Riverhead, NY-- Peconic Bay Medical Center (PBMC) was recently presented with two awards from the American Heart Association (AHA) for its work in providing exceptional care for heart attack and stroke patients. The first was the 2023 MISSION: LIFELINE® Quality Achievement Award for the hospital’s work as a STEMI Receiving Center for heart attack patients with a fully blocked coronary artery. The second achievement award was a Gold Plus rating as part of AHA’s Get With The Guidelines® program, which celebrated PBMC’s ability and commitment to providing high-quality, timely care for stroke patients. Both awards acknowledge PBMC’s outstanding performance in patient care and its work to meet or exceed the AHA’s guideline therapy recommendations in treating critical care patients. PBMC also achieved Honor Roll Elite status for treating stroke patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
“Peconic Bay Medical Center’s mission is to make advanced, life-saving medical care available and accessible to all in Eastern Suffolk County, and these designations by the AHA are a testament to our entire team’s commitment to putting that mission into action,” said Amy Loeb, EdD, MBA, RN, PBMC executive director. “We have made a significant investment to bring the highest quality and most advanced healthcare services possible—especially for critical care patients. No one should feel the need to compromise their health for the suburban quality of life. We hope these distinctions will provide Eastern Suffolk County residents with peace of mind, knowing that we are here and that they will have access to the best emergency care when they need it most.”
These awards were the latest PBMC achieved in 2023 for the high level of emergency medical services it provides to Eastern Suffolk County. PBMC was ranked by Healthgrades as a Top 100 hospital nationwide for Coronary Intervention, as well as receiving 5-star rankings from Healthgrades for Treatment of Heart Attack and Treatment of Stroke. In addition, PBMC was the only hospital in the region to receive an “A” patient safety rating from the Leapfrog Group this past spring.
MISSION: LIFELINE® is the American Heart Association's national, community-based initiative to improve systems of care for patients with STEMI, NSTEMI, stroke and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The program focuses on streamlining processes to speed up the delivery of proper treatment for time sensitive, neuro-cardiovascular disease states by showcasing hospitals like PBMC that are providing 24/7 support and coordinating emergency medical services to provide guideline-directed STEMI care.
AHA’s Get With The Guidelines ® – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to the latest scientific treatment guidelines. Numerous published studies demonstrate the program’s success in achieving measurable patient outcome improvements. The Gold Plus Award celebrates hospitals that have exhibited this high level of care for 24 consecutive months or more.
“These awards are also shared by the incredible EMS teams and paramedics throughout Eastern Suffolk County who are the first on the scene to care for patients experiencing heart attack or stroke. They play a critical role in getting patients to our emergency medicine and coronary specialists quickly so they can deliver the necessary care that will increase their chances of survival,” said Loeb.
To meet the population increase Eastern Suffolk has experienced over the past few years, PBMC announced plans to significantly expand its emergency department as part of a $92 million renovation initiative.. This is the next phase in the evolution of Peconic Bay Medical Center, bringing the most advanced level of healthcare to residents of Eastern Suffolk County. The emergency department expansion will add more than 6,600 square feet to the facility and will increase capacity to handle the rise more easily in critical care patients. It will enable the hospital to implement new, life-saving technology to further its ability to care for patients experiencing drastic cardiac events.
As a level III trauma center and a New York State-designated stroke center, PBMC has demonstrated the capability to deliver life-saving care to stroke patients. As the only trauma and stroke center on the North Fork and Eastern Suffolk County’s largest healthcare provider, PBMC is dedicated to its life-saving practices. PBMC provides over 250,000 Eastern Suffolk residents with the closest access to advanced cardiac catheterization suites, a New York State-designated stroke center, Level III trauma services, and Eastern Suffolk County’s largest—and busiest—emergency department.
For more information about Peconic Bay Medical Center’s emergency department, visit www.pbmchealth.org.
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About Peconic Bay Medical Center
Located in Riverhead, NY, Peconic Bay Medical Center is a 144-bed nonprofit 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, including advanced surgical, cardiac, orthopedic and women’s health care, comprehensive inpatient medical care, palliative care and an extensive range of outpatient services, along with state-of-the-art technology. Peconic Bay Medical Center joined Northwell Health in 2016. For more information, visit PBMCHealth.org and follow us @PeconicBayMedicalCenter on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.