there have been instances where financial aid has been granted and the patient refuses to pay the discounted charges, which results in a default to bad debt. To further assist with these barriers, once a month the hospital has onsite facilitated enrollment coordinators come in to interview and process Medicaid, Family Health Plus, and Child Health Plus applications.
PUBLIC INFORMATION
Eastern Long Island Hospital will disseminate a written summary of the Community Service Plan to the public through production of either a brochure or pamphlet. The Plan will be posted both on the hospital’s web site and on the East End Health Alliance’s web site. The summary will include financial data that demonstrates our current and future commitment to public health programs and financial assistance and will highlight key information regarding the Hospital’s public health programs, including the two selected prevention agenda priorities.