UPDATE: SUNY Board Approves Southampton, Stony Brook University Hospital Affiliation

Within an hour of the SUNY board approving the Southampton-Stony Brook affiliation, New York State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle and State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. both lent their thoughts on the deal.

In a conference call, Mr. LaValle and Mr. Thiele both said that while working to gain the approval was practically “a full-time job,” they were encouraged by the opportunities the affiliation would bring to the East End in terms of health care, the local economy and education in the medical field.

“This is like waving a wand. You’ll be seeing a development of medical parks and more physicians,” Mr. LaValle said. “It will be a job creator, bringing specialized medical care to the area.”

“The East End has always been described as a medically under-served area,” Mr. Thiele said. “Health care is a big part of the economy. This is going to mean jobs.”

The lawmakers each said that the affiliation between Southampton and Stony Brook would also be beneficial for the SUNY Southampton campus in Shinnecock Hills, as more medical-based graduate programs would be brought there because of its close proximity to the hospital on Meeting House Lane. With that in mind, Mr. Thiele added that Southampton Hospital would also have a bigger pool of potential employees to choose from when hiring, as graduates would already be familiar with the hospital and will most likely have had work experience there while getting their degrees.

The Board of Trustees of the State University of New York unanimously approved on Tuesday an affiliation agreement between Southampton and Stony Brook University hospitals.

The agreement was approved by SUNY on the conditions that neither hospital shall request funding from SUNY or New York State for capital improvements, that Stony Brook would establish cash reserves to cover all liabilities at Southampton, and that Stony Brook developed a comprehensive implementation plan for the integration of the two institutions.

While many members of the 18-person board remained silent when offered the opportunity to comment, trustee Eunice A. Lewin said that her view of the affiliation has changed a great deal over the last few months.

At the very beginning of the affiliation discussion, I was very concerned,” Ms. Lewin said, adding that when she visted Southampton Hospital for the first time, she was “pleasantly surprised.” “I believe this affiliation will strengthen both institutions. I am pleased to move the resolution forward”

Next up, the hospitals have to submit for a certificate of need from the State Department of Health, and other state agencies such as the attorney general and the state comptroller have to approve the affiliation as well.

A Board of Trustees of the State University of New York committee unanimously approved on Monday a long-awaited affiliation between Southampton and Stony Brook University hospitals, setting a positive precedent for a vote by the board set to take place Tuesday afternoon.

SUNY’s Academic Medical Centers and Hospitals Committee voted unanimously at the request of committee Chairman John Murad to approve the affiliation, something SUNY has put off for several months. The committee provides oversight and recommendations to the SUNY board on all of the system’s health professions education and health delivery.

The 18-member SUNY board is set to vote on the affiliation Tuesday afternoon.

When reached by phone Monday afternoon, Southampton Hospital President and CEO Robert Chaloner said that the committee’s approval proved to be a positive sign that the SUNY board will also approve the affiliation on Tuesday.