Creating a ‘homier’ environment at Mercy Medical Center

Woodmere resident Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt applies personal touch to medical care

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Since becoming the executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre two and half years ago, Woodmere resident Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt has steered the hospital, which is part of the Catholic Health Services (CHS) of Long Island system, through the changing health care environment.

Recruiting physicians, cutting the turn around time for ambulances bringing patients to the emergency room and creating places to make Orthodox Jews more comfortable are part of Glatt’s plan to make Mercy what he called a “homier” hospital that has the advantages of being part of a system that includes nationally recognized facilities such as St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn.

“Size matters to a certain extant and there are other systems that are larger, but we retain the flavor of a small community hospital with the strength of a bigger system,” said Glatt, who oversees a $200 million annual budget.

Previously the president and chief executive officer at CHS’s St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage, Glatt, an infectious disease specialist, succeeded Nancy B. Simmons in November 2011. Simmons became executive vice president and CAO of Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, which is also part of CHS.

Glatt, an assistant rabbi at Congregation Anshei Chesed in Hewlett and an assistant to the rabbi at Young Israel of Woodmere, has used his relationships in the Five Towns to expand Mercy’s treatment offering as he brought in Dr. Eric Freeman to be the director of orthopedic surgery and chief of Sports Medicine. Freeman, who is also the managing partner of South Shore Orthopedic in Cedarhurst, served as the associate physician of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers during a fellowship, doctor for Hewlett High School and has treated all levels of athletes.

“Dr. Glatt had recruited me to come onboard at Mercy two years ago,” Freeman said. “He is an extremely proactive physician and patient friendly. He understands the changing health care environment and is progressive in moving Mercy forward in modern medicine.”

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