Clinical Facilities
Advances at the Affiliates
The centerpiece of the Ophthalmology Department’s structural reorganization has been its new emphasis on site-based ophthalmology services, with each site having a local director. In addition to general ophthalmology services, each site now offers a clinic session each week in each subspecialty. Patients with problems that are particularly complex or difficult to diagnose may be referred to an affiliate that is better equipped to deal with that condition. For example, cases demanding the most advanced ocular imaging generally are referred to Long Island College Hospital (LICH); the most complex surgical procedures—such as demanding retinal procedures requiring specialized equipment and dedicated ophthalmology operating room staff—are performed either at LICH or University Hospital of Brooklyn.
Teaching is conducted at all five clinical affiliates, with SUNY Downstate residents working with patients at the sites under faculty supervision. Residents may rotate among the sites in order to experience a variety of practice environments. Since the patient populations served by the affiliates differ in ethnic makeup, predominant age groups, and socioeconomic status, residents get valuable exposure to the unique range of ophthalmic disorders prevalent in the various groups.
Over the last few years the Ophthalmology Department has worked with leaders at each affiliated institution to improve the local site’s facilities and equipment. In return for their investments in the upgrades, the department pledged an influx of new patients ready to utilize site-based ophthalmology treatment. The result has far exceeded expectations, with 1998 ophthalmology outpatient visits up by an aggregate 44 percent at the various affiliates, compared with patient visits in 1995. In all, during 1998 the Ophthalmology Department hosted approximately 63,000 outpatient visits—up from approximately 44,000 in 1995. Operating-room volume increased 29 percent over the three-year period. The following summarizes developments at the five affiliated programs.
