Long Beach cardiologist joins South Nassau Communities Hospital

Dr. Lee Weitzman, a Long Beach-based physician who has been practicing cardiology and internal medicine for more than 34 years on the barrier island, has joined South Nassau Communities Hospital to improve and expand cardiovascular health and primary care services for residents of the city and surrounding communities. The partnership was announced at a news conference on

Aug. 16.

“This partnership represents South Nassau’s continuing commitment to residents of the barrier island and is part of our plan to strengthen the availability of specialists to Long Beach patients so they don’t have to leave the barrier island for services like non-emergency cardiology care,” said Richard Murphy, South Nassau Communities Hospital president and chief executive officer.

Located at 325 W. Park Ave. in the heart of Long Beach, the practice provides full-range cardiac diagnostic services, including nuclear stress testing, cardiac stress testing and echocardiography. The practice is open to see patients 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday.

“The partnership between Dr. Weitzman and South Nassau Communities Hospital is another significant step toward restoring healthcare services on the barrier island,” State Sen. Todd Kaminsky said. “I know from personal experience that this partnership is great for patients after the excellent care Dr. Weitzman provided to my grandmother.”

“When healthcare providers known for quality care and advanced medicine join forces, the ultimate beneficiaries are the patients and communities they serve,” said County Executive Laura Curran.

As a result of the partnership, Weitzman’s office staff has expanded to include experienced clinical cardiologists Jason Levi Esses, MD, FACC, and Michael Sood, MD, who also specializes in internal medicine. Dr. Esses is seeing patients full-time at the practice while Dr. Sood rotates through the practice once a week.

“Dr. Esses and Dr. Sood are known for their clinical acumen as well as attentive and responsive relationships that they establish with their patients,” said Weitzman, who also served as the Chief of Medicine at the old Long Beach Medical Center. “South Nassau is a first-rate hospital with an excellent cardiovascular interventional lab and cardiology team. I look forward to continuing to serve Long Beach and the surrounding communities and seeing this successful partnership to its fruition.”

“This is an important step in the revitalization of the healthcare delivery system in Long Beach,” said Nassau County Legislator and Long Beach resident Denise Ford. “The partnership unifies two providers, Dr. Weitzman and South Nassau, that know the healthcare needs of the residents and are committed to our needs for compassionate, responsive healthcare.”