Andrew Mitchell, PBMC’s former chairman and CEO, still vividly remembers those nights.

“There are many patients today who’ve gone through heart attacks and been brought to the hospital,” Mr. Mitchell said. “They’re alive today because of what Stanley did.”

Early years and the path to medicine

Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, medicine wasn’t something Dr. Katz ever imagined for himself. He recently celebrated his 79th birthday, but still recalls wanting to be what many boys dreamed of: a professional soccer player.

“Medicine was the last thing on my mind, because I would get queasy in biology class and passed out at my cousin’s bris,” the silver-haired surgeon recalled in a sit-down with the Riverhead News-Review. “But then I desperately wanted to get out of South Africa. It was, at the time, Apartheid era.”

Many of his friends were taking the medicine route for the same reason — a path out of the country. One was already in a program, and when Dr. Katz tagged along to observe a lab, he surprised himself. He didn’t pass out. That realization nudged him toward medicine.

After graduating from the University of Cape Town and interning in Israel, Dr. Katz came to the United States at 26. He spent his 20s and 30s training at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. He then directed the cath lab at what’s now NYU Langone Hospital in Mineola for nine years before being recruited in 1991 to North Shore University Hospital as chief of cardiology — a position he held for 26 years.

When Dr. Katz started at North Shore in 1991, the hospital was performing 100 stent procedures a year. A decade later, that number had grown to 3,000.

A pilot’s mindset

Outside the operating room, Dr. Katz has another passion: flying. For years, he has piloted a multicolored, four-seat Cirrus out of Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach, a hobby he picked up in his 50s.

He sees a familiar rhythm between the cockpit and the cath lab.

“When I’m doing a procedure, I’m looking at the monitor, but I’m also looking at the EKG and the blood pressure, and I’m listening to the patient’s respiration,” he said. “It’s the same with aviation. You have to be multitasking and monitoring many different parameters all at the same time. There’s a certain risk-taking with flying and the same with interventional cardiology.”

For him, it’s not the thrill but the problem-solving discipline that connects the two.

Coming to the North Fork

In 2016, on the verge of turning 70, Dr. Katz was told the hospital where he worked wanted to move toward younger leadership. Around the same time, PBMC was in talks to join the Northwell system. He knew Mr. Mitchell, who hoped the merger would bring the hospital its first cardiac catheterization lab.

The two spoke, and Dr. Katz expressed interest in coming out himself to help make that a reality. They had dinner, discussed the opportunity and Dr. Katz was hired that year.

“I think what he really set out to do, and what he accomplished, is … establish a standard of care that the people on the East End of Long Island deserved,” said Mr. Mitchell, who retired as CEO in 2022 and has since helped raise millions of dollars for the hospital.

The cath lab first opened in an interim operating room on the second floor in 2017, before plans began taking shape for the permanent home of the program: the Kanas Regional Heart Center.

Mr. Mitchell still recalls watching Dr. Katz sit overnight with patients, just as he had done decades earlier — a hallmark of his approach.

“One of the things that I believe really makes a difference in the care of the patient is if they have some kind of medical advocate, because they don’t know enough to ask the right questions,” Dr. Katz said. “So when I take care of a patient, I act as their advocate. I spend time going over everything with them so that I earn their trust.”

Building programs and raising standards

Once the program got going, it grew quickly and gained credibility. In 2023, PBMC’s cath lab was ranked as one of the top 100 labs in the country — out of more than 1,700 nationwide.

Since Dr. Katz came aboard, the hospital has also built a credible electrophysiology program — putting in pacemakers and defibrillators — and expanded its interventional cardiology capabilities. PBMC became a level three trauma center in 2017, and its next goal is becoming thrombectomy-capable for strokes.

Looking ahead, Dr. Katz would like to see PBMC become a tertiary hospital, where heart surgeons can perform open-heart procedures. That would eliminate the need to transfer patients west of the medical center.

Mentorship and legacy

PBMC president Amy Loeb, who succeeded Mr. Mitchell, credits much of the hospital’s cardiac program growth to Dr. Katz’s influence. She said he commands deep respect, and that it’s clear from speaking with him how patient-centered he is. She describes him as an extraordinary individual.

Alongside his clinical work, Dr. Katz has made it a priority to mentor the young doctors who work beside him.

“One of Dr. Katz’s famous sayings that I love is, ‘Just say yes,'” Ms. Loeb said. “What he has taught those coming behind him is to have that mentality that you must figure out how to find a ‘yes’ for patients. He’s probably trained more interventional cardiologists on this island than anyone else. His fingerprints are literally all over this island and country.”

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That is why Peconic Bay Medical Center recently unveiled its newest dedicated pediatric room within its emergency department, where children now have a stress-free space to receive the care they need.

Following the opening of its new trauma room last year during its larger emergency department expansion, PBMC was able to transform a 370 square-foot former trauma room into a child-friendly treatment space, which is the first of its kind in Eastern Suffolk County, according to the hospital’s news release.

“This space gives us the ability to care for children in a way that’s developmentally appropriate and family-centered,” said Ninfa Mehta, chair of emergency medicine at Peconic Bay Medical Center. “Whether for short-term observation or urgent treatment, this setup gives our care teams, and parents, greater flexibility and focus.”

The redesigned room includes two curtained beds, essential emergency care equipment and convertible sofas, so parents never have to leave their child’s side. The detachment from the general emergency room area enhances both clinical care and emotional support. Additionally, the cosmetic upgrades bring the comforts of home into a medical setting, where children can feel safe, calm and cared for.

“This initiative reflects our continued focus on compassionate, community-driven care,” said Amy Loeb, PBMC president, in a news release. “Transforming this space ensures that children and their families have an environment designed for healing, comfort and peace of mind, when they need it most.”

PBMC recognized Marie and Emanuel Arturi of Laurel at the Aug. 15 ribbon-cutting for their support of the project, which will be in loving memory of their daughter, Daniella. Daniella Arturi passed away at 7 months old almost 30 years ago from complications of a rare blood disorder called Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA).

“This milestone is a testament to the deep roots of philanthropic support we are so fortunate to have,” Ms. Loeb said. “We are incredibly grateful to the Arturi family for their generosity in helping us build what’s best for our youngest community members.”

Under the guidance of PBMC’s new chair of pediatrics, Brenda Marcano-Benfante, the Riverhead-based hospital continues to strengthen its collaboration between emergency care and pediatric services. Emergency department physicians at PBMC trained to manage a wide range of pediatric emergencies will staff the new pediatric room.

“Children deserve the highest standard of care at every stage of life, especially in times of emergency,” said Dr. Marcano-Benfante. “We are committed to ensuring that families across the East End have access to expert pediatric care when they need it most, and this new space is one important step in building a healthier future for our community’s children.”

For more information about Peconic Bay Medical Center, visit pbmc.northwell.edu.

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The $1.2 million investment features 10 exam rooms and four dedicated testing rooms designed to support a wide range of diagnostic services. With a team of 10 Northwell physicians, there will be coordinated care across six medical specialties: vascular medicine, nephrology, cardiology, thoracic surgery, lung transplant and hepatology.

“Our goal is to make it easier for East End residents to get the care they need, when and where they need it,” said Amy Loeb, president of Peconic Bay Medical Center, in a statement. “By expanding services on the east end, we’re not just building a medical office — we’re investing in the health and well-being of this community and the people who call it home.”

Joseph Baglio, senior vice president of ambulatory operations for Northwell Health’s eastern region, said the new multi-specialty site is a “one-stop destination” that provides East End residents with medical experts and advanced diagnostic services closer to home and all under one roof.

Mr. Baglio said that after looking at population data on the East End, Northwell Health invested into the building around 18 months ago because there was a need to further expand its cardiology footprint. He said there were many zip codes “in the Riverhead market” that had seen significant growth during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a study conducted by the NYC Comptroller’s Office on shifts in population trends due to COVID, it analyzed the change in net residential moves in 2020 based on USPS permanent address changes. Among zip codes within New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the largest net gains in 2020 occurred in East Hampton, Southampton and Sag Harbor, according to the study.

“Northwell is committed to meeting the demands of that growth, and as healthcare has evolved outside of the four walls of the [Peconic Bay Medical Center] hospital, we are expanding our ambulatory footprint to meet the needs of the communities that we serve,” Mr. Baglio said.

Reflecting on the last 15 years for the healthcare provider, Mr. Baglio said Northwell’s eastern market footprint, which covers approximately 1,500 miles — from Glen Cove to the east end of Long Island — has boomed from just 34 locations to now having close to 300. Since opening its latest Riverhead practice on July 5, he said the feedback from patients has been positive.

“For residents of the East End, years ago, it was acceptable for those people to travel west to get care,” Mr. Baglio said. “[The Harrison Avenue facility] is a familiar place for patients, more of a one-stop-shop. We even offer integrative wellness now as part of the specialties within that building … between the third and the fourth floor, folks could get a lot of core services right in that building.”

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Thanks to last year’s $5 million donation made by Mr. and Mrs. Harnisch of Southampton, PBMC is on its way to building Suffolk County’s first dedicated, state-of-the-art neuroscience center, equipped with the latest diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.

The center will also serve as the only Eastern Long Island facility capable of performing a cerebral mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that can remove a blood clot and quickly restore blood flow to the brain after a major stroke — bringing critical neurological care much closer to home for East End residents.

With construction expected to be completed by the end of this year, PBMC president Amy Loeb revealed at the wall-breaking ceremony that the hospital plans to begin treating patients at the new facility in the first quarter of 2026.

“The residents out here facing advanced stroke emergencies historically have always been experiencing significant distances — losing time when every second counts,” Ms. Loeb said. “The Bill and Ruth Ann Harnisch Neurosciences Center will change that soon. It will bring life-saving interventions directly to our community. This means faster treatment, preserving vital brain tissue [and] preventing loss of function.”

PBMC is already a state-designated stroke center and treats roughly 1,000 patients each year for stroke or stroke-related illnesses, according to the hospital’s website. Dr. Richard Jung, Northwell’s stroke director for the Eastern region, said the neuroscience center will be able to expand PBMC’s medical capabilities, such as providing high-quality angiograms in the arteries of the brain to scan for various neurological diseases.

Other more advanced procedures that will be offered through the center include carotid artery stenting and middle meningeal artery embolization to treat chronic subdural hematomas. Treatment for brain aneurysms will come in the future as well, Dr. Jung said.

“With the additional, more invasive treatment for acute ischemic stroke, it doesn’t just require a machine, it requires the elevation of everything in the hospital: hospital services, nursing care, hospital resources, surgical care, expansion of different hospital departments just to provide this level of care,” Dr. Jung said. “For the region, it’s big win, because the hospital has to work harder to get better to provide this level of care.”

The neuroscience center is part of PBMC’s $92 million investment in the expansion of the Riverhead hospital, which also includes the launch of the Center for Women and Infants and a newly expanded emergency department — the Poole Family Trauma and Emergency Center.

“Nothing comes close to what this facility here can provide,” Mr. Harnisch said, before he and his wife were given sledgehammers to break through the first wall to make way for construction. “I think we’re going to save lives.”

Strokes are the leading cause of adult disability and fifth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Stroke Association. With May being National Stroke Awareness Month, knowing the signs and acting F.A.S.T. is crucial to saving lives. Learn more about the warning signs and stroke prevention by visiting Stroke.org.

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A new and long-awaited town square that is set to break ground next year, coupled with more market rate housing downtown, are the first steps toward a Riverhead renaissance aimed at transforming downtown into a thriving, year-round destination, according to town officials. The panel also noted an ambitious expansion campaign in recent years at Peconic Bay Medical Center that has dramatically improved healthcare options in Riverhead.

But Riverhead’s growing concentration of affordable housing — as well as homeless shelters and sober houses — is taxing the school district, the police department and other vital government services.

Officials said the town’s planning department is busy devising new ways to preserve farmland and open space without raising taxes, a campaign that will require compromise — possibly including the revival of a highly-unpopular proposal to rezone land north of Sound Avenue for “agri-tourism” resorts. Meanwhile, rising property values and high interest rates are prompting an increase in the number of second home owners, undermining Riverhead’s history as the East End’s most year-round, working-class community.

Town Square

Describing it as a “dream that’s now coming to reality,” Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said that after years of planning, grants and public hearings, construction on the first phase of the town square project is expected to begin next year.

“We are truly anticipating having shovels in the ground by late summer next year, and that’s when everything is going to come to fruition,” Mr. Hubbard said. “When that happens … businesses downtown are just going to prosper, because the town square will be programmed [with events]. You’re going to have people around most evenings for different events and functions, and everybody’s going to benefit from that.”

Mr. Hubbard also said that a key component of the town square’s success will be more market-rate downtown housing.

“Market rate apartments have people that have cash in their wallet after they pay the rent, and they can then go down and service the establishments. So that’s the plan, and we’re really, really close to it, and really excited.”

In conjunction with the town square project, town officials are working on a new parking garage behind The Suffolk theater, since the new town square will displace some existing downtown parking. The supervisor also said plans are underway for paid parking downtown, and that Riverhead will be doing a “trial run soon.”

Affordable Housing

Mr. Hubbard said that Riverhead continues to build more affordable housing, even though the town is already home to more workforce housing than all of the other four East End towns combined. Mr. Hubbard called on his counterparts in East Hampton, Southampton, Southold and Shelter Island to step up and do their parts in fighting the affordable housing crisis.

“We would like to see more affordable housing out east, where the workers can actually afford to live in the town where they’re working.”

Southampton’s Riverside revitalization is expected to include hundreds of new affordable units, but Riverhead officials say those new units, in a community largely serviced by Riverhead, will further strain the Riverhead Central School District and other government services like the police.

Mr. Hubbard said that construction on new affordable housing and a community center on the grounds of the First Baptist Church on Northville Turnpike could begin as soon as next year.

Hospital Expansion

Peconic Bay Medical Center executive director Amy Loeb said that the ability to offer high-quality healthcare to the Riverhead community has dramatically improved since the medical center merged with Northwell Health in 2016, and that now more medical center employees are locals.

“If someone has a cancer diagnosis or a stroke, they should not have to leave their community [for treatment], because outcomes are impacted by that.”

The executive director said that expansion plans continue, including new designs for the upcoming Emilie Roy Corey Center for Women and Infants. Ms. Loeb said the expansion has turned the medical center into a “magnet” for local hires, including Riverhead high school graduates, and that the majority of hospital employees — about 60% — live here.

“That is something that is special about Peconic Bay Medical Center, is most of the people who work there, live there and are taking care of their friends, families and loved ones.”

The hospital treats an average of 40,000 patients a year, Ms. Loeb said, and treated 44,000 in 2023.

She said there are a lot of “really good jobs” available to local high school graduates, and room for growth — citing an employee who began in housekeeping and is now working in the hospital’s radiology department.

Second Home Market Growing

Real estate veteran Ike Israel said that rising prices and high interest rates are fueling a transformation of the town into a second home community.

“Now you look at the prices in Aquebogue, Jamesport, Calverton, Wading River, and they’re very out of reach for local families to be able to afford to live in those communities,” he said, adding that he’s seen Wading River houses selling for more than $1 million.

Mr. Israel said a year-round community in Riverhead is vital to its overall success.

“I’ve seen people who are commuting all the way to New York City two or three days a week, but still choosing to live here and raise their families here. On the flip side, I’ve seen a lot of houses that had year-round local residents turned into second homes. And all this plays a factor on our commercial districts, restaurants, downtown, Route 58.”

Public Safety

Riverhead Police Chief Ed Frost said that downtown is safe, that violent crime is a tiny fraction of his department’s service calls and that most criminal offenders get rearrested over and over again — frustrating law enforcement. He described new policing technology and said that better lighting and more cameras are coming to downtown.

The chief said that from May to Sept., there were just nine incidents of assault or robbery and in nearly all of them the victim and the aggressor knew each other — meaning tourists, visitors and residents are not being targeted.

Those nine incidents were only a tiny fraction of 973 criminal incidents town wide, he said.

“That only makes up 9% of my total crime for the whole period … and if you look at all incidents, criminal and non-criminal, it makes up only 6% of the town wide calls for service,” he said. Mr. Frost also said that cameras are being installed in the parking lot behind Digger’s Ales N’ Eats and that key areas downtown would be getting better lighting soon.

The chief said the department’s new records management system is going to give detectives better mapping power to identify areas prone to crime.

“So I can direct resources to that area.”

Another of the department’s big challenges is policing in an era of state bail reform, which in 2020 began severely restricting the use of cash bail and jail for misdemeanor or low-level offenses, including shoplifting.

“We have a lot more repeat offenders that we arrest several times a month. I have one individual that I’ve arrested 14 times since June for various crimes from town code violations … to larceny and drug possession. They pretty much know it’s a revolving door.”

Agriculture

Rob Carpenter, administrative director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, talked about the many challenges facing the farming community in Riverhead and across the North Fork, as well as the town’s limited ability to preserve more land.

Between intense regulation and growing competition, Mr. Carpenter said, local farmers are being forced to adapt in a variety of new ways.

Instead of traditional farm crops like potatoes, “you’re seeing things such as greenhouses, hops … controlled environment agriculture, specialty crops, ‘you pick’ operations and a little bit more retail … that’s the way that farmers have transitioned to be able to survive.”

Mr. Carpenter said that farmers “have to be one of the most heavily regulated industries that I could think of, between the Labor Department, the [Dept. of Environmental Conservation] and [the Dept. of Agriculture and Markets] and local codes. So they face a lot of regulatory pressures on how they farm, and everybody is telling that ‘we want you to farm this way’, not the way that may be the best for growing your crop.”

Mr. Carpenter said that a global economy means the North Fork’s farmers are competing with not just with international markets, but regional markets as well.

“We see wines coming in from Chile and Australia that are cheaper than what our growers can produce them for here. Even thinking internally in the United States, farmers compete against farmers in Pennsylvania and Ohio that have lower costs of doing business.

“With a high minimum wage, high taxes, high land values and high labor costs — all of that is a big pressure on [local] farmers.”

Mr. Carpenter also urged the community to keep its mind open about agritourism, another way the farming industry is trying to remain viable.

Earlier this year, town officials were met with fierce opposition when they considered a zoning change to allow for agritourism resorts on unpreserved land north of Sound Avenue. The zoning change would have allowed for such resorts on minimum 100-acre plots, provided that 70% of the acreage be preserved for agriculture use in perpetuity with a maximum 30% used for the resort and amenities like restaurants and spas.

Land Preservation

Mr. Hubbard took the opportunity to quantify the challenges to farmland preservation, and enunciate the price of failure.

“There’s about 6,500 acres [in Riverhead] that are under pressure for residential development,” he said, resulting in as many as 3,000 more new homes being built on existing open space or farmland.

He said the cost to purchase the development rights for all the unpreserved land in town would be $385 million, “with real property taxes increasing about $1,000 a year just to cover the bond.

“It’s just not possible. Our [Community Preservation] fund does not collect anything near what it would cost to buy this acreage.”

He said that even clustering this development would still result in the same number of new homes — meaning potentially hundreds of new students in the already overcrowded school district.

“So the planning department has been working hard to find creative ways to extend opportunities [for preservation] … this resulted in the concept of an agritourism resort.”

Mr. Hubbard said he thought community outreach for the original proposal was executed poorly.

“It got unraveled to the public in not such a good PR way, and it wasn’t explained well.”

The supervisor seemed to indicate that a new zoning proposal for agritourism resorts could be on the horizon.

“If the public understood the development pressure that we are experiencing, as well as the need to be really creative with the [transfer of development rights] program, they might be able to better weigh the pros and cons of a project,” he said. “So we’re working hard to expand access to information and provide better public engagement, to be really open in our discussions.”

Thursday’s forum was made possible in part thanks to the support of event sponsors Suffolk Security Systems, Big Rock Advisors and Cardona and Company.

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The simulation lab was christened as the Kanas Family Simulation Lab in honor of the family who donate generously to the hospital. It is the only one of its kind in the region, according to hospital executive director Amy Loeb.

“The best teams practice, and we believe it is imperative to invest in our staff’s professional growth, implement the most advanced technology available and doing everything in our power to enhance patient outcomes,” she said.

Opened with a ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony May 10, the simulation lab unveiling coincided with national nurses week and highlighted the hospital’s dedication to honoring nurse contributions.

The Kanas Family Simulation Lab features a high-fidelity simulation mannequin — nicknamed “Peconic Pete” — that replicates life-like responses and responds verbally like a human patient would, providing the chance for staff to practice in a realistic environment.

Medical teams listen to lung and heart sounds that follow human patterns and that fluctuate based on the diagnosis assigned. They will also practice CPR and using defibrillator technology when specific vital signs are imitated with the mannequin.

Observers watching the training sessions control the mannequin’s reactions and offer the trainees the most realistic experience possible.

Apart from professional development, the lab will also be used as part of PBMC’s nurse residency program to introduce nurses to new scenarios in a low-risk environment. PBMC officials also hope the simulation lab will be a recruitment tool for talented aspiring clinician and medical professionals.

For more information about PBMC visit: www.pbmchealth.org.

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Back when the facility was known as Central Suffolk Hospital, her mother worked there as a registered dietitian.

“It’s such a full circle moment,” she said when the appointment was announced last month.

Dr. Mehta’s appointment follows the hospital’s June announcement of a $92 million expansion of the emergency department — to be known as the Poole Family Trauma and Emergency Center. The hospital will add 6,600 square feet to the current department, establish a brand-new Center for Women and Infants and implement new life-saving technology. The expansion will increase the number of beds by 75% and is slated to be complete by the summer of 2024.

In her new position, Dr. Mehta will play an “integral role in the hospital’s expansion efforts to advance the nationally recognized care it provides its residents throughout Eastern Suffolk County,” according to a press release.

She will be involved in deciding what equipment  the expanded emergency department will use and where it will be located. Dr. Mehta will also participate in operational oversight of the department.

“All of those decisions are made on a multidisciplinary level and [through] a very collaborative approach,” Dr. Mehta said. “We want involvement from specialty services, we want involvement from other specialties, we want nursing input. All of your front-line staff who’s going to be working in that area, they’re going to have a say as well because we want it to be the most efficient place to take care of patients so that we can deliver the best care to our community.”

Before joining PBMC, Dr. Mehta was medical director for the State University of New York Downstate Emergency Department in Brooklyn for seven years. While there, she worked to boost  emergency department efficiency and sat in committees aimed at improving hospital services in the areas of pharmacy and therapeutics, emergency preparedness, stroke care and executive performance. 

Dr. Mehta also held multiple academic positions at SUNY Downstate,  including clinical professor of emergency medicine and Department of Emergency Medicine  vice chairman of faculty development and education.

PBMC’s executive director Amy Loeb said the hospital is “thrilled” to welcome her to the team.

“Dr. Mehta’s proven track record of leadership and dedication to delivering top-notch emergency care will be a valuable addition to our distinguished team of medical professionals as we work to make world-class health care accessible to all,” Ms. Loeb said. “We look forward to the positive [effect] Dr. Mehta’s leadership will have on both our patient care and the broader community.”

Besides wanting to provide world-class  life-saving care to the residents of the North Fork and East End, Dr. Mehta hopes to improve public health outreach as well.

“Really getting involved in our communities at a basic level is really important, too. I really hope that’s something that — we are already doing — but I hope that we can do more of,” she said.

Although Dr. Mehta has trained and worked away from Long Island , she grew up in East Islip and is happy to be back and be able make an impact on the community.

“My roots are really in Suffolk [County,]” she said. “These are my family, these are my friends, my neighbors, that would be using these hospitals that Northwell [Health] has in Suffolk County so it’s really important to me that we provide amazing care for our patients because our patients and our community are the people that are close to my heart.”

Dr. Mehta commends Ms. Loeb and senior hospital leadership for their investment at PBMC.

“They’re not just saying it, they actually believe it because they’re putting the money into it,” she said. “They’re recruiting the best people out here, they’re putting the best equipment in here, so it’s not that they’re just saying it, they genuinely believe in it and want to provide that care [to the community] as if they were their own family members for the people that live out here.”

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The hospital announced it now offers continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), a blood purification process much slower than typical dialysis, for patients experiencing a kidney injury. 

While a patient may undergo standard dialysis a few hours a day, CRRT runs 24 hours a day. The much slower method is also more comfortable and gentler on the body.

According to PBMC chief of nephrology Dr. Khurram Mehtabdin, a patient will typically “stay on CRRT for 24 hours, then [hospital staff] will check lab work and urine output to decide the proper next steps.”

“For critically ill patients experiencing kidney injury who can no longer tolerate traditional dialysis, continuous renal replacement therapy is PBMC’s new way to continue lifesaving treatment,” Dr. Mehtabdin said in a statement. “With a drastic increase in intensive care patients and renal failures throughout Suffolk County, this technology will help further the hospital’s mission to save lives and enhance patient care.”

Dr. Mehtabdin said the new procedure is “not for end of life care; it is life sustaining care for when people are critically ill. The hope is that this technology will remove toxins from the body when patients are acutely ill so that they can heal.”

CRRT takes over the kidneys’ function and filters out more waste and fluids than traditional dialysis. The hospital currently carries three catheter-based dialyzers to purify a patient’s blood in its Intensive Care Unit in the Corey Critical Care Pavilion.

Implementing the new dialysis method furthers Peconic Bay Medical Center’s efforts to make the most advanced medical technology available in Suffolk County. 

“By introducing CRRT to our ICU, PBMC is elevating the care patients within our ICU receive,” PBMC executive director Amy Loeb said in a statement. “With the launch of this new program, patients will no longer need to be transferred to larger outside facilities for this level of care. We are incredibly proud to see our community hospital’s programs grow each year as we continue our mission to provide the highest quality medical care to residents of eastern Suffolk County.”

For more information about Peconic Bay Medical Center, visit www.pbmchealth.org.

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The purchase price was $20 million, according to Amy Loeb, the executive director of PBMC.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar and the Town Board issued a press release confirming the deal Wednesday afternoon.

The town closed on the purchase of 4-6 W 2nd St and 214 Griffing Avenue in downtown Riverhead in a building that had housed Suffolk County National Bank for many years. 

“This town purchase will allow for the much-needed expansion of Riverhead’s police department, the town Justice Court, and enhance services to our community,” Supervisor Aguiar said. “We thank the Peconic Bay Medical Foundation for working and partnering with us on this much needed effort in our community.”

PBMC will move from the Second Street building to the former Mercy High School building, which is adjacent to the hospital, as well as into another smaller leased space in Riverhead which the hospital has yet to close on, according to Ms. Loeb. 

The PBMC Foundation acquired the Mercy property in 2020.  

The proposed deal between the hospital and town was first made public in August of 2022 and has moved quickly. 

“I am impressed and thrilled with the work of the town to get this done so quickly,” Ms. Loeb said. 

She said there will be a phased approach to moving out of Second Street and into the former Mercy site and said work on moving employees into Mercy building is “moving along.”

Town hall employees could begin moving to the new facility soon.

“We expect transitioning to commence in three months and the full transition to occur by the end of this year,” Ms. Aguiar said.

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Amy Loeb, the executive director of Peconic Bay Medical Center, served as the emcee for the fundraising event.

“I am just thrilled to join you on this beautiful morning,” Ms. Loeb said as the participants prepared for a warm-up.

The annual event brings together breast cancer patients, survivors and thrivers, community members, local officials and leaders in the breast cancer community.

“Proceeds from the walk help pay for the free services we offer to breast cancer patients as well as our Lend A Helping Hand grant program,” said Melanie McEvoy Zuhoski, the NFBHC president. The helping hand program provides grants to patients on the North Fork who are being treated for breast cancer.

Some of the services the organization provides are gentle yoga, massage therapy, reflexology and support groups to breast-cancer patients and survivors.

For more information, visit northforkbreasthealth.org.

See photos below:

Photos by Bill Landon

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