The celebration included food trucks, goodie bags, and purple swag, recognizing the hospital’s doctors, nurses, clinical staff and patients.
Dr. Bret J. Rudy, MD, executive vice president and chief of hospital operations at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, noted that over the past decade, NYU Langone had been committed to improving quality, strengthening safety, and ensuring Brooklyn residents can access world-class care close to home.
“Every investment and improvement we’ve made has been guided by what will best serve our patients and our community,” Rudy said.
Under his leadership, the hospital’s mortality rate ranks among the lowest both in Brooklyn — which has one of the nation’s highest Medicaid populations — and nationwide. NYU Langone’s investments in its Sunset Park campus have significantly improved quality, safety, and coordinated care for all patients.
More than 80% of discharged patients are Medicaid or Medicare patients, who often lack access to high-quality healthcare and have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other underlying health conditions.
Since the merger, the hospital has shortened the average length of stay, reduced readmissions, and emerged as one of New York City’s highest-performing hospitals for quality and patient safety. According to a study published in JAMA Network Open in 2022, NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn saw a 33 percent drop in the mortality rate of hospitalized patients since the merger.
NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn has increased procedural and surgical volume and expanded access to advanced specialty care, such as comprehensive oncology services at its Perlmutter Cancer Center-Sunset Park, advanced cardiac and surgical programs, a Level 1 Trauma Center, and a Comprehensive Stroke Center.
The number of surgeries has increased by more than 20 percent, with an on-time start rate above 90%. All these efforts are part of NYU Langone’s broader strategy to reduce patients’ need to travel outside Brooklyn for highly specialized and high-quality care.
The hospital also became the first in the borough to earn Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recognizing excellence in nursing practice, patient outcomes, and professional nursing standards.
For 27-year-old Brooklyn resident Idiatou Diallo, NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn’s improvements in quality, safety, and access to specialty care proved to be a lifesaver.
Diallo had been to emergency departments and physicians across the borough, seeking help for her persistent pain and swelling. After misdiagnoses and worsening symptoms, her brother urged her to visit the Emergency Department at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn.
Diallo was evaluated immediately, receiving comprehensive blood work, imaging, and specialist consultations. A biopsy confirmed advanced-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and she began chemotherapy shortly after her diagnosis at Perlmutter Cancer Center—Sunset Park, under the care of Dr. Oscar B. Lahoud, chief medical officer of NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, and a hematologist–oncologist at Perlmutter Cancer Center.
“Everything moved quickly, and everyone took my situation seriously,” Diallo said. “I want more people to know that this level of care is available right here in Brooklyn.”
Lahoud personally oversaw her care, working closely with a multidisciplinary team to coordinate treatment and address the urgency of her condition.
According to Lahoud, Diallo’s outcome reflects the importance of early intervention, coordinated cancer care, and clear communication throughout treatment. Patient navigators at Perlmutter Cancer Center—Sunset Park play an important role in helping patients manage appointments, imaging, testing, and transitions between inpatient and outpatient care, and supporting patients as they complete their full course of treatment.
“Since joining NYU Langone, my vision has always been to bring advanced and innovative care to Brooklyn, so patients never have to leave the borough for treatment,” Dr. Lahoud said. “Cancer care requires more than treatment. It requires coordination, accessibility, and trust.”
Diallo has been in remission for a little over a year and continues regular follow-up visits every few months. Although she still experiences fatigue related to treatment, she has resumed many aspects of daily life and remains closely connected to the team that helped save her.
“Dr. Lahoud and the team at NYU Langone gave me hope when I didn’t have any,” Diallo said. “From the first day of chemotherapy, the nurses explained everything and made me feel comfortable and supported. I never felt like I was facing this alone.”
