Philanthropist Sandra Atlas Bass Donates $40M to Northwell Health

MANHASSET, N.Y., June 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Northwell Health announced three significant gifts, totaling $40 million, from life trustee Sandra Atlas Bass, bringing her lifetime giving to Northwell to more than $93 million.  

Ms. Bass has supported cardiac care at Northwell Health for more than 25 years. Of her recent gifts, $25 million will be allocated to North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) to support the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital located on the Manhasset campus. A special dedication ceremony was held today with Ms. Bass, her family and friends, and Northwell's administrative and clinical leadership to celebrate Northwell Health's newest 'hospital within a hospital.'

The support of the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital continues a legacy of giving to cardiology. Some of the earliest backing from Ms. Bass was to the Arrhythmia Pacemaker Center at NSUH. Ms. Bass then generously funded the Sandra Atlas Bass Cardiology Centers at both North Shore and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, and more recently supported the installation of a 640-slice hyper-acute computed tomography (CT) scanner. Integrating cardiology and cardiac surgery from the two hospitals into one facility, the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital is a regional leader in cardiac services. In another exciting development, Northwell Health's application to establish a heart transplant surgery center at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital was approved earlier this month by the state Department of Health.

Most recently, Ms. Bass also contributed more than $12 million to continue her support of LIJ Medical Center's Hearing and Speech Center, and in recognition of her generosity, it will be named the Sandra Atlas Bass Otolaryngology Center.

Last year, in recognition of her generous $3 million gift, Northwell Health opened the Sandra Atlas Bass Center for Liver Diseases on the NSUH campus.

"Giving is an opportunity to directly change people's lives," said Ms. Bass, who was honored with the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Horace Hagedorn Philanthropist of the Year Award in 2016. She has dedicated her life to making a difference by helping people and animals to better their lives by making them healthier and happier, and said she hopes that her philanthropy inspires others. "I believe that if you can save one person or one animal, you have begun to save the world."

"Sandra Atlas Bass has been a tremendous partner of Northwell Health for more than two decades," said Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO, Northwell Health. "Her continued commitment and compassion is helping us elevate the quality of care we deliver and improve the lives of countless people within the communities we serve. We are extraordinarily grateful for her generous support."

The new Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital is among the largest centers for complex cardiac procedures in New York and has one of the state's most significant cardiothoracic and interventional cardiology programs. The hospital treats the region's most-complex cardiac cases, including many individuals who other hospitals turn away. Construction has recently been completed on a new separate entrance, and the facility has its own parking and curbside registration as well as a distinct lobby featuring personal concierge services. The Heart Hospital also includes a 22-bed cardiothoracic intensive care unit staffed around the clock by critical care physicians, five operating rooms dedicated to cardiac patients, and eight cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology labs.

"Our vision for the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital is to create a destination where patients receive the highest levels of expertise, take part in the most-innovative, technologically advanced therapies, and enjoy a patient experience that is unsurpassed regionally and nationally," said Barry Kaplan, MD, co-director of the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital. "Ms. Bass has long been a pioneer of cardiac innovation in the health system and has continuously demonstrated her commitment to enhancing the patient experience. Her support of the Heart Hospital will help us propel the center into a nationwide leader."

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're a nonprofit organization that cares for more than two million people annually in the metro New York area and beyond, thanks to generous 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 for Medical Research. 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: Julie Robinson-Tingue
516-321-6244
JRobinson5@northwell.edu

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SOURCE Northwell Health