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Peconic Bay Medical Center Celebrates State Approval For New Cardiac Care Center.

Contact Lauren Jacobsen
631-548-6827
LJacobsen1@northwell.edu

Kanas Regional Heart Center to provide East End residents with advanced lifesaving services close to home

RIVERHEAD, NY – Northwell Health’s Peconic Bay Medical Center received approval from New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, MD, to establish two laboratory cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology suites, and construct a rooftop helipad. The new “cath labs” will be the first facilities of their kind on the East End, and they have the potential to save hundreds of lives each year. They will form the centerpiece of a comprehensive Cardiac Care Center, which will be named the Kanas Regional Heart Center, housed in Peconic Bay Medical Center’s new $60-million Corey Critical Care Pavilion. 

“It is fitting that we get this long-awaited green light following National Heart Health Month,” said Andrew Mitchell, president and CEO of Peconic Bay Medical Center. “East End residents have had to travel farther for advanced cardiac services than anyone else in the Tri-State area, and considering that heart ailments require quick diagnosis and treatment, this facility will make a real difference. It will save lives.”

Cardiac catheterization labs are used to place stents in a person’s heart to open blocked passageways and to perform a range of other related life-saving procedures. Electrophysiology labs are used to diagnose and treat heart arrhythmias. The new Peconic Bay Medical Center Cath Labs will feature the most recent advances in catheterization technology.

The labs will be housed in a new Corey Critical Care Pavilion on the Riverhead campus of Peconic Bay Medical Center. In conjunction with the New York State approval, the Town of Riverhead also recently approved a zoning change and site plan for what will again be one of the largest expansions in the history of the hospital.  “Our community has long needed the kind of services we will now be able to provide through this comprehensive Corey Critical Care Pavilion,” said Sherry Patterson, chair of the Peconic Bay Medical Center and a long-time advocate for the cardiac catheterization facility. “We are grateful for the support of so many generous members of the community in helping us fund this project. Their dreams and ours are about to become a reality.”

In support of the effort that has now received a final go-ahead from the state Department of Health, Peconic Bay Medical Center recently announced a $5 million gift from the John and Elaine Kanas Family Foundation to provide advanced cardiac care options at the hospital. In addition, Eastern Suffolk Cardiology, one of the region’s most prominent cardiology practices, has recently joined the Northwell Health family, of which Peconic Bay Medical Center is the East End’s primary hub.  

Stanley Katz, MD, chair of cardiology and chief of interventional cardiology at Peconic Bay Medical Center, has been instrumental in the planning and design of the new cath labs.  The long-time senior vice president, executive director and chair of Northwell Health’s cardiology services has helped develop a vast network that resulted in providing world-class cardiology care across our region.  Dr. Katz will now be focused on expanding the Northwell Health cardiology services on the East End.

Since joining together in January of 2016, Northwell Health has moved rapidly to make Peconic Bay Medical Center the regional medical center for the East End.

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About Peconic Bay Medical Center

Located in Riverhead, NY, Peconic Bay Medical Center is a non-profit hospital committed to providing exceptional care and improving the health of the communities it serves. Peconic Bay Medical Center offers wide-ranging, full-scope services and programs along with state-of-art technology. Peconic Bay Medical Center joined Northwell Health (formerly North Shore-LIJ), in 2016. For more information, visit PBMCHealth.org.

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals and over 550 outpatient facilities. We care for more than two million people annually in the metro New York area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 61,000 employees – 15,000+ nurses and nearly 3,400 physicians, including nearly 2,700 dedicated members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and the School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. And we offer health insurance through CareConnect. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.

 

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