New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) is located at East 14th Street and Second Avenue in

lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

, New York City. Founded on August 14, 1820, NYEE is America's first specialty hospital and one of the most prominent in the fields of

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

and

otolaryngology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

in the world, providing primary inpatient and outpatient care in those specialties. Previously affiliated with

New York Medical College New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro College and University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the School o ...

, as of 2013 it is affiliated with the

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages eight ...

as a part of the membership in the

Mount Sinai Health System The Mount Sinai Health System is a hospital network in New York City. It was formed in September 2013 by merging the operations of Continuum Health Partners and the Mount Sinai Medical Center. The Health System is structured around eight hospit ...

Services

As of 2020, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai provides comprehensive outpatient and state-of-the-art medical/surgical care in the disciplines of ophthalmology,

(head and neck surgery), as well as plastic and

reconstructive surgery Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance and function to body parts malformed by a disease or medical condition. Description Reconstructive surgery is a term with training, clinical, and reimbursement implica ...

.` It has 69 beds and sees a quarter-million outpatients and performs 30,000 surgeries annually.

Ophthalmology

Medical care is provided for a wide range of eye diseases from common to complex cases. Specialized services include

cataract surgery Cataract surgery, also called lens replacement surgery, is the removal of the natural lens of the eye (also called "crystalline lens") that has developed an opacification, which is referred to as a cataract, and its replacement with an intraocu ...

, corneal and refractive surgery,

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

neuro-ophthalmology Neuro-ophthalmology is an academically-oriented subspecialty that merges the fields of neurology and ophthalmology, often dealing with complex systemic diseases that have manifestations in the visual system. Neuro-ophthalmologists initially complet ...

, ocular immunology/

uveitis Uveitis () is inflammation of the uvea, the pigmented layer of the eye between the inner retina and the outer fibrous layer composed of the sclera and cornea. The uvea consists of the middle layer of pigmented vascular structures of the eye and ...

, ophthalmic oncology,

oculoplastics Oculoplastics, or oculoplastic surgery, includes a wide variety of surgical procedures that deal with the orbit (eye socket), eyelids, tear ducts, and the face. It also deals with the reconstruction of the eye and associated structures. Training ...

and orbital surgery, ophthalmologic pathology, and

pediatric ophthalmology Pediatric ophthalmology is a sub-speciality of ophthalmology concerned with eye diseases, visual development, and vision care in children. Training In the United States, pediatric ophthalmologists are physicians who have completed medical school, ...

and

strabismus Strabismus is a vision disorder in which the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object. The eye that is focused on an object can alternate. The condition may be present occasionally or constantly. If present during a ...

. Throughout the tristate area, complex ocular injuries are referred to NYEE's Eye Trauma Service.

Otolaryngology

NYEE provides medical care for the diagnosis and treatment of ENT (ear, nose and throat) conditions affecting adults and children. Some of the areas treated include

chronic sinusitis Sinusitis, also known as rhinosinusitis, is inflammation of the mucous membranes that line the sinuses resulting in symptoms that may include thick nasal mucus, a plugged nose, and facial pain. Other signs and symptoms may include fever, headac ...

, nasal obstructions,

ear infections Otitis is a general term for inflammation or infection, inner ear infection, middle ear infection of the ear, in both humans and other animals. When infection is present, it may be viral or bacterial. When inflammation is present due to fluid bui ...

nasal polyp Nasal polyps (NP) are noncancerous growths within the nose or sinuses. Symptoms include trouble breathing through the nose, loss of smell, decreased taste, post nasal drip, and a runny nose. The growths are sac-like, movable, and nontender, t ...

nosebleed A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is bleeding from the nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significant that low bloo ...

deviated septum Nasal septum deviation is a physical disorder of the nose, involving a displacement of the nasal septum. Some displacement is common, affecting 80% of people, mostly without their knowledge. Signs and symptoms The nasal septum is the bone and ...

, hearing and balance disorders,

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans it is in the neck and consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by a thin band of tissue called the thyroid isthmus. The thy ...

and

parathyroid Parathyroid glands are small endocrine glands in the neck of humans and other tetrapods. Humans usually have four parathyroid glands, located on the back of the thyroid gland in variable locations. The parathyroid gland produces and secretes par ...

conditions, head and neck tumor surgery, sleep issues,

salivary gland The salivary glands in mammals are exocrine glands that produce saliva through a system of ducts. Humans have three paired major salivary glands (parotid, submandibular, and sublingual), as well as hundreds of minor salivary glands. Salivary gla ...

disorders, and

congenital A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can ...

deformities of the ear. In 2005, NYEE Otology merged with

Beth Israel Medical Center Mount Sinai Beth Israel is a 799-bed teaching hospital in Manhattan. It is part of the Mount Sinai Health System, a nonprofit health system formed in September 2013 by the merger of Continuum Health Partners and Mount Sinai Medical Center, and ...

Otology and Neurotology Center, Cochlear Implant Center, and Children's Hearing and Learning Center. In 2008, The Ear Institute at NYEE opened and continues to provide care for a wide range of hearing and balance disorders in children and adults. The Ear Institute at NYEE was the first facility in New York to offer patients comprehensive, coordinated care in otologic services in a single location.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery

NYEE performs elective cosmetic surgery, reconstructive surgery following trauma or disease, and

congenital malformation A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at childbirth, birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disability, disabilities that may be physical disability, physical, intellect ...

surgery. In 2018, its services expanded to include

Gender Affirmation surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...

in collaboration with Mount Sinai's Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery.

Research

Research includes

adaptive optics Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effect of incoming wavefront distortions by deforming a mirror in order to compensate for the distortion. It is used in astronomical tele ...

cellular imaging, functional and metabolic imaging,

ocular circulation,

optical coherence tomography Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique that uses low-coherence light to capture micrometer-resolution, two- and three-dimensional images from within optical scattering media (e.g., biological tissue). It is used for medical ...

clinical imaging,

retina The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on the retina, which then ...

diagnostics and restoration as well as

and ocular inflammation. Resources include The Shelley and Steven Einhorn Clinical Research Center, the Eye and Vision Research Institute at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, and the Ophthalmic Innovation and Technology Program.

Concentration

Faculty and researchers in the Department of Ophthalmology advance the field of ophthalmology through basic, translational, and clinical research for a wide range of conditions focused on ocular imaging, advanced treatments, new surgical devices, and genetics and

genomics Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dim ...

of eye disease.

Research centers

Centers for research and clinical investigations include The Shelley and Steven Einhorn Clinical Research Center of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai; Mount Sinai/NYEE Eye and Vision Research Institute at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; David E. Marrus Adaptive Optics Imaging Laboratory; and Ophthalmic Innovation and Technology Program at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

Collaboration

Faculty at the Department of Otolaryngology at NYEE is engaged in

translational research Translational research (also called translation research, translational science, or, when the context is clear, simply translation) is research aimed at translating (converting) results in basic research into results that directly benefit humans. ...

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...

s, and cross-departmental collaborations to develop new treatments and cures for conditions and diseases of the ears, nose, and throat.

Education

Ophthalmology residency and fellowship

In July 2019, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai merged their ophthalmology programs to launch the largest ophthalmology residency program in the nation, with 10 residents per year. The three-year ophthalmology residency training program is accredited by the

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the body responsible for accrediting all graduate medical training programs (i.e., internships, residencies, and fellowships, a.k.a. subspecialty programs) for physicians in the ...

(ACGME) and offers matriculated residents clinical and surgical training as well as a range of research opportunities. Students accepted into the NYEE residency program participate in a one-year internal medicine program at Mount Sinai Beth Israel where they spend three months rotating in ophthalmology, and nine months in medicine, prior to starting their residency. NYEE's Ophthalmology fellowships program offers ophthalmic subspecialties including cornea and external disease, glaucoma, retina, pediatric ophthalmology, uveitis, and ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Otolaryngology residency

Following a merger between independent programs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, the Otolaryngology Residency Program is the largest program in the country with six residents per training year. Subspecialties include otology-neurotology,

rhinology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

, facial plastics, head and neck surgery,

laryngology Laryngology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders, diseases and injuries of the larynx, colloquially known as the voice box. Laryngologists treat disorders of the larynx, including diseases that affects the voice, swallowing, or upper a ...

pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...

, and

sleep Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness by a de ...

Microsurgical education center

The Jorge N. Buxton, MD Microsurgical Education Center at New York Eye Infirmary of Mount Sinai is the center of ophthalmic and eye nose and throat education at NYEE. The microsurgical center provides ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists and plastic surgeons with opportunities for hands-on experience in a variety of surgical procedures before they surgically treat patients. The Continuing Medical Education program supports the continuous professional development of physicians. Accredited by

Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) sets and enforces standards in physician continuing education (or 'lifelong learning') within the United States. It acts as the overseeing body for institutions and organizations ...

, the program includes live and enduring continuing medical education courses open to physicians and trainees nationally.

History

The hospital was founded by

Edward Delafield Edward Delafield (May 7, 1794 – February 13, 1875) was an American physician, primarily known as an ophthalmologist, but also for his work in obstetrics and gynaecology. He was the co-founder (with John Kearney Rodgers) of the New York Eye In ...

and John Kearny Rodgers. In 1816, upon graduating from the

New York College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...

and completing their training at

New York Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center (previously known as New York Hospital or Old New York Hospital or City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the teaching hospital for Cornell University. ...

, the two native New Yorkers traveled to Europe to continue their medical studies. It was during their studies at the

London Eye Infirmary London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

,Kara, Gerald B
"History of New York Eye & Ear Infirmary: One hundred fifty years of continuous service"
''New York State Journal of Medicine'' (December 1, 1973) later famed as the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital (Moorfields) that Rodgers and Delafield realized how little attention ophthalmology received in the Americas and set about to change that. Upon their return to New York in 1818, they made the first survey of eye diseases in city. Finding a glaring lack of eye care provided to the poor, except in dire circumstances, and little interest in the medical community or city authorities in offering competent eye care, Delafield and Rodgers opened the New York Eye Infirmary. Founded on August 14, 1820, the first Infirmary was located at 45

Chatham Street Park Row is a street located in the Financial District, Civic Center, and Chinatown neighborhoods of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street runs east-west, sometimes called north-south because the western end is nearer to the Fin ...

(which is now 83 Park Row), across from

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

and near the Five Points neighborhood. On April 21, 1821, the first bylaws and rules and regulations were drawn up, and a Board of Directors, called "The Society of the New York Eye Infirmary," was formed. Early supporters of the Infirmary included prominent New Yorkers such as Colonel

William Few William Few Jr. (June 8, 1748 – July 16, 1828) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician and jurist. He represented the U.S. state of Georgia at the Constitutional Convention and signed the U.S. Constitution. Few and James Gunn w ...

– who became the first President of the Infirmary Board from 1821 to 1828,

Philip Hone Philip Hone (October 25, 1780 – May 5, 1851) was Mayor of New York City from 1826 to 1827.Minutes of the Common Council of the City of New York, 1784-1831. Volume XV, November 10, 1825 to December 25, 1826'. New York: City of New York, 1917. p. ...

Benjamin Strong Benjamin Strong Jr. (December 22, 1872 – October 16, 1928) was an American banker. He served as Governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for 14 years until his death. He exerted great influence over the policy and actions of the entire F ...

and

David Hosack David Hosack (August 31, 1769 – December 22, 1835) was a noted American physician, botanist, and educator. He remains widely known as the doctor who tended to the fatal injuries of Alexander Hamilton after his duel with Aaron Burr in July 1 ...

– the founder of

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States b ...

, who contributed funds and helped raise money for the fledgling clinic. The hospital was incorporated by the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...

on March 22, 1822.

Name changes

At the time of its incorporation, on March 22, 1822, the hospital was named The New York Eye Infirmary. Although NYEE treated ear conditions since its inception, the otology department received official recognition in 1864 by an act of the state legislature and the name was legally changed to The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Following the 2013 merger between Continuum Health Partners, Inc., and The Mount Sinai Medical Center, the hospital name was officially changed to New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. In 2022, the facility was reported to be closing and up for sale, with the specialty emergency department already closed.

Main campus and prior locations

Delafield and Rodgers opened the New York Eye Infirmary on August 14, 1820 at 45 Chatham Street (which is now 83 Park Row), across from

and near the Five Points neighborhood. To accommodate a growing volume of patients, NYEE's main campus expanded several times between 1878 and 1903 to include new pavilions: Abram Du Bois Pavilion (1894), James N. Platt Pavilion (1901), and the William C. Schermerhorn Pavilion (1903), designed by Robert Williams Gibson. NYEE expanded its footprint in 1968, with the opening of the North Building on East 14th Street and Second Avenue. In 1974, a new building to house Residents expanded the campus at 321 East 13th Street.

Mergers and affiliations

* 2013 - NYEE, as a member of Continuum Health Partners, Inc., merges with The Mount Sinai Medical Center, creating the Mount Sinai Health System. * 1999- NYEE becomes a member of Continuum Health Partners, Inc., which included Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Luke's Hospital,

Roosevelt Hospital Mount Sinai West, opened in 1871 as Roosevelt Hospital, is affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System. The 514-bed facility is located in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York City. The fac ...

, and

Long Island College Hospital University Hospital of Brooklyn at Long Island College Hospital (or LICH) was a 506-bed teaching hospital located in the Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. The hospital was founded in 1858 as Long Island Coll ...

. * 1980 - NYEE enters into an affiliation with

. * 1949 - NYEE enters into a teaching affiliation with

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Bellevue Medical Center Bellevue Medical Center ( ar, مستشفى ومركز بلفو الطبي , BMC) founded in July 2009, is a general hospital located in Mansourieh, Lebanon. It offers healthcare services in many specialties. The hospital has a capacity of 130 ...

. * 1946 - NYEE enters into an affiliation with New York University. * 1938 - NYEE enters an academic affiliation with

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded i ...

. * 1919 - NYEE becomes part of the New York United Hospital Fund charitable trust.

Notable faculty and alumni

* Colonel

, first president of New York Eye Infirmary and a signer of the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

* Dr. David Kearny McDonogh, NYEE alumnus and first African-American ophthalmologist * Dr. Cornelius Agnew, an NYEE alumnus, was a founding member, New York Ophthalmological Society (1864); Clinic for the Diseases of the Eye and Ear at the

(1866); Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (1868);

Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital (MEETH) is a specialty hospital in New York City that was founded in 1869 and is currently located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at 210 East 64th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues). After 131 years as ...

(1869) * Dr. Henry D. Noyes, an NYEE alumnus, a founding member of The

American Ophthalmological Society The American Ophthalmological Society (AOS) is a medical society of ophthalmologists and the second oldest specialty medical society in the United States, after the New York Ophthalmological Society (founded on March 7, 1864). It was founded on Ju ...

(AOS) and New York Ophthalmological Society (1864); American Otological Society (1868) * Dr. Edward Dench, Surgeon Director, founder member of the New York Otologic Society (1892) * Dr. F. Phinzy Calhoun, class of 1908, established and led the department of ophthalmology at Grady Hospital and Emory University * Dr. Emil Gruening, organized the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic at The Mount Sinai Hospital (1890) * Dr.

Harvey J. Howard Harvey James Howard (1880–1956) was an American ophthalmologist. He was notable for: * Serving as head of the Ophthalmology Department at the University Medical School, Canton Christian College in China between 1910 and 1915. * Inventing the H ...

, class of 1910, established the Department of Ophthalmology at Washington University * Dr. John Martin Wheeler, NYEE resident class of 1910, first director of Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute at Columbia University * Dr. Conrad Berens, a founding member of the first Pan American Congress of Ophthalmology (1940) * Dr. Morton L Rosenthal establishes New York City's first Retina Service at NYEE (1957) * Dr. Bruno S. Priestley, an NYEE physician, establishes the Department of Pleoptics – the first of its kind in the U.S. and the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere (1959) * James C. Tsai, president as of 2014

Honors and awards

Partial list: * Department of Ophthalmology at NYEE ''U.S. News & World Report'' “Best Hospitals” most recent rankings: #12 / 2019–2020; #11 / 2018–2019; #12 / 2017–2018; #10 / 2016–2017; #11 / 2015-2016 * Department of Otolaryngology at NYEE ''U.S. News & World Report'' “Best Hospitals” most recent rankings: #44 / 2018–2019; #50 / 2017–2018; #43 / 2015-2016 * Doximity's Ophthalmology Residency Survey results of NYEE's Ophthalmology Residency Program: #19 / 2017; #19 / 2018; #20 / 2019 * Doximity's Otolaryngology Residency Survey results of NYEE's Otolaryngology Residency Program: #31 / 2017; #19 / 2018 * Doximity's Otolaryngology Residency Survey results of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Otolaryngology Residency Program: #6 / 2019 *

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majorit ...

(2012, 2015, and 2018) * Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education ( ACCME) (2019) *

American Nurses Credentialing Center The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA), is a certification body for nursing board certification and the largest certification body for advanced practice registered nurses in the U ...

’s (ANCC) Magnet® Recognition Program® (2009, 2014, 2019) * Stage 6 Designation on the HIMSS Electronic Medical Records Adoption Model SM (2017 It received three Magnet awards (

Magnet Recognition Program The Magnet Recognition Program is a recognition program operated by the American Nurses Credentialing Center that allows nurses to recognize nursing excellence in other nurses. It is considered the highest recognition for nursing excellence. The pr ...

®) from he

, an organization that recognizes excellent nursing performance. In 2009, it received the first Magnet award ever given to a specialized hospital.

Community outreach

In 2009, the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary worked in partnership with departments at Continuum Health Partners, Inc., on "Project Chernobyl", to diagnose and treat

thyroid cancer Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck. C ...

associated with radiation exposure from the

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...

, which can take decades to develop. Thyroid cancer is a risk among some 200,000 immigrants from the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

who now live the New York area. The infirmary is a member of the Partners in Preparedness Program with the

New York City office of Emergency Management New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) (formerly the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM)) was originally formed in 1996 as part of the Mayor's Office under Rudolph W. Giuliani. By a vote of city residents in 2001 it became an ...

. It welcomes volunteers for opportunities ranging from administration to patient services.

In popular culture

In 1903, Helen Keller delivered a speech at the dedication of the infirmary's Schermerhorn Pavilion. The interior of the old infirmary was used in ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...

'' for the scenes in which Mafia Don

Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfather ...

is in the hospital after being shot, and his son,

Michael Corleone Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather''. In the The Godfather (film series), three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portr ...

, attempts to protect him against gunmen trying to kill him.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:New York Eye And Ear Infirmary Hospital buildings completed in 1856 Hospital buildings completed in 1893 Hospital buildings completed in 1968 Hospitals established in 1820 Teaching hospitals in New York City Hospitals in Manhattan Organizations established in 1820 Continuum Health Partners New York Medical College 1820 establishments in New York (state) Eye hospitals in the United States