Mather Hospital signs letter of intent to join Northwell Health

Northwell Health Press Release
07/27/2017

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — The Board of Directors of John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY has entered into a letter of intent to join Northwell Health as part of a long-term strategy to ensure advanced healthcare for Mather’s communities and the future growth of the hospital.

Based on the unprecedented changes occurring in the healthcare industry, the Mather Board of Directors has determined that joining Northwell Health is in the best interest of the communities it serves, its medical staff and employees.

“Northwell Health is known for its innovative and progressive programs and world class care. This move will position us to continue our vision and mission to provide the highest standards of care well into the future,” said Kenneth A. Jacoppi, Esq., chairman of Mather Hospital’s Board of Directors.

“Mather Hospital is known for patient-centric care both in the community and throughout the industry,” said Michael J. Dowling, Northwell’s president and CEO. “That deeply embedded sense of purpose is the type of quality we want to represent Northwell Health, along with an excellent staff of medical professionals and physicians. Together, Mather and Northwell will play a crucial partnership role expanding world class care and innovative patient services to Suffolk County residents.”

Over the next few months, Mather and Northwell Health will work together in good faith to develop a final agreement which will require approval from both the Mather and Northwell Board of Directors as well as governmental regulatory authorities. If the process is successful, the approvals could take place by the end of 2017.

As part of an extensive search process, Mather Hospital has held discussions with several health systems regarding possible affiliation since early 2016. During this period, continuing consolidation and affiliations were occurring in our region. Prior to this decision, Mather was one of only two hospitals on Long Island that had not joined or announced plans to join a larger system.

“Our community, employees and medical staff have a deep commitment to Mather Hospital,” said Kenneth Roberts, president of Mather Hospital. “We chose a partner that would support our culture of caring as well as our future growth.”

Mather opened in December 1929 after local ship maker John T. Mather left a bequest to build the first hospital in the Town of Brookhaven. Today Mather is recognized as a MagnetTM designated hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather is also one of two Long Island hospitals to earn four stars from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for patient experience, safety, and timely and effective care measures.

As a community teaching hospital, Mather provides state-of-the-art care in bariatrics, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, robotic surgery, breast health, mental health and emergency services. It also operates the advanced radiosurgery program Precision CyberKnife of New York. Mather’s Graduate Medical Education program offers residencies in internal medicine, psychiatry, radiology and transitional year. Mather Hospital has more than 2,600 employees and has more than 600 staff and affiliated physicians.

About Mather Hospital
John T. Mather Memorial Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion and respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather is the only Long Island hospital to earn four stars from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for patient experience, safety, and timely and effective care measures since July, 2016. Mather also was ranked 19th out of almost 250 hospitals in New York State in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Hospitals rankings.

About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 22 hospitals and over 550 outpatient facilities. We care for more than two million people annually in the metro New York area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 62,000 employees – 15,000+ nurses and about 3,900 physicians, including more than 2,800 members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and the School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. And we offer health insurance through CareConnect. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.

Contact: Nancy Uzo
631-476-2723
nuzo@matherhospital.org