Peconic Bay Medical Center (PBMC) in Riverhead has officially announced plans for a $92 million investment to enhance critical care capabilities and establish a new Center for Women and Infants.
Earlier this year, the hospital sold property in downtown Riverhead, where administrative offices had been located, to the Town of Riverhead for $20 million and had said it would put money toward creating more healthcare space, particularly for women.
“This plan is the next step in the evolution of Peconic Bay Medical Center, and we’re incredibly excited to unveil it to the community,” Dr. Amy Loeb, PBMC’s Executive Director, said during a celebration at the hospital.
Over $30 million has already been raised for the project. The goal is to raise a total of $50 million through philanthropy efforts.
“Since joining Northwell Health in 2016, PBMC has transformed into a multi-award-winning hospital complete with the Kanas Regional Heart Center, Corey Critical Care Pavilion, Level III Trauma Center and is the only hospital with an ‘A’ safety rating on the East End. All of this growth has been led by a steadfast vision of embracing our community’s health and wellness needs, and this investment in our community will lead to a higher level of specialized care in this region. We thank our generous donors for helping us to make this vision a reality, and we are excited to see it come to fruition.”
PBMC’s emergency department now serves twice as many patients as it was intended to serve and a 6,600-square-foot expansion of the emergency department will increase its capacity by 75%. It will be renamed the Poole Family Trauma & Emergency Center in honor of a $5 million donation made by Thomas and Mary Jane Poole of Westhampton Beach and Garden City, announced in May of 2022.
According to the hospital’s statement, the expansion to the 144-bed nonprofit hospital will also include a dual bay trauma unit, additional cardiac response technology, comprehensive radiology capabilities, and enhanced efficiency. “This expansion will save lives and make high-level care more accessible to all,” it said.
The South Pavilion of the hospital will also undergo some modern upgrades, including adding 16 to 20 more medical beds and creating the dedicated Center for Women and Infants— all with funding from the $20 million sale of the former Peconic Bay Medical Center Foundation’s Robert Entenmann Campus on Second Street. The South Pavilion will be renamed after Entenmann.
New private rooms in the Center for Women and Infants will ensure comprehensive women’s health services are more accessible to those who call Suffolk County home, the hospital said. It will offer an advanced level of breast health, urogynecology and tele-neonatology. The hospital also established a goal to develop a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
“With this investment, PBMC will extend access to health care for residents throughout Eastern Suffolk and further eliminate any barriers that once stood in the way,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health. “PBMC is a hospital dedicated to serving the people of this great community and it has continued to adapt to stay true to that mission as our area’s population grows and our medical needs become more complex. We are excited to be on this journey and are grateful to all those who have contributed to making it possible.”
“We have set a high standard for ourselves because our community deserves the best, and at each phase of the PBMC’s evolution, we’ve met the challenge with accolades from the healthcare industry,” said Loeb. “We expect this upcoming expansion to be our most substantial work yet.”
PBMC and Riverhead Town officials reached a deal for the sale of 4, 5 and 6 West Second Street and 214 Griffing Avenue in July 2022 and the 4.2-acre property officially went into contract in November. It will be the new home of Riverhead Town Hall.
In 2020, the Peconic Bay Medical Center Foundation bought the shuttered Mercy High School, a 24.8-acre property, from the Diocese of Rockville Centre for $14 million, and plans have been to move office space there.
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