Promises Kept

Some things are very much worth waiting for.

It took a little longer than expected — though the scale of the project and the volatility of the times suggest that the earliest timetables were wildly optimistic — but the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Emergency Department opened in East Hampton last week, just in time for the holiday weekend, typically a moment when emergency care becomes in even greater demand as the population swells and people get more active with warmer weather.

The original plan was to have the facility open by late 2023. But the lingering impact of the pandemic on both the hospital and the economy likely played a role in pushing the project into the future. Credit former Chief Administrative Officer Robert Chaloner, current CAO Emily Mastaler and other hospital and Stony Brook Medicine officials for keeping this project on track, despite all the challenges.

Because it’s not just a typical expansion: This is a long-overdue project to bring quick and effective health care to residents of the eastern half of the South Fork. For too long, ambulance crews have faced a lengthy, white-knuckled drive to Southampton Village with patients from Montauk, Amagansett, East Hampton, Springs and other neighborhoods to the east who need care quickly, often to save their lives. Having a destination in East Hampton, especially in the summer months, not only will save lives but will improve outcomes.

Meanwhile, the ER at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital will benefit from having help to the east with the onslaught that comes every summer season, which means care for Southampton Town residents likely will improve as well. It truly is a win-win for residents throughout the region.

The hospital is still struggling, like so many other employers, with staffing challenges, and there is an uncertainty when it comes to federal funding with the new “Big, Beautiful Bill” currently in the Senate, which could mean deep funding cuts for the local hospitals. But Stony Brook and its leadership has followed through on a promise to provide better urgent care to patients in East Hampton Town. It was worth the wait and is something to truly celebrate.