Sunset Park

NYU Langone to close Lutheran Augustana Center

Medical facility provides rehab, skilled nursing for patients

December 21, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The Augustana Center was first established in Brooklyn in 1908. It will close its doors in 2018. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas
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A major Brooklyn medical facility that serves patients in need of skilled nursing, physical therapy, pain management and hospice care is closing its doors in 2018, the Brooklyn Eagle has learned.

NYU Langone Health Systems, which owns and operates Lutheran Augustana Center, a rehabilitation and nursing program at 5434 Second Ave. in Sunset Park, is planning to close the center in the summer of 2018, officials confirmed. 

Elected officials in Sunset Park and Bay Ridge were informed of the decision this week.

Plans are already being made to transfer long-term skilled nursing patients to other health centers, according to officials. 

“After extensive analysis and long-range planning with management and the Augustana board of trustees, we made the difficult decision to close Lutheran Augustana Center next summer. Residents and family members have been notified and a team of social workers is working closely with each family to ensure a seamless transfer to a new facility,” NYU Langone officials said in a statement issued to the Brooklyn Eagle this week. 

The “Lutheran” in the name Lutheran Augustana Center refers to Lutheran Medical Center, the former name of the hospital located at 150 55th St., across the street from the facility. Lutheran Medical Center, a 450-bed hospital, was founded in 1883. 

NYU Langone and Lutheran Medical Center merged in 2015 and as a result, the hospital was renamed NYU Lutheran Medical Center. The name was eventually changed again to NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn.

Lutheran Augustana Center was established in 1908, and provides a wide variety of services for patients, according to the NYU Langone website.

The services include:

Lutheran Augustana Center received a 5-star overall rating with Nursing Home Compare, a government site for Medicare that inspects skilled nursing facilities.

Patients’ families are allowed to visit 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There is a bridge between Lutheran Augustana Center and NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn to allow for easier transfer of patients between the two facilities.

It’s not clear what the Augustana building will be used for after the center closes next summer.

The decision to close the facility was due in part to changes in the delivery of health care in the U.S. today, officials stated.

“We have determined that our focus needs to be on enhancing acute care and ambulatory services, and the future use of the Lutheran Augustana site will be a part of this strategy. This change will help us invest more strategically in our facilities to become world class, and the best place for care in Brooklyn,” the statement read. 

NYU Langone officials said the closure will have no effect on plans to expand other health care services in Brooklyn. “We are deeply committed to our patients and the larger community. In fact, other parts of the Brooklyn campus are being expanded to include a state-of-the-art cancer center, an ambulatory surgery center and increased space for the Family Health Centers nearby,” the statement read.

NYU Langone sponsors small family health centers all over Brooklyn. It also sponsors senior citizen apartment houses, including Shore Hill at 9000 Shore Road in Bay Ridge.

 

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