75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson, NY 11777 • 631.473.1320

Transitional Care Unit — A First on Long Island

Following a competitive New York Department of Health application process, Mather Hospital has been designated as the first hospital on Long Island and one of the first five hospitals in New York State, to implement a Transitional Care Unit (TCU).

With this new designation, a three-year pilot TCU is operational as of early 2007, and is a collaborative project with Island Nursing and Rehabilitation, a not for profit skilled nursing facility located in Holtsville, which is sponsored by John T. Mather Memorial Hospital.

The TCU will provide an alternative for those patients whose inpatient needs are between Medicare’s evolving definition of acute care and traditional definitions of skilled nursing. The TCU is also designed to include a higher level of physical and occupational therapy for patients requiring more specialized care.

The TCU is governed with Medicare and New York State Department of Health regulations for a skilled nursing facility. Mather staff physician Dr. Michael Fishkin has been appointed Medical Director of the Unit, and Ms. Deborah Schafmayer has been appointed Nurse Unit Manager.

Mather Hospital President Kenneth Roberts said, “Our TCU at Mather Hospital ensures that patients receive the specially focused care they require for the second half of their acute care stay, before being discharged to a skilled nursing facility or their family home. Initiatives like the TCU, enable Mather Hospital to continually improve upon the delivery of patient care in our community.”

For more information call us at 631-476-2888.

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