Long Island College Hospital (LICH), which serves as the hub of Continuum's services in Brooklyn, is a 516-bed, teaching hospital located in the Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill section. LICH is the primary clinical teaching affiliate of the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn (SUNY-Downstate Medical Center). The LICH School of Nursing is one of the oldest nursing schools in the country.
Founded in 1858 as a medical school as well as a hospital, Long Island College Hospital has made exceptional contributions to U.S. medicine. In 1860, it became the first U.S. medical school to make bedside teaching a standard part of its medical curriculum, establishing an approach that was subsequently adopted throughout the country. Medical achievements of early LICH faculty include introduction of the stethoscope and early use of anesthesia. In 1930, the Long Island College of Medicine was incorporated as a separate medical school, with LICH as its hospital affiliate, and the College of Medicine became part of SUNY in 1954. Still Downstate's primary teaching affiliate, LICH offers training programs for resident physicians in more than 20 medical specialties.
Long Island College Hospital today prides itself on combining the best features of a major medical center with the personal, caring approach of a community-centered hospital.
