Multi-specialty health care facility is in the works for Wantagh

Mount Sinai South Nassau said this week it plans to open a medical facility in Wantagh that will provide multi-specialty health care services to Nassau County's South Shore residents.

The Oceanside-based hospital is planning the four-floor, $35 million medical facility for a building it owns at 2020 Wantagh Ave.

"We see the trend in health care is for people to get comprehensive care in one place, and that having care spread out is generally not as efficient," said Dr. Adhi Sharma, executive vice president and chief medical officer at the Oceanside-based Mount Sinai South Nassau. "We have found that having centers like this improves access and patient compliance."

Sharma added that having doctors under one roof helps "brings the added benefit of allowing doctors to be able to meet, if necessary. All of this helps deliver seamless care."

The facility, which will replace a Verizon building, is slated to open in 2022. Mount Sinai said it plans to start construction once it earns Town of Hempstead building permit clearance. Construction will take at least 18 months, Sharma said.

"We expect to be able to start construction this year," Sharma said.

Mount Sinai South Nassau plans to hold an online public Zoom meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m., to discuss the project and answer residents’ questions.

Clinical programs planned for the location include a Cancer Center, a Digestive Health Center, a Cardiovascular Care Center, a Women’s Health Center, a Diabetes Care Center as well as orthopedics, neurology, imaging and laboratory services.

The structure is being designed with COVID-19 in mind, hospital spokesman Joe Calderone said. For example, it will have a hospital-grade air filtration system. Expanded elevators are also planned to allow for proper social distancing, while entryways and restrooms will feature touchless and motion control sensors, he said.

The Wantagh location will not include hospital beds and will not receive emergency ambulances. Mount Sinai added that there is no plan to offer behavioral health or drug treatment services at this location.

Mount Sinai operates a similar, multidisciplinary location in Greenlawn.

Other health systems run similar facilities. For instance, Stony Brook Medicine operates a 120,000-square-foot Advanced Specialty Care location on Commack Road in Commack. Stony Brook's location puts 30 medical specialties under one roof. The specialties include primary care, pediatrics, urology, surgery and radiology.