Mission Statement
We, at Catholic Health, humbly join together to bring Christ’s healing mission and the mission of mercy of the Catholic Church expressed in Catholic health care to our communities.
Mercy Hospital Service Area
Founded by the Nursing Sisters of The Congregation of Infant Jesus, Mercy Hospital is a 275-bed community hospital and has served the residents of Nassau County and nearby communities since 1913. Mercy Hospital is located in Rockville Centre, New York. Mercy Hospital’s primary service area is Nassau County, but the hospital also serves patients from eastern Queens and western Suffolk. This includes: Rockville Centre, Franklin Square, Valley Stream, Elmont, Long Beach, Island Park, Oceanside, Malverne, Lynbrook, East Rockaway, Uniondale, Roosevelt, Baldwin, East Meadow, Hempstead, Hewlett, Lakeview, Freeport, and Merrick.
Demographics
Nassau County’s total population as of 2024 was 1,382,726. Approximately 18.87% of Suffolk County was over 65 years old and 21.19% was under 18 years old in 2024.1 The median age in Nassau County in 2023 was 42.4 years.2 In 2023, 50.8% if the population was female and 49.2% of the population was male in Nassau County (2023 ACS, 1-year estimates). In 2024, 55.81% of the population was White, followed by 17.90% Hispanic, 11.83% Black, 12.92% Asian, 0.62% American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 0.12% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. 3
Geographic description
Nassau County is situated east of New York City and spans 453 miles. It is one of two counties that comprise Long Island, the eastern-most part of New York State. Nassau County is comprised of two cities: Long Beach and Glen Cove and three townships: Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay. Long Island is bounded on the north by Long Island Sound and on the east and south by the Atlantic Ocean. The west of the county is joined to Queens County and Kings County (or Brooklyn). These are two of the five boroughs of New York City. In addition to Nassau County, Catholic Health (CH) serves patients in eastern Queens and parts of western Suffolk County.
Socioeconomic information
In Nassau County, the median household income was $141,568 in 2023 with 60.8% of the population 16 years and older employed. In 2023, 32.5% of households made $200,000 or more. Followed by 18.1% made $100,000 to $149,999, 14.8% made $150,000 to $199,999, 9.2% made $50,000 to $74,999, 9.3% made $75,000 to $99,000, 5.2% made $35,000 to $49,000, 3.2% made $25,000 to $34,999, 3.0% made $15,000 to $24,999, 2.5% made less than $10,000, and 2.1% made $10,000 to $14,999. These estimates were inflation-adjusted. In 2023, among the population 16 years and older 60.8% were employed, 2.5% were unemployed, and 36.6% were not in the labor force4. In 2024, 2.87 of the population in Nassau County was unemployed.5
According to research conducted by the United Way of New York’s ALICE report,6 Long Island residents are earning wages that do not cover life’s basic costs. As of 2024, 33% of Long Island households fall below the set
1 Nassau, New York | County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
2 U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey, One-Year Estimates
3 Nassau, New York | County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
4 U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey, One-Year Estimates
5 Nassau, New York | County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
6 ALICE 2024 (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) | United Way of Long Island
income threshold needed to live and work, which equates to 132,283 households in Nassau County that are struggling to afford these basic needs.
Nassau County had a lower percent of the population in poverty at 5.4% compared to 14.2% in New York State in 2023. Individuals under 65 years and older had the highest percent in poverty at 6.4% compared to 5.2% in those 18 to 64 years and 5.1% among those under 18 years.7
Among the population 18 to 24 years old, 42.0% had some college or an associate’s degree, 25.3% were a high school graduate or equivalent, 20.0% had a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and 8.7% were less than a high school graduate in 2023. Among the population 25 years and older, 92.7% were a high school graduate or higher. Overall, higher educational attainment was achieved among Asian populations who 62.6% had a Bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 54.4% among White, 37.9% among Black, 36.1% among American Indian or Alaskan Native, 20.8% among some other race, 35.6% among two or more races, and 26.1% among Hispanic or Latino populations.8
Of the non-institutionalized population in Nassau County, 10.0% had a disability in 2023. The percent with a disability was slighter higher among females at 10.3% compared to 9.7% among males. Individuals 75 years and over had the highest percent with a disability at 42.4%, followed by 18.3% among those 65 to 74 years, 7.5% among those 35 to 64 years, 5/5% among those 18 to 34 years old, 3.% among those 5 to 17 years and 0.3% among those under 5 years. Among disability types reported having an ambulatory difficulty was the highest being 5.9% of the percent with disability followed by having an independent living difficulty (5.2%), having a cognitive difficulty (4.4%), having a hearing difficulty (3.1%), having a self-care difficulty (2.4%), and having a vision difficulty (1.8%).
Nassau County has a diverse population that speaks a variety of languages. In 2024, 4.85% of the population were non-English proficient).9 In 2023, among populations 5 years and older 31.5% reported speaking a language other than English at home.10 English only was reported as the type of language spoken at home by 68.5% of the population 5 years and older followed by Spanish at 14.2%, other Indo-European languages at 10.9%, Asian and Pacific Islander languages at 5.0% and other languages at 1.4% in 2023.
Key Health Partners
Partnering with community-based organizations is the most effective way to determine how the health priorities will be addressed. As part of our collective impact strategies to promote health and well-being for residents in our communities, Mercy Hospital has strong relationships with local and regional community-based organizations, libraries, schools, faith-based organizations, the local health department, local fire departments and municipalities that support and partner with us to reduce chronic disease, mental health and substance misuse, and to promote health equity. Some of Mercy’s partners include: the Long Island Health Collaborative (LIHC), Nassau County Department of Human Services, Catholic Charities and Catholic Faith Network (CFN).
Public Participation
Mercy Hospital, along with CH’s other five hospitals, worked with the Long Island Health Collaborative (LIHC) and the Nassau County Department of Health (NCDOH), and dozens of community-based organizations, libraries, schools and universities, local municipalities, and other community stakeholders to produce this CHNA. NCDOH representatives offered input and consultation, when appropriate, regarding the data analyses conducted by the LIHC, DataGen, and Catholic Health. Top, high-level findings include a continued prevalence of chronic disease
7 U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey, One-Year Estimates
8 U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey, One-Year Estimates
9 Nassau, New York | County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
10 U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey, One-Year Estimates
incidence, particularly heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer. Further, increasing rates of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use were found particularly among youth and consistent rates of food insecurity. In 2024-25, members of the LIHC reviewed extensive data sets selected from both primary and secondary data sources to identify and confirm New York State Prevention Agenda priorities for the 2025-2027 Community Health Needs Assessment cycle. Data analysis efforts were coordinated through the LIHC, which served as the centralized data return and analysis hub.
Results of Community-Wide Survey
Primary data was obtained from a community health needs assessment sent to individuals and a similar survey to community-based organization leaders11. Additionally, we looked at results from two qualitative studies to round out our primary data.12 Secondary data was derived from publicly-available data sets curated by DataGen into its proprietary data analytics platform, CHNA Advantage ™, offering 200 plus metrics to determine health issues within Suffolk County13 as well as other publically available data. As such, priorities selected for the 2025-2027 cycle are different from the 2022-2024 cycle except for a focus on the prevention of chronic disease. The selected health disparities in which partners are focusing their efforts rests on the inequities experienced by those in historically underserved communities and communities of color. Additional Prevention Agenda priorities/disparities being addressed by St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center are outlined in the 2025-2027 work plan (see Appendix E).
Community Health Priorities for 2025-2027
Chronic disease, tobacco/e-cigarette use, and nutrition insecurity were identified as priority areas for 2025-2027. Adult obesity contributes to chronic disease and was identified as a health disparity in primary and secondary research. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2024 County Health Rankings for Suffolk County, the prevalence of obesity was 29.7% in Suffolk County. The prevalence increased from 27.60% in 2023. In 2019, The New England Journal of Medicine studied projected adult obesity in the United States by 2030 based on today’s obese and overweight adult populations.14 By 2030, the obesity epidemic is projected to impact nearly 1 in 2 adults.
Obesity is a condition in which an individual has too much body fat and increases the risk for many diseases, including high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and cancer.15 The prevalence of obesity is persistent in Nassau County and the United States. From 2017-March 2020, 41.9% of U.S. adults 20 years and older (more than 100 million people) were obese. Nationally, disparities in obesity prevalence exist with the highest prevalence of obesity being in non-Hispanic Black adults (49.9%), Hispanic (45.6%), non-Hispanic White (41.4%) and non-Hispanic Asian (16.1%) from 2017-March 2020. In the U.S., obesity is more prevalent in U.S. adults with a high school diploma or some college education (46.4%) and those with less than a high school diploma (40.1%) compared to those with a college degree or above (34.2%). Obesity is serious because it increases risk for chronic diseases. 16
Nationally, communities of color experience higher rates of chronic disease. Using diabetes as an example, the American Indian/Alaska Native population represents 13.6% percent of adults who are diagnosed with diabetes
11 Community Health Assessment Survey (CHAS) assessing responses from individuals, summary report and survey instrument (Appendix A)
CBO Survey Analysis 2024, assessing responses from community-based organization leader, summary report and survey instrument (Appendix B)
12 Qualitative Analysis of Key informant Interviews Conducted among Community-Based Organization Leaders (Appendix C) Catholic Health Listening Session Summary Report (Appendix D)
13 Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS), New York State Prevention Agenda dashboard, Behavioral Risk Factor, New York State Community Health Indicators by Race/Ethnicity Reports, Community Health Indicator Reports, Prevention Quality Indicators, CDC Places, and U.S. Census Bureau. The CHNA Advantage™ data analytics platform includes some of these and other state and national level indicators.
14 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1909301
15 Obesity Prevention
16 Adult Obesity Facts | Obesity | CDC
followed by Black, non-Hispanic at 12.1% and Hispanic overall at 11.7% in the United States. Asians and Whites experience the disease at 9.1% and 9.1% respectively.17 Chronic diseases are preventable conditions sensitive to lifestyle (diet/physical activity) habits but hampered by the obstacles presented by SDOH - income/employment, race/ethnicity, food access, housing/neighborhood location, and level of education. The county and hospitals identified in this report through collaborative efforts and facility-specific programming acknowledge and address these determinants regularly.
Nutrition security or food insecurity has also been identified as a priority area. The cost of food has been rising with food costs in the New York City Metropolitan area rising by 56.2% from 2012-2013 to 2022-2023.18 Although the food share of income for the average household in the New York Metropolitan area has remained around the national average, lower-income households may be particularly impacted by the rise in food prices and are more likely to face food insecurity. In 2024, the 4.40% of the population in Nassau County was food insecure. This decreased from 5.70% in 2023. In 2024, 26.54% of children were on free or reduced lunch in school.
Tobacco and e-cigarette use have also been identified as a health need in the region. Tobacco use is a risk factor for several chronic diseases. Smoking causes cancer, cardiovascular disease and lung disease, while the use of smokeless tobacco increases the risk for cancers of the mouth, esophagus and pancreas. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. with 49.2 million people reporting current tobacco product use in 2022.19
Although Nassau County has lower rates of smoking than New York State or the nation, the prevalence of smoking increased slightly in 2024. According to the County Health Rankings, the percent of smokers increased in Nassau County in 2024 to 11.10% from 10.90% in 2023.
In New York State, 12.5% of adults were current smokers in 2022 (age adjusted). On Long Island, 8.7% of the adult population were smokers with a slightly higher percent of adults in Suffolk County compared to Nassau County. In 2022, 7.5% of the adult population were smokers in Nassau County and 9.7% in Suffolk County.20
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are other vapor products that are highly addictive nicotine products and are not Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved smoking cessation products. They are classified and regulated as a tobacco product. The long-term health risks of e-cigarettes are still unknown and are currently being studied. Exposure to nicotine is highly addictive and can harm brain development among adolescents into early adulthood. There has been dramatic increases in e-cigarette use among youths. In 2019, there was an outbreak of vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). E-cigarettes are included in the Clear Indoor Air Act in New York State, which means they are not allowed to be used in places where smoking tobacco is prohibited. With the rise of smoking and e-cigarette use particularly among younger populations, there is a need to focus on this as a priority area to reduce the prevalence of smoking/e-cigarette use and prevent e-cigarette use. 21
In 2021, 5.3% of the adult population in NYS used e-cigarettes. This was lower than the national average of 6.6% of adults. In NYS, e-cigarette use was highest among individuals age 18-24 (15.1%), current smokers (14.1%), adults with frequent mental distress (11.4%), and adults with Medicaid (8.5%) in 2021. In Nassau County the prevalence of e-cigarette use among adults was 5.5% in 2021. In Nassau County the prevalence of e-cigarette use among adults was 6.0% in 2021.
These are the main health challenges and contributing causes affecting residents of the county, especially in low-income communities of color. That these social determinants of health are predictors of
17 Diabetes in America: Prevalence, Statistics, and Economic Impact
18 report-2-2026.pdf
19 Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults in the United States | Smoking and Tobacco Use | CDC
20 New York State Community Health Indicator Reports Dashboard
21 https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/brfss/reports/docs/2023-14_brfss_electronic_cigarette.pdf
chronic disease is well documented.22 23 24
Mercy Hospital’s Priorities, Interventions and Strategies
Priority Number One: Preventive Services for Chronic Disease Prevention & Control
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. Mercy Hospital’s Family Care Center screens all patients for high glucose and offers services.
2. At the system level, Catholic Health will host its annual community health fair and offer free glucose screenings.
3. Catholic Health's mobile clinic units offer free glucose screenings.
4. Long Island Health Collaborative Digital Lifestyle Medicine Awareness Campaign "Live Better": Digital awareness campaign about chronic disease prevention and self-management.
Priority Number Two: Nutrition Security
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. Long Island Cares "food to go bags": All patients who present to the Emergency Department will be screened for food insecurity. Those identified as food insecure are offered a "food to go bag," along with contact information for Long Island Cares and information to enroll in SNAP.
2. Meals of Hope: Hospital initiative where employees assemble nutritious meals such as enriched chicken broth, rice, carrots and beans. The meals are delivered to local parishes and shelters.
3. LI Harvest/Partnership with Catholic Health: Program aimed at improving health and decreasing the risk of chronic disease for low, income individuals and families.
4. Catholic Health and Mercy Hospital partner with Catholic Charities HUD Housing Program and Senior Services to screen for food insecurity.
5. Catholic Health mobile clinical units traverse LI assisting/screening underserved communities, providing food to go bags and referrals to LI Cares/LI Harvest and food pantries.
6. Healthy Sunday’s teams cover LI, assisting/screening underserved communities, providing food to go bags and referrals to LI Cares/LI Harvest and food pantries.
7. Catholic Health Physician Partners’ offices screen patients for income/food insecurity, providing referrals and food.
22 Cockerham WC, Hamby BW, Oates GR. The Social Determinants of Chronic Disease. Am J Prev Med. 2017 Jan;52(1S1):S5-S12. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.amepre.2016.09.010 PMID: 27989293; PMCID: PMC5328595.
23 Pantell MS, Prather AA, Downing JM, Gordon NP, Adler NE. Association of Social and Behavioral Risk Factors With Earlier Onset of Adult Hypertension and Diabetes. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(5):e193933. Https://doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.3933
24 Vennu, V., Abdulrahman, T.A., Alenazi, A.M. et al. Associations between social determinants and the presence of chronic diseases: data from the osteoarthritis Initiative. BMC Public Health 20, 1323 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09451-5
8. Smile Farms Cooperative Garden/Partnership with Catholic Health and Mercy Hospital. In an effort address food insecurity on Long Island, produce from the garden will be distributed to local parishes.
9. Collaborate with Catholic schools on annual food drives to supply food to families/students during summer months.
10. Long Island Health Collaborative Nutrition Security/Healthy Eating Digital Awareness Campaign: Components and messaging will amplify LIHC members' community nutrition/food program offerings.
Priority Number Three: Tobacco/E-cigarette Use
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. We will collaborate with the Nassau County Department of Health on smoking education and outreach. Will also refer to New York State Quit Line.
2. Mercy Hospital's Behavioral Health Center in Garden City offers a comprehensive recovery-oriented program for individuals with a mental illness. The goal of the program is to integrate treatment, support and rehabilitation in a manner that facilitates an individual’s recovery.
3. Each patient is screened for smoking upon hospital admission. Upon discharge, patients are connected with smoking cessation referral sources, including Suffolk County Department of Health, St. Francis Hospital's DeMatteis Center, SCS Lung Cancer Screening Program. To be referred to the New York State Quit Line.
4. Community Outreach buses screen and collect data on smoking status and makes referrals to smoking cessation programs.
5. Healthy Sunday’s program screens and collects data on smoking status and makes referrals to smoking cessation programs.
6. Catholic Health Physician Partners’ offices screen patients and collect data on smoking status and make referrals to smoking cessation programs. Data will be collected in EPIC EMR.
7. Educate the community about the harms of tobacco and the benefits of tobacco-free treatment.
8. Long Island Health Collaborative Tobacco Cessation Digital Awareness Campaign: tobacco cessation and education messaging via digital media outlets and traditional media outlets when applicable. Messaging will amplify LIHC members' smoking cessation offerings and programs.
Living the Mission
The CH mission is the driving force behind all community outreach activities. In addition to the interventions summarized above, St. Francis Hospital, along with the overall system and CH skilled nursing facilities, Catholic Health Home Care and Good Shepherd Hospice, provide additional outreach programs that promote the health care ministry of the Catholic Church and address social determinants of health.
Interventions, Strategies and Activities:
1. Virtual education series streaming on YouTube, that provides short videos on various topics
2. Broadcast health-related television shows for the public in collaboration with Catholic Faith Network provide education and prevention lectures to improve knowledge related to specific diseases and conditions, preventive care, and up-to-date treatment options.
3. Promotion of all programs, events, and education is on the CH website and all CH social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
4. Lectures in Catholic schools, local libraries, and other community organizations.
5. Community Outreach Screening Buses
6. Healthy Sundays
Dissemination of the Plan to the Public
The Mercy Hospital Community Service Plan will be posted on the hospital’s website at https://www.catholichealthli.org/mercy-hospital/about/community-health. Copies will be available at local free health screenings and can be mailed upon request.
By encouraging friends and neighbors to complete the LIHC Wellness Survey online or at local screenings, the Community Health Needs Assessment will help Mercy Hospital continue to develop ways to best serve our community.
Conclusion
The Community Service Plan is intended to be a dynamic document. Utilizing the hospital’s strengths and resources, Mercy Hospital along with community partners, will work to continue to best address health disparities and needs. The hospital will strive to improve the overall health and well-being of individuals and families by expanding free health promotion and disease prevention/education screenings and programs in communities where they are most needed. Mercy Hospital is committed to continue to develop ways to best serve the community.