“We’re looking into the future and what the footprint of Northwell will be — across the entire borough of Manhattan. We’re providing services where there is not just a legacy presence but where there’s a tremendous need,” says Kevin Beiner, senior vice president and regional executive director, western region. Four locations throughout New York City are propelling Northwell’s vision through the creation of facilities ready to care for current New Yorkers and future generations.
The momentum and energy of Northwell’s presence in Manhattan is palpable — reflected in the ambitious growth beyond Lenox Hill Hospital. Since 1857, iconic Lenox Hill has been a cornerstone in the community. Entrenched in the fabric of the Upper East Side, the hospital has a national reputation for providing exceptional care, innovation and medical breakthroughs. But our ambitious vision has outgrown what’s possible within the historic walls of the hospital. In 2019, we announced plans to rebuild Lenox Hill Hospital through a significant redevelopment effort that will continue that legacy of care for generations to come. The new Lenox Hill will bepurpose-built, creating a truly best-in-class experience for every patient.
Another development in Manhattan is an entirely new facility on Third Avenue, between 76th and 77th Streets, in the heart of the Upper East Side. With plans to break ground in 2022, the Third Avenue facility will include a range of clinical and surgical specialties, ranging from endoscopy to advanced imaging to neurology to cardiology. This significant capital project received initial philanthropic support from two loyal Northwell families. Victoria and Lloyd Goldman, generous Northwell supporters and advocates, as well as Ellen and Daniel Crown, who have supported projects across Lenox Hill Hospital for more than 20 years, have laid the initial foundation for the development of Third Avenue. “We have a huge need for philanthropic support for the Third Avenue project, not only for the building, but for every floor and every program within the space,” says Dr. Schiffer. Additionally, a recent anonymous gift will accelerate the growth of women’s heart programs in New York City with the creation of a women’s cardiac center at Third Avenue. The center will expand patient capacity in aspecifically-designedspace for women’s heart health and advance cardiac care for women across Manhattan.
And during the height of the COVID-19 crisis, Northwell’s presence on 64th Street, home of the Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital (MEETH), underwent significant changes. While ensuring thesafety of our patients, we moved our outpatient cancer infusion suite from Lenox Hill to 64th Street — a move that served as the catalyst to further establish the storied location as Northwell Health Cancer Institute’s destination cancer center for the western region. Through that effort, the 64th Street location is becoming a calm and comfortable haven for all medical, radiation and surgical oncology, with a full-service imaging center and an expanded breast health center, which includes state-of-the-art imaging and diagnostics, treatments, and breast and plastic reconstructive surgery. As Richard Barakat, MD, MBA, physician-in-chief and director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute and the Edward and Carole Miller Distinguished Chair in Cancer says, “Comprehensive cancer care means we have our arms around every patient. Cancer is such a gut punch, and we’re providing the ultimate experience for our patients with cancer in a boutique, warm and welcoming environment — all in a centralized location in Manhattan.” Building on its renowned leadership in the community, MEETH celebrated a historic milestone of 150 years of service in 2019. “MEETH will maintain its history by being a premier place for eyes, ears and throats, which will not be compromised but will get even stronger — all while becoming the flagship location for Northwell Health’s cancer services, which is so needed here in the region,” says JoeManopella, executive director of MEETH.
Since its opening in 2014, Lenox Health Greenwich Village (LHGV) has served as a model of community-based care that integrates health and wellness services. “Without philanthropy, we would have never opened our doors. It was an incredible undertaking to turn an old maritime building into a state-of-the-art medical facility,” recalled Alex Hellinger, executive director of LHGV. Northwell’s presence in lower Manhattan was accelerated by the philanthropic support of William and Phyllis Mack, whose gift created an emergency department that revolutionized the way emergency care is delivered. The Phyllis and William Mack Pavilion, anchored by the city’s first and only freestanding, 24-hour emergency center, delivers the highest-quality care to the Village community. “Thanks to the Mack family, we were able to bring health care back to Greenwich Village — to an area that was entirely void of care,” says Alex.
LHGV continues to undergo a dramatic interior transformation, designing an experience of care that is unmatched in all of New York City. “We have listened to our community and are building out this facility to expand services for the unique and growing population we serve,” says Alex. Beyond the emergency department, LHGV now includes a diagnostic imaging suite, surgery center, multispecialty physician practices, conference space for community education and programs as well as an in-house laboratory and pharmacy services. “We plan to also build out cardiac catheterization labs and a 12-bed hospital unit, which would help us meet the most pressing needs as expressed by our own community.”
We have a responsibility to break down barriers to provide the most culturally sensitive, individualized, respectful health care foreach and everyperson. That’s why we work closely with the LGBTQIA+ community to provide specialized medical services in a safe, nonjudgmental environment. Northwell is proud to be a designated leader as one of the nation’s top health systems recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index, which measures inclusiveness of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community-at-large. In 2016, the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Foundation, longtime supporters of Northwell Health, emerged as advocates for the transgender community with the establishment of the Gerald J. Friedman Transgender Program for Health & Wellness at Lenox Hill Hospital. The Friedman Program has defined a new standard, providing a different kind of health care for transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.
“The Manhattan concept is so full of opportunity,” says Dr. Schiffer. “No other hospital has what we have and what we’ll have in the future. It’s a blank canvas for us to be able to do things — we are only limited by our imagination.”
