New affiliation brings name change to Lutheran Medical Center

Sunset Park hospital now called NYU Lutheran

April 2, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Dr. Robert I. Grossman, dean and CEO of NYU Langone, and Wendy Z. Goldstein, president and CEO of the newly renamed NYU Lutheran, said the affiliation between their two institutions will greatly benefit patients. Photo courtesy NYU Langone

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A formal affiliation agreement between NYU Langone Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center, first announced in November, has now been completed as the two health care institutions have received approval for the partnership from all relevant government agencies, officials announced Wednesday.

With the approval of the affiliation all set, Lutheran Medical Center, located at 150 55th St. in Sunset Park, has undergone a name change and will now be known as NYU Lutheran.

The Manhattan-based http://nyulangone.org/ NYU Langone and Brooklyn-based NYU Lutheran will share the same parent corporation: NYU Langone Health System.

Under the agreement, each hospital will retain its own board of trustees.

But Crain’s New York Business reported that NYU Langone will have authority to remove members of NYU Lutheran’s board of directors as well as fill vacancies on the board. NYU Langone will also have the authority to approve any merger NYU Lutheran enters into with another health care institution and has the authority to review any NYU Lutheran transaction of $25 million or more.

In addition, NYU Langone will have the final say on NYU Lutheran’s operating and capital budgets, according to Crain’s.

“We are extremely excited to affiliate with the great faculty and staff at NYU Langone,” NYU Lutheran President and CEO Wendy Z. Goldstein said in a statement. “This new chapter for Lutheran is an important step in delivering the highest quality care possible to one of the New York City metropolitan area’s most diverse communities.”

Dr. Robert I. Grossman, dean and CEO of NYU Langone, said his hospital and NYU Lutheran share a mission to bring world class care to the communities where their patients live.

“This new health system is a significant step towards realizing this objective. Following the recent partnership to expand pediatric services at NYU Lutheran, our two medical centers have already shown an amazing ability to work together to provide excellent and easily accessible services to our patients,” Grossman stated.

Brooklyn residents who currently travel to Manhattan for primary and specialty care can now benefit from seeing NYU Lutheran specialists, officials said.

NYU Langone and NYU Lutheran have already begun working together. The two medical institutions launched a joint effort in January to provide pediatric subspecialty services at NYU Lutheran and NYU Lutheran Family Health Centers.

Founded in 1883, NYU Lutheran is a 450-bed academic teaching and tertiary care hospital. The hospital includes a Level I Trauma Center and a New York State designated Stroke Center.

Plans for the affiliation between NYU Langone and Lutheran Medical Center were first announced in November after the boards of trustees at both institutions voted to approve the idea.

The affiliation won praise from local lawmakers.

State Assemblymember Felix Ortiz (D-Sunset Park-Bay Ridge) said the new arrangement is a boon to Sunset Park.

“NYU Langone brings a world class reputation to our neighborhood and will continue to provide residents with the best care available anywhere. Sunset Park is becoming a premier community for health care, industry, and a place for families to live and prosper,” he said.

State Sen. Marty Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-southwest Brooklyn) predicted that the partnership “will advance and improve our network of healthcare here in southwest Brooklyn.”

State Sen. Diane Savino (D-Brooklyn-Staten Island) said that the new affiliation means that “thousands of people who may not have had the option to receive quality healthcare at a lower cost now have an opportunity to do so.”

Business leaders are also supportive of the new arrangement between the two hospitals.

Carlo Scissura, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, issued a statement praising the move.

“The partnership between NYU Langone and Lutheran Medical Center represents a tremendous success for our entire borough, particularly southwest Brooklyn. This affiliation will greatly benefit one of the most diverse communities in New York City by significantly increasing residents’ access to quality healthcare. As someone whose family has benefited from the services provided by both NYU Langone and Lutheran Medical Center, I can assure you this is a substantial victory for Brooklyn,” Scissura said.