South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore is now recognized as a Level 1 trauma center for its ability to treat the most severely injured patients, making it the third hospital in Suffolk County to receive that designation, hospital officials said.
The American College of Surgeons, which evaluates trauma programs, has given the Bay Shore facility the highest of its three levels for adult trauma centers, according to Northwell Health, which operates the hospital. Level 1 trauma centers are able to conduct trauma research and treat the most serious and complex cases, including gunshot and stab wounds, car accidents and motorcycle crashes.
In Suffolk County, South Shore University Hospital is now recognized as a Level 1 hospital, along with Stony Brook University Hospital and Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip. The recognition comes as the Bay Shore facility is undergoing major renovations on its campus.
Designation as a Level 1 trauma center is “the culmination of years of work,” said Dr. Matthew Bank, medical director of trauma at South Shore University Hospital. “Once you have access to all of these very expensive and complicated resources, you can imagine that even someone who comes in for elective surgery or for pneumonia or a heart attack has access to all of these resources.”
The award is “a testament to a hospital or health system’s willingness to continually invest in the facilities, staff and services it provides to the community,” said Wendy Darwell, CEO of the Suburban Hospital Alliance of New York State.
She added: “This means that comprehensive care is available in the building 24 hours a day for any trauma.”
According to the American College of Surgeons, there are now seven Level 1 trauma centers on Long Island and 21 statewide.
The hospital’s recognition follows that Good Samaritan University Hospital received last year, making it the first center of its kind on Long Island’s South Shore. The state Department of Health is currently reviewing South Shore University Hospital’s certification, a Northwell spokeswoman said.
The appointment comes amid a variety of improvements and expansions currently underway at the 313-bed Bay Shore facility, which was known as Southside Hospital until 2021.
Northwell has invested “well over a billion dollars” in the campus over the past 15 years, said Stephen Bello, regional executive director of Northwell’s Eastern Region.
Other recent improvements include renovation and expansion of the emergency department, a $1.4 million, 4,500-square-foot neuroscience treatment center with eight exam rooms across the street from the hospital, and a new $71 million, two-story Women’s and Children’s Center. This center includes a maternity ward with 29 private suites.
“South Shore is our biggest focus in the entire region,” Bello said. “It brings tertiary or high-level care that previously only existed in Stony Brook to the South Shore of Long Island.”
In September, the hospital began construction on a new $468 million pavilion. The 190,000-square-foot project will include up to 90 private patient rooms, 10 operating rooms and three new treatment rooms. The pavilion will also include green and public spaces and a skybridge. The pavilion is scheduled to open in mid-2026, and workers are already installing the structure’s steel skeleton, said Vinod Nair, the hospital’s deputy executive director for operations.
The hospital recently purchased the new da Vinci 5 surgical system for robot-assisted surgery.
The robot, which can be used for a variety of surgical procedures, complements the seven other surgical robots at the hospital, Northwell officials said.
The hospital recently purchased 16 cameras for the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit to allow parents to view live feeds of their infants via a computer or phone app. The $142,000 project was funded by private donations.
“We had heard of other places using similar technologies and thought this would be a great way to bring together families with newborns who are born in a special environment where they have limited access to visitors,” said hospital CEO Irene Macyk.
South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore is now recognized as a Level 1 trauma center for its ability to treat the most severely injured patients, making it the third hospital in Suffolk County to receive that designation, hospital officials said.
The American College of Surgeons, which evaluates trauma programs, has given the Bay Shore facility the highest of its three levels for adult trauma centers, according to Northwell Health, which operates the hospital. Level 1 trauma centers are able to conduct trauma research and treat the most serious and complex cases, including gunshot and stab wounds, car accidents and motorcycle crashes.
In Suffolk County, South Shore University Hospital is now recognized as a Level 1 hospital, along with Stony Brook University Hospital and Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip. The recognition comes as the Bay Shore facility is undergoing major renovations on its campus.
Designation as a Level 1 trauma center is “the culmination of years of work,” said Dr. Matthew Bank, medical director of trauma at South Shore University Hospital. “Once you have access to all of these very expensive and complicated resources, you can imagine that even someone who comes in for elective surgery or for pneumonia or a heart attack has access to all of these resources.”
WHAT TO KNOW
- South Shore University Hospital at Bay Shore is now recognized as a Level 1 Trauma Center.
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The recognition comes as The Bay Shore facility is in the midst of a major renovation of its campus, building a new $468 million pavilion and introducing technology for robotic-assisted surgery.
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It will be the third Level 1 trauma center in Suffolk County, joining Stony Brook University Hospital and Good Samaritan University Hospital in receiving this award.
The award is “a testament to a hospital or health system’s willingness to continually invest in the facilities, staff and services it provides to the community,” said Wendy Darwell, CEO of the Suburban Hospital Alliance of New York State.
She added: “This means that comprehensive care is available in the building 24 hours a day for any trauma.”
According to the American College of Surgeons, there are now seven Level 1 trauma centers on Long Island and 21 statewide.
Focus on South Shore
The hospital’s recognition follows that Good Samaritan University Hospital received last year, making it the first center of its kind on Long Island’s South Shore. The state Department of Health is currently reviewing South Shore University Hospital’s certification, a Northwell spokeswoman said.
The appointment comes amid a variety of improvements and expansions currently underway at the 313-bed Bay Shore facility, which was known as Southside Hospital until 2021.
Northwell has invested “well over a billion dollars” in the campus over the past 15 years, said Stephen Bello, regional executive director of Northwell’s Eastern Region.
Other recent improvements include renovation and expansion of the emergency department, a $1.4 million, 4,500-square-foot neuroscience treatment center with eight exam rooms across the street from the hospital, and a new $71 million, two-story Women’s and Children’s Center. This center includes a maternity ward with 29 private suites.
“South Shore is our biggest focus in the entire region,” Bello said. “It brings tertiary or high-level care that previously only existed in Stony Brook to the South Shore of Long Island.”
In September, the hospital began construction on a new $468 million pavilion. The 190,000-square-foot project will include up to 90 private patient rooms, 10 operating rooms and three new treatment rooms. The pavilion will also include green and public spaces and a skybridge. The pavilion is scheduled to open in mid-2026, and workers are already installing the structure’s steel skeleton, said Vinod Nair, the hospital’s deputy executive director for operations.
New technology
The hospital recently purchased the new da Vinci 5 surgical system for robot-assisted surgery.
The robot, which can be used for a variety of surgical procedures, complements the seven other surgical robots at the hospital, Northwell officials said.
The hospital recently purchased 16 cameras for the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit to allow parents to view live feeds of their infants via a computer or phone app. The $142,000 project was funded by private donations.
“We had heard of other places using similar technologies and thought this would be a great way to bring together families with newborns who are born in a special environment where they have limited access to visitors,” said hospital CEO Irene Macyk.
Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
