Senator pushes FEMA to OK $20M for New York healthcare facilities

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer is pushing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to approve more than $20 million in flood protection funding to buy emergency generators for a hospital and nursing home in West Islip, N.Y., according to an article on the LongIsland.com website.

Catholic Health Services’ Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, N.Y. and Our Lady of Consolation Nursing and Rehabilitative Care Center both lost power and were evacuated during Superstorm Sandy.  

Good Samaritan is located within a flood plain, yards from a channel of the Great South Bay, and operates Suffolk County’s largest and most active emergency room. 

During the storm, Good Samaritan was partially evacuated. The most vulnerable treatment areas were closed and patients either transferred out or moved to less vulnerable areas on campus.  

Due to the hospital and nursing home’s proximity to the water, these facilities need federal Sandy dollars to purchase three new emergency generators, centralize its power plant and implement other flood mitigation measures, Schumer said.

Read the article.