FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Thursday, June 30, 2005

St. Francis Hospital Breaks Ground

ROSLYN – St. Francis Hospital held a groundbreaking ceremony today for a new patient care building that will add 150,000 square feet of clinical space to the hospital’s main campus. More than 200 hospital officials and staff, government officials and local dignitaries marked the occasion.

The new building will be called the Nancy and Fred DeMatteis Pavilion, the flagship building of the hospital’s master facilities plan. The three-year, $190 million project to expand and enhance the hospital is the largest construction project in the 83-year history of St. Francis Hospital.

Part of the project was financed by the Dormitory Authority, which sold $99.645 million in bonds in July 2004 to assist the hospital.

The DeMatteis Pavilion will house two medical/surgical floors and an intensive care unit with 184 patient beds. This will increase hospital space by 40 percent. The Pavilion is at the heart of the capital plan to secure the hospital’s position as a leader in heart health care. In addition to the Pavilion, the capital plan calls for the doubling of the non-cardiac operating suites, expanded cardiac catheterization laboratories, an expanded emergency department, and an underground garage with 315 additional parking spaces.

“Our goal is to build a platform to continue to attract the very best physicians and nurses, accommodate our patients with comfort and convenience, and house the latest technology to keep the Hospital at the forefront of medical care,” said Alan D. Guerci, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. “Through the generosity of the DeMatteis Family, we will be able to make that vision a reality.”

For over three decades, Nancy DeMatteis and her late husband, Fred, have played a significant role in advancing the mission of St. Francis Hospital and establishing its reputation as New York’s leading heart center. Mrs. DeMatteis is a philanthropic leader and past president of the Guild of St. Francis. She inaugurated the Hospital’s annual Golf Classic and is a champion of the Hospital’s Women’s Center. Mr. DeMatteis was Chairman of the Hospital’s Board of Trustees from 1985-1987 and a longtime member of the Board. He was a leader in the acquisition of The DeMatteis Center in Old Brookville, which propelled St. Francis Hospital into the forefront of cardiac research and education.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2008.

For more information, contact Press Officer Claudia Hutton at (518) 257 3382, or CHutton@dasny.org or http://www./lowermanhattan.info .