PBMC celebrates opening of Manorville campus

Hospital and elected officials gathered in Manorville Thursday to cut the ribbon on an expansion of PBMC Health that graduates the hospital to regional status, said PBMC Health president and CEO Andrew Mitchell.

“This is a demonstration that Peconic Bay Medical Center, which is the largest and most comprehensive medical center on the East End, is making a major transition in two ways,” Mitchell said. “One: we’re investing in ambulatory and preventive care, which is what the Affordable Care Act is all about, and two: we’re expanding our services into the community, and our view is the residents of Manorville and the surrounding areas should have the same access to care as the people nearer PBMC.”

The Gertrude and Louis Feil Campus for Ambulatory Care, located on Route 111 near exit 70 on the Long Island Expressway, was made possible by a $5 million donation from the Louis Feil Charitable Lead Annuity Trust – the largest philanthropic gift in PBMC Health’s history.

Jeffrey Feil and his wife, Lee, toured the PBMC a year ago with their longtime friend and PBMC benefactor John Kanas, former CEO of North Fork Bank.

“Usually when you try to shake down somebody for this kind of money it takes a long time, you’ve got to take them out, play golf… But I asked him once,” Kanas said in March, “and two weeks later Andy got a letter from the foundation telling him the Feil family would be stepping up to the plate.”

Feil’s face wore a broad smile as the small crowd heard congratulations from State Senator Ken LaValle, Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine and Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter.

Walter said the hospital’s growth into a nearby community only helps the security of the Riverhead institution.

“From the perspective of the Peconic Bay Medical Center, if they’re not growing they’re dying. They need to be continually expanding their mission and moving forward into the 21st century,” Walter said.

The 25,000-square-foot facility will eventually consist of four buildings. The first building opened Sept. 3 and currently provides urgent care, primary care, urology, internal medicine and orthopedics. The second building will house a center for digestive disorders and a general surgery practice. Plans are in development for the remaining two buildings. The site also includes a CVS pharmacy and some retail stores.

Since opening, the facility has seen many more patients than initially expected, said PBMC vice president Ron McManus.

“Year two volume we saw in the first week,” he said.

All of the campus’ instruments, from the phones to the digital X-ray machine, are fed directly to PBMC’s main campus, giving caregivers instant access to the mother facility’s database, technicians and specialists.

“We’re trying to bring the hospital’s services to the central locations where people live,” said Richard Israel, a Riverhead builder who sits on PBMC’s board. “Whether we have an oncology patient, a dialysis patient, whatever, they don’t have to travel 40 miles to see their doctor.”
Mitchell said one of the facility’s most unique aspects is that it serves a large population of both elderly and young patients. He said it promises to provide care regardless of income.

“The most important aspect is PBMC is committed to bringing care to the whole region,” he said.