Rep. Zeldin, Long Island Community Hospital Urge New York State to Use John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Home to Increase Hospital Capacity

Statement

Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), member of the bipartisan Congressional Coronavirus Task Force, was joined by Long Island Community Hospital President & CEO Richard Margulis in urging the State of the New York to consider utilizing the currently unutilized John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Home in Yaphank, which could accommodate up to 500 beds, as a location to increase hospital bed capacity on Long Island.

"One of the greatest challenges the continued outbreak of coronavirus poses is the strain it puts on our communities' healthcare system and possible overwhelming of our local hospitals," said Congressman Zeldin. "We must utilize every resource available to expand our hospital bed capacity, and John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Home may be a critical untapped resource. I look forward to continuing to work with the leadership of Long Island Community Hospital and the Governor's office to help ensure Long Islanders have access to the medical treatment they need."

"During this unprecedented critical time in healthcare and its impact on our community, we have explored every possible option for helping to expand bed capacity limitations," said President & CEO of Long Island Community Hospital Richard T. Margulis. "We would like to use our asset of the former John J. Foley Nursing Home to create additional hospital bed space to help care for patients. I am pleased to see Congressman Zeldin is eagerly open to creating a plan to move this forward quickly and provide for the health care of Suffolk County residents. We need to join together and do whatever we can to fight this disease and support our community."

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