The past year has been one of dramatic change for Huntington Hospital. With the opening of the 72,000 square foot Surgical Services Pavilion in December 2004, the hospital is sporting a new look, an updated feel, and most importantly, modern, up-to-the minute technology to ensure that our patients’ experiences meet and exceed their expectations.

We’re Different – Inside and Out

Parking
Parking is available in the lower lot on the corner of Park Avenue and View Acre Drive. Handicapped parking is available in the front circle, near the original hospital building, and in the North Parking Lot adjacent to the Delivery Entrance. Courtesy telephones are located throughout the parking areas. These will connect patients and visitors who have difficulty walking to and from their cars directly to our Security Staff, who will be happy to provide transportation between the parking fields and the hospital.

…On the Horizon
Construction of a multi-tiered parking structure is planned for this year.

First Impressions Matter
We understand that coming to the hospital for any reason can be a stressful experience. In order to create a soothing environment that supports our mission of healing, our recent renovations include new amenities that cater to your comfort and convenience.

Pre-Admitting Testing a Breeze
Within the Surgical Services Pavilion, just to the right of the main entrance, is the Pre-Admitting Testing
Unit. Patients simply register at the desk, and all of their pre-admitting testing needs are handled within one convenient location. Here, patients meet with a nurse practitioner who takes their medical history, orders and interprets any diagnostic examinations that may be required prior to admission or surgery. These may include a chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, blood pressure check, laboratory analysis of
blood and/or urine, and other tests as necessary. Those who are scheduled for surgery also have an opportunity to meet with one of our highly qualified anesthesiologists or a nurse anesthetist who will discuss the type of anesthesia that will be administered during the procedure, as well as pain management options following surgery. Preadmitting testing takes approximately an hour and a half or less.

New Surgical Facilities
Construction of the Surgical Pavilion provided Huntington Hospital with the opportunity to completely reevaluate its surgical services, and to make changes where appropriate in order to provide patients with an environment that maximizes patient safety, convenience, and privacy.

Our surgical facility has more than doubled in square footage. Ten new operating rooms provide our surgeons with adequate space in order to offer patients the latest surgical technologies. Robotic arms, flat screen monitors, harmonic scalpels and specialized lasers can be deployed from above, keeping the floor space cleared of obstructive equipment. Suspended from the ceiling of each operating room is a Xenon light. Huntington Hospital is one of only a few in the nation to provide this soft, natural light within every one of its operating rooms. During video-assisted procedures, green light floods the operating room to reduce video monitor glare.

At the hub of the new operating rooms is the core, a centrally located, sterile nucleus that buzzes with activity. Registered nurses, surgeons, and technologists circulate throughout this area. Nurses keep track of the activities, equipment, and staffing needs of each of the operating rooms via a sophisticated video monitoring system. Unique glass-paneled “passthroughs” enable staff to provide sterile equipment to each room as needed.

A specialized dumbwaiter transports sterile surgical instruments and supplies into the central core directly from the hospital’s Sterile Supply Department. Used equipment is removed from the operating rooms via the area’s perimeter and sent back to Sterile Supply via a separate lift. This “one-way” system improves sterility and infection control within the operating rooms.

Who is Behind the Mask?
Almost 500 physicians provide expert, dedicated care to the 45,000 patients who visit our Emergency Room, and to more than 12,000 others who have surgery each year at Huntington Hospital. Specialists in every field ensure that infants, seniors and everyone in between receive the highest quality healthcare for a wide range of conditions. Coming to practice on Long Island’s north shore from highly regarded programs around the country, our doctors bring the best of 21st century medicine to the Huntington community. Attend our medical conferences, or listen in to hushed hallway consultations, and you’ll hear graduates of Cornell, Columbia and Mt. Sinai sharing best practices with colleagues from Harvard, Tufts and Duke. A number of our staff members share their knowledge with the wider healthcare community by lecturing at national meetings, publishing original research in the most prestigious journals, and serving on expert panels that create authoritative practice guidelines for a nationwide professional audience. Our physicians also serve as faculty for Stony Brook medical students, and as mentors for residents and fellows in such fields as Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Orthopaedics and Cardiology.

Anesthesiologists
Anesthesiologists are responsible for administering medications that render patients unaware of pain and other sensations. During surgery, anesthesiologists are also charged with monitoring and supporting vital life functions such as breathing, blood pressure, heart rhythm, brain and kidney function. The increasing range of medications that are available, combined with advanced computerized patient monitoring equipment, helps to ensure that the administration of general anesthesia is safer than ever before. Huntington Hospital’s anesthesiologists are Board-certified, and many have additional expertise in subspecialty areas such as pediatric anesthesiology, anesthesia/critical care, obstetric anesthesiology, and post-operative pain management.

Intensivists
With the launch of its Intensivist Program, Huntington Hospital has made a major commitment to providing the highest level of care to our hospital’s most vulnerable patients. A team of intensivists, specialists in critical care medicine, provide a round-the- clock presence on the hospital’s Intensive Care, Intermediate Care, and Cardiac Care Units. Acting as a “team captain,” the intensivist helps coordinate the care that a variety of subspecialists may be providing to critically ill patients, many of whom are suffering from illnesses that affect multiple organ systems. The intensivist can also serve as a “go-to” person for family members who can discuss their loved ones’ status with a physician who is familiar with the case at any time of the day or night.

The program has proven to be much more than an amenity. Within its first 12 months, the presence of these skilled physicians has resulted in measurable improvements in outcomes for critically ill patients.

Surgeons
Huntington Hospital’s Department of Surgery includes general surgeons, plus many experts in subspecialty areas including breast surgery, dermatology, maxillofacial surgery, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopaedic surgery, hand surgery, spine surgery, pediatric surgery, podiatry, thoracic surgery, urology, and vascular surgery. Our surgeons are all Board-certified or Board-eligible. Huntington Hospital surgeons are often the first in the region to gain expertise in newly emerging techniques and many serve as preceptors to teach the latest surgical applications to surgeons at other facilities.

Nurses
Huntington Hospital’s nurses recently achieved a rare distinction when their efforts resulted in the hospital being named a “Magnet facility” by the American Nurses Credentialing Center of the American Nurses Association. Huntington is Long Island’s first community hospital to achieve Magnet status. This designation affirms that Huntington’s nurses practice nursing at its highest level, and are extraordinarily skilled, educated, and committed to patient care. There are 540 registered nurses at Huntington Hospital. Many have obtained advanced degrees and/or certification within their practice areas.

Quality
Huntington Hospital conducts its own stringent Quality Management program under the direction and oversight of a Vice President of Medical Affairs and a Quality Management Director. Various committees review patient care, policies and procedures on an ongoing basis to ensure that patients receive the best and most appropriate care.

The hospital also benchmarks its outcomes against the other hospitals in the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, as well as others across the state. Data indicates that Huntington Hospital consistently performs as well as or better than its counterparts in the vast majority of areas surveyed. In fact, the hospital has been recognized by the State of New York for its performance with newborn hepatitis vaccination.

Looking Ahead
The achievements of the recent past are paving the way for future progress at Huntington Hospital. Renovations are continuing throughout the facility. Processes and procedures are continually being evaluated to ensure that our patients’ needs are being fully met. Plans are underway to add new services such as bariatric surgery, welcome new medical staff members, and renovate our facility beginning with our Emergency Department.