By GREGORY ZELLER //
Expectant South Shore mothers enduring high-risk pregnancies have a new resource.
South Nassau Communities Hospital has opened a new Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine adjacent to its Oceanside campus, self-billed as “the only dedicated center of its kind for high-risk pregnancies on the South Shore of Nassau County.”
Staffed by obstetricians and “maternal fetal medicine sub-specialists,” the $3 million center is stocked with advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies designed specifically for the specialized care required by high-risk situations – comprehensive ultrasound, advanced fetal monitoring, genetic testing, counseling services and more, according to SNCH.
A complicated pregnancy “can be extremely upsetting for any parent,” noted South Nassau Communities Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology Chairman Alan Garely, so the Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine was built not only to provide top medical care, but to “alleviat(e) the burdens of their concerns and uncertain feelings.”
“Our new center offers the specialists, advanced technologies and services that enable parents to take an active role in assuring the best possible outcome for their pregnancy,” Garely said.
Dina El Kady, chief of South Nassau’s Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, brings more than 15 years of experience with high-risk pregnancies to her role as the new center’s director. El Kady spotlighted the facility’s “team of experts, including specialized physicians, genetic counselors and MFM nurses and sonographers,” noting her staff “works to create the best possible care plans for our patients.”
Baby bosses: South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Alan Garely and Dina El Kady (sharing the scissors) and a host of hospital and Island Park officials cut the cord at SNCH’s new Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine.
“I am so pleased to be able to bring this type of expert, specialized care to the South Shore and look forward to working with expecting parents across Long Island,” the doctor said Friday.
El Kady, who earned her medical degree from New York Medical College and completed her internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, is board-certified in maternal fetal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology.
She practices at the new center alongside Jonathan Rosner, who is also board-certified in maternal fetal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology. Rosner, who chairs South Nassau’s Obstetrical Performance Improvement Committee, obtained his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center and completed his residency training at North Shore University Hospital, as well as a fellowship at NYU Langone Medical Center.
The doctors are complemented by a patient-care team including fetal-monitoring-certified registered nurses and nurse practitioners and “experienced maternal fetal medicine sonographers,” South Nassau said.
Among other bells and whistles, the Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine boasts an American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine-certified ultrasound laboratory, where high-frequency systems can create two- and three-dimensional images of a uterus, cervix or fetus; blood-based genetic testing to mitigate risk factors including advanced maternal age and inherited disorders; and fetal echocardiography tech that helps physicians see the structure and function of a baby’s heart.
“This new center represents South Nassau’s ongoing commitment to bring the highest level of specialty services to the South Shore, so residents in the communities we serve can obtain high-end care close to home,” Richard Murphy, SNCH president and CEO, said in a statement.
