Peconic Bay Medical Center and Northwell Health officials held a ceremonial “wall breaking” Monday as they prepare to kick off the construction of a new neurosciences center at the Riverhead hospital.
The new center will equip staff with the tools necessary to diagnose and treat a wider range of neurological conditions, including strokes, hospital officials said. Construction is expected to begin “very soon,” with the center aiming to accept patients starting in the first quarter of 2026, PBMC Executive Director Amy Loeb said.
The neurosciences center is funded by philanthropic contributions to the Peconic Bay Medical Center Foundation, the hospital’s fundraising arm. It will be named after Bill and Ruth Ann Harnisch of Southampton, whose $5 million “leadership gift” was “transformational,” Loeb said. The Harnischs were given the honor of taking sledge hammers to the wall.
Currently, patients needing advanced stroke care have to be transferred to distant facilities, “losing time when every second counts,” Loeb said. “The Bill and Ruth Ann Harnish Neurosciences Center will change that.”
“This means faster treatment — preserving vital brain tissue, preventing loss of function and ultimately save lives,” Loeb said.
One of the most significant treatments being introduced at the center is the cerebral mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove blood clots from the brain after a stroke. Patients will get this “potentially life changing treatment as fast as possible, without having to wait for a transfer out to another facility,” according to Dr. Richard Jung, the director of stroke for Northwell Health’s eastern region.
The hospital is already a designated stroke center. The new neuroscience center will further enhance its ability to treat neurological conditions, Jung said. Diagnosing and planning the treatment for aneurysms — and eventually full treatment — will be provided by the center, Jung said.
“For the region, it’s a big win,” Jung said. “Because the hospital has to work harder to get better and to provide this level of care.”
A stroke “occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel inside or on the surface of the brain bursts,” according to the National Institutes of Health. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the most common cause of adult disability, according to the NIH.
May is National Stroke Awareness Month; more information about strokes and stroke prevention can be found at Stroke.org.
The neurosciences center is the latest project to begin construction at PBMC. The hospital completed an expanded emergency room and trauma center last year, and has announced the development of a new center for women and infants. Those projects are a part of the $92 million expansion plan hospital officials announced in 2023.
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