September 1, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

I know concerns have circulated the community about St. Francis Hospital’s plans for future expansion and acquisition of properties on Oaktree Lane. I reached out to the President of the hospital recently asking for an update on their plans and wanted to share his response with you (below).
If we are made aware of any further actions by the hospital, I will inform you all.

Very truly yours,

Mayor Brian Herrington

 

 

St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center®

Catholic Health Services

At the heart of health   

July 28, 2020

Dear Mayor Herrington,

Thank you for your recent letter and for your kind words regarding St. Francis Hospital’s efforts in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Francis Hospital is a nationally respected medical facility that is known for overall excellence and an unwavering commitment to delivering the highest level of medical care to the community. We are happy to serve Long Islanders. While we beat back the first wave of this often deadly virus, we remain vigilant should it reemerge. Our continued goal is to provide first-class quality care to all who need it.

 

I understand from your letter that Village residents have questions concerning the hospital’s future plans. As you know, St. Francis Hospital is located in a fully developed area, which has limited our ability to expand to meet the increasing need for enhanced services. As we consider how to best serve Long Islanders in the future, we must study ways to grow to continue delivering the superior medical care that our patients and their families expect. We have explored purchasing adjacent property, as any responsible organization in similar circumstances would do.

 

As we were contemplating how best to respond to our community’s needs, 90 Oaktree Lane located on the northern border of the St, Francis Hospital campus and at the Southwest comer of Oaktree Lane and Port Washington Boulevard was publicly listed for sale. In August of 2019, an agent for St. Francis Hospital was able to acquire the property. A few months later, an agent for the hospital was able to acquire 39 Oaktree Lane, which is currently being used as housing for religious sisters who are employed and work at St Francis Hospital. These two properties are the only ones that have been obtained to date.

 

The two acquisitions on Oaktree Lane allowed us to consider the possibility of other options that would enable the hospital to better serve the residents of Flower Hill and the broader community. In December, we made fair and generous offers to eight other property owners on Oaktree Lane. Although these proposals have expired, many of those property owners have expressed continued interest in possibly selling their properties. While St. Francis remains open to purchasing these Oaktree Lane properties, we have to reassess financial considerations in a post-COVID-19 world.

 

We will continue to explore options, but still have much more work to do before presenting any projects to either the community or the Village of Flower Hill. When appropriate, we would be happy to have further discussions with stakeholders in the community.

Thank you for reaching out to me and for your continuing service to the Village of Flower Hill.

Sincerely,

Charles L. Lucore, MD, MBA

President

A Member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island

Founded by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary

 

100 Port Washington Boulevard, Roslyn, New York 11576-1348 Telephone: 516/562-6000