Stony Brook Southampton Hospital officials can now officially begin their $300 million project to build a new hospital facility in Shinnecock Hills.Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed a bill on December 21 authorizing Stony Brook University to lease property on its Southampton campus to the Southampton Hospital Association for the hospital’s new location, State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. confirmed. The governor’s signature was the final approval needed to kick-start the project, which is likely to transform the East End’s health care landscape.Officials are now able to put out bids for an architect to design renderings for the new hospital facility, as well as for a new satellite location in East Hampton. Renderings are important to complete before launching the capital campaign as they help get potential donors to agree to contribute. Once that phase is complete, officials can launch the capital campaign, which is expected to begin during the first quarter of 2019. The fundraiser will be a combined effort to raise $300 million for the new hospital and $35 million for the East Hampton facility. "Passage of this legislation is a significant milestone and advances Stony Brook's mission to reshape the healthcare landscape on the East End of Long Island," Robert Chaloner, chief administrative officer for Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, said in a statement. "It could not have happened without the vision and tireless efforts of our ardent champions in the New York State Legislature, Senator Kenneth P. LaValle and Assemblyman Fred Thiele. We are grateful for their support of this project and look forward to working with our community and realizing many more milestones that are to come."Although it will be a huge effort to raise the necessary capital, Mr. Chaloner said in a past interview that he is optimistic that they can achieve their goal. He added that a bulk of the funds would come from large donations. Once fundraising begins, the combined project is estimated to take about five years to complete, Mr. Chaloner said. The project is the last stage of the overall merger plan between Stony Brook Medicine and Southampton Hospital that began in July 2017.The new hospital is planned to have the same or possibly fewer number of its 125 hospital beds, with significantly more space for ambulatory and outpatient care and testing. It will also feature modern amenities and advanced technology—hospital officials have ideas for innovative designs that would improve patient care. The East Hampton satellite facility will offer an emergency room and advanced outpatient medical services on a 4-acre property at 400 Pantigo Place.
on Dec 23, 2018