The-Leader_1972-09-07

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37th YEAR, No. 20 FREEPORT, NEW YORK. SEFTEMBER 7,1972 PRICE: TEN CENTS PER COPY
A Possibility
GROWING WITH FREEPORT. Doctors Hospital Administrator Henry Olfhin (left} goes over plant for
the $3.S million renovation program for 221-bed facility with Assistant Administrator Steven Raizin.
(LEADER Photo.)
Doctors Hospital Renovation Planned
The 221-hed Doctors Hospital
on Merrick Road in Freeport,
fast making headway in im­proving
its services will soon
undergo a |3.5 million
renovation. The hospital, built in
195S by Anton Not^, M.D. and a
group of other physicians and
sold to its present owner, Carl
Neuman, MJ). in February, 1971,
applied to the Nassau^uffolk
Rqgioiial Planning Ckunmission,
the Hew York State Department
of Health and freeport Village
Board, and rei^ved permissicni
to modemiie its physical plant
without increasing the number of
beds. The program, which is
scheduled lo b^rin next montb
and take two years to complete,
will involve renovatfim of rooms
and haUs. rewiring and the
purchase of a larger electrical
generator, the addftiim of a new
central au>€(nditionlng unit and
the reshiftiiig of ccartain depart­ments
to a l ^ fuller and more
efficient utiMzatian of ^iac%.
irndn* the fim, & new operating
room suite will be created
idlowing six operating rooms to
be used instead of the |»rf!sent
four.
Accmding to Henry Olshin,
DodUwB Hoipital Admioistratar
sinoe. Blarcb, there are no plans
toexiNUMltfaenimberof be& "I
have been vilh huge and small
boqpitals Audit is my flpjifwi tba^t
8 2214ied fautitiitiaii is the best for
the delivery of medical care.
Unlike larger hospitals, here we
can touch bases with every
departm^t on a daily basis and
stay right on top of any
problems." Olshin points too to
the advantages of the hospital's
patient rooms with the majority
maintained as single4}ed units or
two l»edded. "The trend in
hospital care is definitely away
b*om the multi-bedded wiurd-type
care that ei^ved during the war
years. Patients are demanding
privacy. It is important to their
morale and the advantages in
pi^voitiog cross-infection are
obvious."
The metsM advantages of
Doctors Ho^tai, one of the
largest privatdy-ofwned in the
Coim!^. is Cast tieconilng ap­parent
as more and more
Preeporters avaQ themselves of
its services nditte the institution
Itself cfuitinues to make a coo-o
»ted effmt to make the com-mvnily
in which it is located
mindful of the part it plays in the
ViVag^s life. Bfore and more
Olshin and p^iiaans en the staff
are spi^^ing to community
grmpst fo ei^piain the role of a
commtmi^ ho^ltal vtMle also
inforining residents on such
pertinent sdijects as health in­surance,
Medicare azKl Medicaid.
Otehin points out that the
hosfrftal not oedy influences the
health of Village residents, but
their waltets too. **If we are not
tte laigest. we are me of the
lai^est industries in the Village
and ceitainly with a staff of soo,
one of the largest employees. It is
important to keep in mind, too,
that roughly 40% of our staff are
Freeport residents. As a private
tM}spitat, we, unlike a ntm-profit
facility, pay property taxes.
Therefore we are an essential
service industry which unlike
even a police force, does not tax
residents.'' He points out that ^%
of the $7 million the hoiqiital pys
wit annua% remains in Freqiort
either as taxes, payroll or in
purchases.
Aside from monetary con­siderations,
however, many
Freeporters, if not admitted into
the hospital, are very fanaiUar
with the emergoicy room v^lch
is maintained seven days a wedt
around the clocif and in just this
one area the stqis taken to im-irove
the hospital are ai^iarenL
Manned from 6 am to 6 pm by a
senior resident on off-hours hvm
another hospttal as well as
meifical coipranen. the area Is
the scene of activity in even the
wee homrs as mom and more
\^Ilage and County police as well
as Fire Departmeitfs iniog ac­cident
and other cases to Doctont.
A recent Innovation, a "Hot
Une," between ambulances and
the emefgeu:y rooon insures that
the staff will be fully pr^iared for
the inciHnIng patient
Throu^oiit tttt bd^ital the
{Continued on Page 9)
The Freeport Village Board has taken the first step
towards getting a vote from village residents on Hie ques­tion
of whether or not the mayoralty should be a full-time
position. The VUIage Attorney has been directed to
prepare a local law providing for a full-time salary of
$30,000 for the mayoralty, effective March 1. 1973. This
local law will be put to a permissive referendam. Mayor
Sweeney said, and the Board hopes it will be on tfie voting
machines in November, in Freeport election districts.
**ltus question has bc|en an issue in vQlage elections for
some tlihe,*' Mayor Snifeeney said, "with yarioii^ sdiQOIs of
.;'|liqiigjfi|-^as__to' ii^etfite£F!pe^ ^oMldi/^liavc-a^rft^^ ,
; ^ n ^ ^ ^ ; | ^ a | f 2 j ^ ^
J^^0y unpmMnt qu^tiiin for the people of Freeport, and
"^%*#;wiiht'to. gef an ac<wrafe response by takiitg "a vote
before the next village election, so that it will not get
bogged down in village politics.
"It had been the Intention of the Village Board to put
the question to a public referendum in November, by
putting the salary up to a vote, which we had been led to
believe would be permitted. However, Village Counsel
reports that the State law will not allow us to put this to
a direct public vote. Instead, we must declare the intention,
by advertising for a local law. Then, a petition must be
obtained signed by 10% of the qualified voters in the
village. When such a petition is presented, the question
can then be put to a public vote for all Freeport votere to
decide.
"Normally, such a proposition is made by one political
group and the opposition goes out to get signatures for
permissive referendum to prevent the Village Board from
taking the action on its own. In this case, however, we are
asking our supporters to get these required signatures, be­cause
we want the full public vote on this question. We
expect it to be debated among Freeport Civic groups and
the general public, with all of its ramifications, so that
when the time comes for each individual to cast his vote
he should have a very definite opinion on whether or not
a full-time mayor is necessary and advantageous to the
Village."