Date: May 30, 2008

New York State's Senate Majority Provides $25 Million Grant to Benefit the Hofstra University School of Medicine in partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System

Nassau County's State Senate Majority Delegation Secures Seed Money for Construction

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Friday, May 30…Today Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz joined with New York State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Senate Health Committee Chair Kemp Hannon to announce a $25 million capital grant that will provide the initial funding necessary for the state-of-the-art facilities needed to house the Hofstra University School of Medicine in partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System.

Watch Video of the Press Conference

"We are very grateful to New York State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean Skelos and our own New York State Senator, Kemp Hannon, as well as the Nassau County Senate majority delegation, for their leadership, vision and dedication to Long Island in securing the funding that will allow us to begin building the Hofstra University School of Medicine in partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System," said President Rabinowitz. "Senators Skelos and Hannon were among the first to recognize that making an investment of seed money in the School of Medicine will pay off dividends for decades to come, in economic development, in health care and opportunities for the residents of Long Island and New York State."

The University estimates that the cost to construct a state-of-the-art academic facility and the necessary residential housing for medical students will exceed $100 million, and plans to launch a capital campaign specifically for the School of Medicine in the next few months.  "This New York State capital funding provides us with the seed money we need to get our capital campaign started,” said President Rabinowitz. “We are confident that with our partner North Shore-LIJ, we will be able to raise the funds necessary to create an innovative School of Medicine."

"An innovative and vibrant School of Medicine will be a boon to Nassau County’s economy," said Deputy Majority Leader Skelos.  "An academic center for medical science will advance our regional biotech and health sciences industries, create opportunities for both entrepreneurs and established industries, and create good jobs for our residents."

New York State Senator Kemp Hannon, Chair of the Senate's Health Committee, whose legislative district encompasses Hofstra University, said, "With an aging population and surging improvements in medical technology, health care leaders in the United States have urged a one-third increase in physicians.  By 2020, just 12 years from now, the U.S. population is slated to grow by over 33 million, which is more than New York State's current population.  The need for well trained doctors, at hospitals and universities following established and cutting edge protocols, is self-evident. It makes sense to provide Hofstra University School of Medicine in partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System with a capital grant to get this project off the ground, providing the residents of Nassau County with better health care and services, while spurring innovation in our region."

"We're excited to provide this grant to Hofstra, but more importantly to the community," said Senator Carl L. Marcellino. "This initiative will help increase the number of well trained physicians that will practice in our region and create numerous job opportunities in the health care industry."

"From the moment the ground is broken for construction and through the decades ahead when quality trained medical experts graduate from Long Island’s new School of Medicine at Hofstra University, this funding will have enabled thousands upon thousands of jobs here on Long Island," said Charles J. Fuschillo. "This new School of Medicine is long overdue for Long Island and will provide a shot-in-the-arm for our local economy."

The new School of Medicine's temporary headquarters, including labs, classrooms and other academic facilities, will be in the Jets facility once the organization moves to its new headquarters during the fall of 2008.  "Once the new facilities are built, the new School of Medicine will have the best scientific technology and facilities available, and our other science and engineering programs will also benefit from the labs and classrooms we’ve built in the Jets facility.  The creation of the School of Medicine will benefit our region and all of our science programs," said President Rabinowitz.

The School of Medicine is expected to address the needs of 21st century healthcare in new and innovative ways. "Unlike many traditional programs in which the education of health professionals is done in independent academic units and with exclusive curriculum focused on each specialty, we plan to integrate our medical education into a comprehensive program that is patient-centered, building a medical school that is focused on the healthcare needs of the surrounding community," said Lawrence Smith, dean of the School of Medicine.  "The proposed school would also be involved in population-based research, emphasizing community-based medicine and the disparities of health, disease and services in the region – fundamental issues for every large, multicultural community."

About the School of Medicine
Once established, the Hofstra University School of Medicine in partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System will join the eight schools and colleges of Hofstra University. The Hofstra University School of Medicine will be the first allopathic (MD) medical school in Nassau County - and the first on Long Island in more than 35 years. Plans to create the new school were announced in October 2007. The agreement received approval from the boards of both Hofstra University and North Shore-LIJ Health System in the late winter of 2008, and was formally signed on March 26, 2008. Hofstra University School of Medicine in partnership with North Shore-LIJ Health System, which hopes to admit its first class in 2011, is currently pursuing preliminary accreditation with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and requisite New York State approval.

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Related Link: For more information on the Medical School