....September 11, 4:59 PM
	Women’s Hospital Breaks Ground Breaking ground at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s Katz Women’s Hospital (from l.) are: North Shore-LIJ President and CEO Michael Dowling, Holly and David Katz; Iris and Saul Katz; Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Robin Wachtler, and Judy Wilpon. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined with members of the New York Mets, patients, physicians, administrators, trustees and other supporters of the North Shore-LIJ Health System in breaking ground on LIJ Medical Center’s Katz Women’s Hospital, to be housed in a new $300 million, 10-story pavilion being built in front of the existing 54-year-old hospital in Queens. The project, made possible by the support of Saul Katz, chairman of the North Shore-LIJ Health System and president of the New York Mets, and his wife Iris, will create 250,000 square of space that will include 88 private patient rooms equipped with amenities to accommodate both patients and family members, and a range of maternity and women’s health services. The project, the largest in the history of LIJ Medical Center and the North Shore-LIJ Health System, will involve the construction of two separate and distinct lobbies and entrances, including one for the Katz Women’s Hospital, which will occupy seven of the 10 floors in the new building. This bold new initiative, scheduled for completion in 2011, coincides with the start of construction on the Katz Women’s Hospital at nearby North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, which will feature 73 private, spacious rooms, each designed to provide mothers, family members and visitors with the highest level of comfort. Other features include a family resource center, concierge services for women and a dedicated lobby. The North Shore project is scheduled for completion in 2010. The LIJ and North Shore projects will create an estimated 240 construction jobs, and approximately 75 new jobs at the two hospitals once construction is completed. LIJ Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital have the second- and third-busiest maternity programs, respectively, in New York State, delivering more than 11,000 babies every year. But the mission of the Katz Women’s Hospital will extend far beyond maternity, diagnosing and treating a full gamut of women’s health issues, from birth to end-of-life. “It’s a proud moment for us, as we take this bold first step toward creating a hospital that will devote itself to the full spectrum of women’s health issues,” Katz said, who also is supporting the creation of a Women’s Health Institute that will focus on community education, screening and prevention, lifestyle and wellness, and research. “It has long been clear that women have unique needs when it comes to healthcare. The North Shore-LIJ Health System has always recognized this fact, and now the time has come to direct even more attention and resources to meet these needs.” While the New York area’s population of women of child-bearing age has declined by about eight percent since 2000, it is projected that the volume of obstetrical cases will begin increasing in 2015, so the two hospitals – located two miles apart – will be well positioned to meet the current and future needs and expectations of women in the New York area. “Both LIJ and North Shore are leaders in the North York area in providing antepartum, delivery and postpartum care of normal and high-risk deliveries,” said Dr. Adiel Fleischer, the hospitals’ acting chairman of obstetrics and gynecology. “As major teaching hospitals, both have recruited the highest-quality obstetricians, perinatologists, neonatologists, anesthesiologists and residents to their medical staffs. The new Katz Women’s Hospitals will further enhance our reputation.”