Greenport, NY, JULY 1, 2019 — Eastern Long Island Hospital (ELIH) has officially joined the Stony Brook Medicine healthcare system, providing care under Stony Brook University Hospital’s New York State operating license, effective July 1, 2019. Eastern Long Island Hospital and Stony Brook Medicine have been formally affiliated since 2006, with the decision for the 90-bed acute care hospital to join the Stony Brook Medicine health system coming in 2015. Established as the first hospital in Suffolk County in 1905, ELIH will now be referred to as Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital (SBELIH), a name which reflects combining the best in academic medicine and community medicine to improve access to advanced medical care for residents of Long Island’s North Fork and Shelter Island.
One of the principal goals is for SBELIH to work collaboratively with Stony Brook University Hospital and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital to increase care, particularly specialized outpatient services. These hospitals in the Stony Brook Medicine healthcare system are working together to address healthcare gaps for East End residents, including specialty areas such as trauma, neurology, psychiatry, gynecology, pulmonology, hematology/oncology and orthopedic services. Stony Brook Medicine has maintained a fleet of critical care ambulances and first responders as a collaboration with community EMS and SBELIH to enhance the emergency care and transport services available to North Fork and Shelter Island residents. Patients at SBELIH that require intensive care are transferred to Stony Brook University Hospital. As a result, patients quickly and easily receive treatment and benefit from enhanced services including shared medical records, clinical care protocols and quality assurance programs.
“By welcoming Eastern Long Island Hospital into the Stony Brook Medicine Hospital System, we remain on the cutting edge of healthcare, implementing new strategies to improve the health of the communities we serve,” said Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP, Senior Vice President, Health Sciences and Dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. “We’ve taken many bold steps to strengthen our infrastructure across systems to promote excellence in research, education and clinical services. As but two examples, our new Mastery in General Surgery Fellowship program provides Stony Brook surgical fellows with four months of rural surgery experience, thereby also improving surgical physician staffing in the SBELIH Operating Rooms and Emergency Department. Second, Stony Brook Medicine offers a psychiatric residency program at SBELIH, which in turn, serves as a clinical campus and training site, increasing the number of physicians, specialists, allied health professionals and nurses on the East End of Long Island.”
Stony Brook Medicine clinicians have staffed and assisted in the development of Eastern Long Island Hospital’s inpatient behavioral health programs, cared for patients who needed specialty care not available at Eastern Long Island Hospital, and provided support and patient transport services via Stony Brook Emergency Medical Services’ two fully equipped fly cars — first responder EMS vehicles where patients are stabilized for transport — during times of emergency. Future plans include a telehealth program that will provide Shelter Island residents with direct access to Stony Brook Medicine specialists. And, through Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, wellness services are already being offered in Greenport at the Ed & Phyllis Davis Wellness Institute adjacent to SBELIH.
“With the help of Stony Brook Medicine, ELIH has gradually grown its footprint during the past few years,” said Paul Connor III, Chief Administrative Officer of SBELIH. “We welcomed neurological surgery and urologic oncology specialists, and we now have General Surgeons from Meeting House Lane Medical in Southampton performing procedures in our Surgical Center of Excellence. I’m gratified that we can offer all these new programs and services to our community.”
While the primary service area is the North Fork and Shelter Island, SBELIH provides regional behavioral health programs for the greater Suffolk County area with medical-surgical services, critical care, psychiatry, and drug and alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation services. It is one of two hospitals on Long Island providing skin cancer screenings to all inpatients through the Mollie Biggane Melanoma Foundation. In addition, as the North Fork and Shelter Island are retirement destinations, making these communities the oldest population per capita in New York State, SBELIH will respond to the changing healthcare environment with expanded coordinated care, while maintaining high patient safety and satisfaction.
“Bringing these two institutions together is another example of the extraordinary growth Stony Brook Medicine has pursued to serve our patients and address a variety of health care needs,” said Margaret McGovern, MD, PhD, Vice President for Health System Clinical Programs and Strategy at Stony Brook Medicine. “The collaboration will allow the three hospitals to work even more closely together to enable new, local access to additional medical and surgical services and new community-based health programs.”
New York State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, Chairman of the New York State Senate Higher Education Committee said, “I am pleased that our shared vision of increasing accessible, quality, affordable health care across the East End today becomes a reality with the addition of Eastern Long Island Hospital into the Stony Brook Medicine healthcare system. This will provide residents with greater access to specialists, clinical trials and advanced technology, all combined with the convenience and personalized care of a community-based hospital. I commend everyone involved for all of their hard work in successfully making this healthcare system a success.”
A key benefit of this agreement is the shared belief that the provision of healthcare should stay local. ELIH Foundation will continue to be governed by its local Board of Directors and all funds raised by the Foundation and Auxiliary will remain local. As in the past, ELIH will make business decisions locally based on the needs of the community and, at the same time, will gain the support of a large, successful healthcare system.
“This is an exciting time for Eastern Long Island Hospital,” said Thomas E. Murray, Jr. Chairman of Eastern Long Island Hospital’s board of directors. “A lot of hard work has taken place, but the reward is here now — to be part of Stony Brook Medicine. Becoming part of the Stony Brook Medicine family allows us to continue our mission, offering the best possible care to our patients and community.”
For more information, visit elih.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
###
About Stony Brook Medicine
Stony Brook Medicine integrates and elevates all of Stony Brook University’s health-related initiatives: education, research and patient care. It includes six Health Sciences schools — Dental Medicine, Health Technology and Management, Medicine, Nursing, Social Welfare, and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences — as well as Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and more than 100 community-based healthcare settings throughout Suffolk County. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
About Stony Brook University Hospital
Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) is Long Island’s premier academic medical center. With 603 beds, SBUH serves as the region’s only tertiary care center and Regional Trauma Center, and is home to the Stony Brook University Heart Institute, Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute. SBUH also encompasses Suffolk County’s only Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center, state-designated AIDS Center, state-designated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, state-designated Burn Center, the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, and Kidney Transplant Center. It is home of the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sbuh.
About Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital
With 90 beds, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital (SBELIH) is a full-service, community hospital committed to delivering excellence in patient care and meeting all the health needs of the North Fork and Shelter Island. A campus of Stony Brook University Hospital, SBELIH provides regional behavioral health programs serving the greater Suffolk County area. Centers of excellence include Medical-Surgical, Advanced Ambulatory Care, Behavioral Health, Emergency, Geriatric, Diagnostic Services, Physical Therapy and Gastrointestinal Services. To learn more, visit http://www.elih.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
Add comment