SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE $154 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR LONG BEACH’S SOUTH NASSAU COMMUNITIES HOSPITAL TO REBUILD FORMER LONG BEACH MEDICAL CENTER THAT WAS DAMAGED BY SUPERSTORM SANDY

Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Millions in FEMA Funding to Rebuild an Essential Facility at Former Long Beach Medical Center Site to Provide Barrier Island Residents With Vital Medical Services

South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Take-Over of Long Beach Medical Center Hinged on This Massive Federal Funding

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $154 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance will be obligated to South Nassau Communities Hospital for damages incurred at the former Long Beach Medical Center as a result of Superstorm Sandy. This federal funding will be used to rebuild an essential facility that provides Long Beach and the surrounding communities with vital medical services. The funding is authorized by FEMA’s Alternative Procedures, which provides a lump sum payment instead of the typical incremental funding by FEMA. The project’s total cost is $173 million, 90 percent of which will be covered by the federal government through this award. The remaining ten percent is considered the local share, and is expected to be covered by New York State using HUD CDBG funds.

“This massive investment of $154 million will ensure that enough funds are in place for South Nassau Communities Hospital to rebuild an essential facility that will provide the Long Beach community with vital medical services into the future. After Superstorm Sandy, I fought tooth and nail on behalf of barrier island residents and surrounding communities, and today I am pleased to announce mission accomplished. Now, South Nassau Communities Hospital must work with the community to rebuild a facility that meets the needs of the residents of this unique geographical region,” said Senator Schumer.

“I am thrilled that South Nassau Communities hospital will get the resources needed to recover from Superstorm Sandy and continue serving the Long Beach community,” said Senator Gillibrand. “With this funding, South Nassau Communities Hospital can rebuild and Long Beach residents can continue to count on its essential medical services. I will continue to fight for critical investments like this one so the communities still recovering from Super Storm Sandy can rebuild and grow stronger.”

Schumer has long fought for the Long Beach Medical Center, now South Nassau Communities Hospital, to receive these funds. After Long Beach Medical Center filed for bankruptcy, it was unclear whether the potential new owner of the site, South Nassau Communities Hospital, would be eligible to receive federal Sandy relief funds owed to Long Beach Medical Center. The takeover was contingent on the FEMA funds being eligible to South Nassau Communities Hospital. In February 2014, Schumer called on FEMA to make an “advisory opinion” that would allow recovery dollars to be transferred to South Nassau Communities Hospital. In May 2014, FEMA heeded Schumer’s called and deemed South Nassau eligible for FEMA rebuilding funds; this was the last hurdle that cleared the way for South Nassau Communities Hospital to begin taking over Long Beach Medical Center that month.

Schumer and Gillibrand today announced that $154 million in federal funding will allow South Nassau Communities Hospital to rebuild an essential facility to provide medical services to the Long Beach community.