Public hearing to be held for hospital pavilion expansion

NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk has a Brookhaven Town public hearing set for later today, Thursday, Aug. 27 at 3 p.m., to consider their 270,000-square-foot, $650-million proposed pavilion expansion project.

The project, according to NYU Langone officials, formerly Long Island Community Hospital and, before that, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, will provide even more access to medical care. Plans include a 144-bed hospital pavilion addition to the Patchogue-based campus.

“This project is part of a tremendous $650-million investment in the hospital, representing a major commitment to expanding and improving health care services for our community,” said town supervisor Dan Panico on social media, also noting the support of councilman Neil Foley.

NYU Langone submitted a Full Review Certificate of Need application to construct a new bed pavilion facility of 144 private patient medical/surgical and intensive-care rooms at 101 Hospital Road. The pavilion will be located on the south side of the campus and is proposed to be five stories.

Upon completion of the pavilion, the total bed count of 306 beds will remain the same; however, according to hospital officials, “more efficient, usable space will be added to provide current-day standards of patient care in a modern facility.”

Additionally, the project will not add any new services.

The plan, according to senior VP and chief of hospital operations Dr. Marc S. Adler, will include about $650 million in upgrades, including the expansion and future plans to renovate the existing units. The project timeline, he said, is to start sometime in the summer of 2026, with three-to-four-year phases.

“The anticipation is that as we complete this, then we will be able to essentially remodel the existing hospital and convert every room to a single bed,” he said, noting they are looking to transform the entire campus. “Single-bedded rooms support an environment that fosters health and recuperation, with better opportunities for patients and their families and caregivers and our staff to connect. It provides a quieter environment and one with less risk of infection.”

Some areas of the existing hospital, Adler explained, date back to when the hospital was first built in the 1950s, where other areas have upgrades as recent as 2016, including the operating rooms, which were also just recently redone and completed within the last few weeks.

The project, he said, is part of NYU Langone’s overall goal of creating a “seamless integration” of care across the entire health care system from Suffolk County to Nassau and New York City.

Regarding Panico’s suggestion for the Damianos property, hospital officials said that building currently houses several Faculty Group Practice (FGP) offices. Also, as part of the expansion, the hospital moved their infusion center to that location at 100 Hospital Road, which increased the hospital’s infusion chairs from four to 13.