A Nu identity

The public benefit corporation that operates the Nassau University Medical Center has been renamed NuHealth, a switch intended to symbolize more than a facelift.

The switch to NuHealth was made in late September, as the Nassau Health Care Corporation entered its 10th year of existence. In addition to the NUMC in East Meadow, NuHealth operates the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility in Uniondale and several community health centers on the South Shore.
 
Arthur Gianelli, president and CEO of the public benefit corporation since 2006, explained that the switch was made to better represent the evolving mission of the health care provider.

“The public did not have a sense of the corporation — the name Nassau Health Care Corporation didn’t associate anything good or bad,” Gianelli said. “We also want to stress the fact that we are an integrated healthcare delivery
organization.”

The transition, which cost about $100,000, included the services of a marketing consultant, new advertising materials and the renovation of the corporation’s Web site, now www.nuhealth.net. A new slogan, “Together through life,” has also been incorporated into the logo.

Gianelli also said the name change represents the modernization efforts under way at its two main campuses. Active projects at the NUMC include an expanded Emergency Department and a new Ambulatory Services Pavilion. The hospital will also host a new health clinic for local veterans, set to open early next year. The corporation is also in the process of major revitalization efforts  at the A. Holly Patterson Center.
 
Furthermore, NuHealth officials and developers are in the midst of crafting a site plan for the redevelopment of the NUMC property. The concept, which has already been introduced in several public meetings, is to transform the East Meadow campus into a “health care village.”

“It absolutely underscores and is meant to support the whole modernization effort,” Gianelli said. “The look provides a contemporary feel and is consistent with a modernizing facility and the redevelopment of real estate.”

Grant funds new mammography equipment

NuHealth capped off National Breast Cancer Month on Oct. 27 by announcing a $1.2 million grant to be used for the purchase of digital mammography equipment.

The Kermit Gitenstein Foundation provided the grant to the Long Island Medical Foundation, the philanthropic arm for NuHealth. Three new digital mammography units will be used in the National Mah Jongg League Foundation Breast Center at the NUMC and for the mobile mammography van. Officials said the new equipment gives staff the ability to see 33 percent more patients in the same time period, while making the process more efficient.

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