For Immediate Release March 28, 2014Contact: Damian Becker, Manager of Media Relations

(516) 377-5370

South Nassau is First Hospital in NY to EarnJC Certification in End Stage Renal Disease

Oceanside, NY… South Nassau Communities Hospital is the first hospital in New York to earn End

Stage Renal Disease Certification from the Joint Commission (JC). The certification was awarded to South

Nassau for its compliance and continuous dedication to the national standards for health care quality and safety

as recommended by the commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program.

Certification and accreditation by the JC is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects a

hospital’s commitment to meeting demanding performance standards. End Stage Renal Disease Certification is

available only to dialysis programs in JC accredited acute care hospitals. End Stage Renal Disease occurs when

the kidneys stop working well enough for a person to live without dialysis or a transplant. This kind of kidney

failure is usually permanent and is most commonly caused by diabetes or high blood pressure.

"In achieving Joint Commission certification, we have demonstrated our commitment to the highest

level of care for our dialysis patients," said Richard J. Murphy, president and CEO of South Nassau.

To earn the certification, South Nassau’s in-house dialysis unit and Outpatient Dialysis Center (located

in Oceanside, NY) underwent a thorough and rigorous on-site review by surveyors with expertise in dialysis

care. The review demonstrated South Nassau’s compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of

patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

Combining advanced medical technology with comfortable furnishings, South Nassau’s inpatient

dialysis unit and Outpatient Dialysis Center provide professional, compassionate care for people who need

hemodialysis. The outpatient center sets the standard for the delivery of outpatient-dialysis services. Its 18

patient stations are equipped with state-of-the-art dialysis technology as well as a host of patient-centered

amenities, including satellite-linked, high-definition television sets, high-speed Internet services, personal

telephones, and individual lighting and heating control.

Equipped with the same state-of-the-art dialysis technology, the hospital’s inpatient dialysis unit

provides patients with dialysis treatments in a semi-private setting where they can relax in comfortable recliners

or beds under the watchful eyes of specially-trained nurses who are sensitive to their specific needs.

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Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), South Nassau®

Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 900 physicians and

3,000 employees.  Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that

provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and

emergency services.  In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency

and elective angioplasty and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife®

radiosurgery technologies.  South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of

Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is an

accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program.  For

more information, visit www.southnassau.org.