Manhasset, NY Seventy years after North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) first opened its doors, the Level I trauma center and quaternary care teaching hospital has completed the Petrocelli Surgical Pavilion, a landmark decades-long project that will transform health care in the region. The $560 million, 288,000 s/f tower will feature nationally recognized cardiac, neurosurgery and transplant programs.
This investment by Northwell Health, New York State’s largest healthcare provider, represents one of the most significant projects of its kind in the New York Metro area and is an affirmation of its commitment to the communities that it serves. About 40% of all patients at NSUH come from Queens while another 5% travel more than 100 miles to seek care there.
New York-based Skanska USA broke ground on the capital project in April 2020, which was made possible, in part, through a gift from Attilio and Beverly Petrocelli. For nearly 30 years, the Kings Point, LI, couple has supported the health system through numerous development projects and programs at NSUH and Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park. In addition to the Petrocellis, other significant donors to the project include Sandra Atlas Bass, Arlene and Arthur Levine, Clifford and Randi Lane, Rahat and S. Zaki Hossain, Pamela and Laurence Tarica, Flora and Frank Lalezarian, Jodi and Robert Rosenthal, Linda and Seth Horowitz of the G. & B. Horowitz Family Foundation, and the Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation.
NSUH, which has 756 licensed beds and treats more than 90,000 patients each year, is home to the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital (SABHH), the Katz Women’s Hospital, neurosurgery, multi-organ transplant services and one of the busiest emergency departments in the region. NSUH is a Magnet-recognized hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which spotlights excellence in nursing. In 2023, CMS gave the hospital its highest 5-star rating while US News & World Report named the hospital No. 1 in New York State and top 22 nationally.
The Petrocelli Pavilion will feature 18 operating rooms (ORs), including three hybrid rooms with advanced imaging, along with 132 intensive care rooms (ICUs). Hybrid ORs combine a traditional OR with an image-guided interventional suite, allowing for highly complex, advanced surgical procedures. This project will upgrade and expand the critical care capabilities of NSUH to ensure ever more exceptional care. Following a period of intensive staff training in the new surgical tower, patients will relocate to new critical care units and surgeries will begin later this month.
“This is a proud moment for health care in the region. The Petrocelli Surgical Pavilion has been part of Northwell Health’s master plan for more than a decade,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell. “It took guile and determination to see this massive project through to completion. It took the belief of so many Town, County and State officials, along with the vision of countless donors, to help make it a reality. I want to personally thank everyone who made this investment in the health and longevity of New Yorkers possible. It is a true achievement.”
“Beverly and I feel that giving back to our hospital is one of the best ways we can help our community,” said Petrocelli. “It is so gratifying to know that this new pavilion will provide lifesaving, exceptional care to so many patients.”
“What this surgical tower does is unlock the full potential and resources of New York’s largest health system to provide the most complex care possible to Long Island and New York City residents,” said Jon Sendach, executive director of NSUH and deputy regional executive director of Northwell’s Central Region. “North Shore University Hospital has made tremendous strides from its roots as a small community hospital. The North Shore team was already performing at a high level; we were only constrained by space. Now our world-class medical experts have state-of-the-art ORs and ICUs to do even more.”
The new pavilion will serve as home to the SABHH and feature a concierge entrance for cardiac patients and their families. This cardiac program includes the most experienced heart team in New York, which delivered more cardiac care than any other health system in New York State in 2022 with 660,000 ambulatory visits, 38,000 inpatient discharges, 8,700 coronary interventions, 3,900 thoracic surgeries, 3,300 cardiac surgeries and 2,800 cardiac ablations. SABHH led the way. The cardiac hospital was also named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery by Healthgrades.
“Every known procedure that can be done in cardiac surgery, including heart and lung transplant, is done at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital,” said Alan Hartman, MD, senior vice president and executive director of Cardiothoracic Services at Northwell. “But now, in the Petrocelli Surgical Pavilion, the new home of the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital, advanced cardiac procedures will be done in a facility that has the splendor, space and cutting-edge technology that reflects the very procedures this building was built for.”
The Northwell Health Transplant Institute at NSUH features Long Island’s only heart, liver and lung transplant programs. In 2023, it completed its 150th liver transplant since the program first began in 2019 while the heart program celebrated its 100th heart transplant since 2018. Northwell’s transplant program began with kidney in 2007 and added lung in 2022, opening access to thousands of New Yorkers who otherwise would have to go into Manhattan for care.
“New York is home to some of the best transplant programs in the world,” said Nabil Dagher, MD, vice president and director of the Northwell Health Transplant Institute at NSUH. “Northwell is a relative newcomer to this critical space. Its transplant services were started to fill a glaring need and help Long Island and Queens residents get care close to home. But along the way, the Northwell Health Transplant Institute attracted top talent and has grown in both size and reputation into a destination in its own right. The Petrocelli Surgical Pavilion will only enhance what we can offer.”
Northwell features one of the largest academic neurosurgery departments in the nation and the department of neurosurgery at NSUH was recently ranked 19th in the nation for neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News, its highest ranking to date. The department will perform its 2,000 cases a year in the Petrocelli Surgical Pavilion, outfitted with the latest innovative operative technology and a hybrid OR specially designed for neurosurgical procedures. Patients will also benefit in their post-operative care from the 22-bed neurosurgical ICU.
“Neurosurgery as a field is constantly innovating as we tackle the most challenging threats to our central nervous systems,” said Daniel Sciubba, MD, senior vice president of Neurosurgery at Northwell. “Protecting and healing the brain and spinal cord preserves what makes each of us a unique human being. We firmly believe the Petrocelli Surgical Pavilion puts our department in a place where the best neurosurgical care in the region will be provided in the absolute best environment.”
To build the pavilion, Skanska employed innovative and emerging technologies throughout the construction process. This included utilizing drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and sensors to provide real-time insights into construction progress and site conditions. The firm used 3D modeling and weekly 360-degree image and video capture to better assess progress.
“Skanska has a long history of building health care facilities that better the communities in which we live and work, and we are proud to have collaborated with Northwell to deliver this transformational addition to North Shore University Hospital,” said Sean Szatkowski, executive vice president and general manager of Skanska USA Building. “The state-of-the-art Petrocelli Surgical Pavilion comes with new operating rooms, upgraded intensive care units, as well as improved utilities and power systems, all of which were built in coordination around an active hospital environment and will significantly augment Northwell’s ability to provide its top-ranked care to patients on Long Island.”