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Search committee started to find Executive VP at San Simeon by the Sound

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | Priscilla De Masi is stepping down from her post at San Simeon by the Sound in Greenport.

After a decade at the helm as administrator and executive vice president of San Simeon by the Sound Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Greenport, Priscilla De Masi will be moving on early in 2012.

The announcement from San Simeon board president Marie Beninati said Ms. De Masi’s decision resulted from family matters that will require her to move from the area.

“We are saddened to see Ms. De Masi move on, but we respect her decision to relocate out of state for family reasons,” Ms. Beninati said. “She has continued and enhanced the legacy of caring and excellence in long-term care and short-term rehabilitation for our North Fork community.”

During her tenure, Ms. De Masi oversaw an $8 million renovation of San Simeon’s Route 48 complex. That effort included adding space to accommodate the year-old adult day health care center, which provides services to people who are still living with their families but need treatment and activities beyond what relatives can render during the workweek. The program includes such on-site health services as cardiology, dental care, audiology, podiatry and orthopedic care; administration of medicines; physical and occupational therapy; and various arts and crafts and social activities.

The program aims to keep families together for longer periods of time while easing the transition, should it become necessary, to full-time nursing home care.

In May, the San Simeon adult day health care program received a platinum award in a national competition sponsored by Dorland Health’s Case in Point magazine in recognition of its achievements. Receiving the award at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Ms. De Masi found herself in excellent company, among other award-winners from companies like IBM, GlaxoSmithKline and New York City’s Bellevue Medical Center.

It was Ms. De Masi’s concept to develop the adult day health care program and she spearheaded efforts to obtain grant money and secure contributions to make the center a reality.

A search committee has been created to find her successor, Ms. Beninati said. Until then, she said, Ms. De Masi will continue to serve as administrator “to ensure a seamless transition.”

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