Northwell Health

Peconic Bay Medical Center unveiled plans yesterday for the next phase of an expansion it says will lay the foundation for bringing advanced specialized care to the region.

Peconic Bay Medical Center is expanding its focus on women’s health with new services and facilities aimed at providing comprehensive care close to home for women in all stages of life.

Peconic Bay Medical Center's emergency department will handle about 38,000 visits this year, including a growing number of critical care cases, such as strokes, heart attacks and trauma. The expansion, which will cost about $20 million, will focus on critical care.

PBMC needs to expand clinical space for other acute care services to meet growing demand, Executive Director Amy Loeb said. There are other facilities in the community that provide long-term care. PBMC needs to grow to provide the services only a hospital can provide, she said.

Northwell Health volunteers are delivering 483 backpacks filled with school supplies for students in the Riverhead Central School District this week ahead of the start of the school year next month.

"We persevered, no matter what got thrown our way. We just kept on going at it.” Peconic Bay Medical Center's former president and CEO reflects on his two decades leading the Riverhead hospital, which was on the verge of bankruptcy when he arrived in 2001 and has been transformed into the regional medical center he envisioned.

With COVID-19 cases rising across the region, Northwell Health has temporarily suspended all visitation at some of its hospitals, including Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead.

The North Fork Spanish Apostolate partnered with National Grid and Northwell Health on Thursday to give food and flu shots to needy families ahead of the holiday season.

Peconic Bay Medical Center will have to terminate about 2% of its total workforce today under a Northwell Health COVID-19 vaccine policy that required all employees to present proof of vaccination by 11:59 p.m. Monday to avoid termination, according to PBMC Executive Director Amy Loeb.

Protesters against the state's vaccine mandate for health care workers took to the street on Route 58 in Riverhead Saturday, lining up around the traffic circle near Peconic Bay Medical Center.