It's Official: Peconic Bay Medical Center Merges with Northwell Health

After months of discussion and anticipation, PBMC Health and Peconic Bay Medical Center held an official signing ceremony today to announce a merger with Northwell Health, formerly known as North Shore-LIJ.

The event was held at the Kanas Center for Advanced Surgery Atrium at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead.

The signing, said representatives, signaled a new day for the healthcare facility in Riverhead and the East End, as PBMC transforms into a “true regional medical center. The partnership will invest in the East End by bringing world class services while keeping true to its roots as a community hospital.”

Expansion of services is planned to help the facility meet the needs of a growing population on the East End.

“In order to meet these public health needs, PBMC Health and Peconic Bay Medical Center, together with Northwell Health are poised at the beginning of a new era that will positively impact the access to health care services. Our plans include the first cardiac cath lab and the first trauma center for the East End. We also plan to have expanded maternity and child health services as well as additional locations for ambulatory and urgent care services,” PBMC President and CEO Andrew Mitchell said.

Peconic Bay Medical Center becomes Northwell Health’s 21st hospital within the health system, joining Huntington Hospital, Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and South Oaks Hospital in Amityville.

Emergency department doctors who support Peconic Bay Medical Center have joined Northwell Health Physician Partners effective January 15.

Meanwhile the physicians who cover the radiology department will soon be staffed by Northwell Health Physician Partners on February 12. The transition will continue to provide patients with exceptional, comprehensive and quality clinical care, PBMC representatives said.

The agreement, signed by Northwell Health’s President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Dowling and Mitchell was previously approved by PBMC’s Board of Directors and Northwell Health’s Board of Trustees.

The ceremony began with the presentation of the flags and announcing the pledge of allegiance by Riverhead High School’s Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.

“Northwell Health is committed to investing in Peconic Bay Medical Center’s future by strengthening and expanding its clinical services, and building a network of outpatient facilities that will establish PBMC Health as a regional destination for top-flight medical care,” Dowling said. “By anchoring Northwell Health’s Eastern Region, PBMC will significantly enhance the health system’s ability to meet the current and future health needs of residents of central and eastern Long Island.”

In December, Peconic Bay Medical Center announced that they had approved the definitive agreement to become a full member of North Shore-LIJ Health System.

“After an exhaustive strategic planning process, we’ve concluded that partnering” with Northwell Health is in the best interest of the men, women and children who depend on PBMC,” Sherry Patterson, chair of the PBMC board said. “We believe this decision ensures we are capable of meeting not just the current needs but future health and wellness challenges of central Suffolk County and eastern Long Island.”

According to Patterson, the agreement would also establish important new regional medical services and provide long-term stability for patients during a time of great volatility in the healthcare market.

PBMC brings to the table a 200-bed community teaching hospital and a skilled nursing/rehabilitation facility that have been serving the region for 64 years.

PBMC has approximately 1,300 employees and cares for more than 7,000 inpatients and 168,000 outpatients annually.

The hospital, a New York State designated stroke center, features a highly regarded emergency department serving about 37,000 patients a year, an advanced surgery center, centers of excellence in joint replacement and bariatric surgery, and a range of other medical services.

The hospital also operates a certified home health agency, a 60-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, a six-bed palliative care center, an advanced ambulatory and urgent care campus in Manorville, and a growing network of community-based family care and specialty physician practices throughout central and eastern Suffolk County.

Both Southampton and Eastern Long Island Hospital chose to join forces with Stony Brook University Hospital.