Stony Brook Medicine has cut the ribbon on its new 114-bed children’s hospital building, marking a huge expansion of care for children on Long Island.
Stony Brook University in a written statement said that the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital has expanded significantly in nearly 10 years and is “scheduled to open the doors to a new state-of-the-art pediatric facility.”
The hospital, which has all single-patient rooms, held a ceremonial ribbon cutting Oct. 17. It is expected to begin receiving patients in November.
The new 71,500-square-foot facility, adjacent and connected to Stony Brook University Hospital, will expand both pediatric care and research programs at Stony Brook Medicine, according to the university.
The $73 million construction project is part of a larger $450 million expansion, which includes a 10-story hospital pavilion and new cancer center.
The new hospital has more than 250 nursing staff including nurses, nursing assistants and unit clerks; more than 180 pediatric specialists trained in over 30 specialties and the support of many Stony Brook University Hospital staff and resources.
Stony Brook said the hospital sets “a new standard for a unique healing and caring environment with critically ill children and their families.”
Northwell Health operates the 202-bed Cohen Children’s Medical Center further west, at North Shore University Hospital, leaving Stony Brook Children’s Hospital as the only children’s hospital in Suffolk County.
The facility, which serves patients up to and beyond 21 years old, is equipped with patient rooms that have multi-colored wall lights, controlled by patients, that “come to life with turtles, fish and dolphins,” according to a written statement.
State-of-the-art hospital beds capture and download patient information directly into the patient’s chart in the hospital.
The facility includes a general pediatrics ward, pediatric procedure suite, child and teen playrooms, outdoor rooftop garden and respite and support for families in the Ronald McDonald Family Room.
The children’s hospital expansion was funded through numerous sources, including $50 million obtained with the help of New York State Senators Kenneth P. LaValle and John Flanagan.
The hospital also obtained $25 million in contributions from 3,584 donors to the Children’s Hospital Building Fund including $10 million from an anonymous donor and $2.5 million from the Knapp Swezey Children’s Challenge.
The Children’s Hospital Task Force, chaired first by John Tsunis and then by Mark Eghrari, worked to generate support for the project.
New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State University of New York, under the leadership of former Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, also helped fund the project with a $35 million NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant.
And the project also benefited from $50 million out of a $150 million gift form Jim and Marilyn Simons.
