A tally of our local medical resources — including Suffolk County hospital beds — provides instant appreciation for why local officials are working so hard to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. And why we all need to do our part to slow the rate of infection so as not to overwhelm these resources.
The county’s 11 major hospitals have 3,141 beds, including 216 in intensive care units, according to data on the New York State Department of Health website. These serve a total county population of about 1.48 million people, according to census estimates.
Not all beds are designated for medical/surgical purposes — some are set aside for maternity, others for psychiatric care, substance abuse rehab and detox, and other essential needs.
Having reviewed mathematical models with a range of predictions, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said he is calling for 1,000 additional hospital beds in Suffolk County to handle the anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases.
Read about the governor’s Thursday briefing in this Gazette post.
Who to call
If you have a medical emergency, dial 911 and be prepared to provide the dispatcher with information about your location and the reason for your call. Officials are asking everyone to reserve 911 for emergency calls only.
if you are concerned that you may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus and want to be tested, please call the Suffolk County hotline, 1-888-364-3065 to learn whether you qualify. You must call — appointments may only be scheduled through this number. You can also call 311 from any telephone with a Suffolk County area code
Shelter Island Police Chief James Read has encouraged all Island residents to sign up for these programs:
- Shelter Island’s CodeRED, so the Town can send you emergency notifications. Register at https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BF15B156BF1C.
- Suffolk County’s SMART911, which enables dispatchers to quickly pass along essential information about you to first responders. Learn more and sign up at https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/FRES/Smart911.
East End hospitals
On the East End, certain cases — those requiring highly specialized care — may be transported up-Island to Stony Brook University Hospital, the region’s Level 1 trauma center. In cases requiring immediate transport, Shelter Island EMS will request Medivac support from the Suffolk County Police Department.
But the estimated 138,770 residents of the East End’s five towns — East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton and Southold — are primarily served by the region’s three community hospitals, which have a total of 334 beds.
They are:
Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. It has 124 beds. Of these, 8 are for intensive care, 6 for coronary care, 19 for maternity, 88 for medical/surgical and 3 for pediatric, the state health department reports say.
Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport. It has 70 beds. Of these, 15 are medical/surgical beds and 2 are for ICU. At ELIH, 30 beds are for chemical dependence rehabilitation and detoxification, and 23 for psychiatric care, the reports say.
Peconic Bay Medical Center, a Northwell Health facility in Riverhead, announced last week that it will add 25 emergency room beds in anticipation of a surge in COVID-19 patients. Currently, it has 140 beds, including 12 for intensive care, 116 for medical/surgical, 8 for maternity and 4 prisoner beds, the reports say.
To read the hospital profiles at the New York State Department of Health website, follow this link for Suffolk County facilities.
Shelter Island’s local medical resources
Shelter Island’s out-patient Medical Center, owned by the Town, has been closed since earlier this winter due to a changeover in service agreements. Stony Brook Medicine has contracted to provide out-patient services, but its portion of the facility won’t open until mid-Apirl, Town Supervisor Gerry Siller said Tuesday.
Dr. Peter Kelt, who formerly occupied the space that Stony Brook Medicine is moving into, has partnered with ProHealth and in about a week will be opening a new office in the other portion of the Medical Center, Siller said at the Town meeting Tuesday.
In the meantime, a Stony Brook physician’s assistant may be available to make house calls on the Island, Siller said. Otherwise, Shelter Island residents go to the North or South forks to see their primary care physicians and specialists. There are walk-in clinics on both forks, as well.
Follow this link to see a list of the Stony Brook Medicine-affiliated clinics nearby. If you plan to use the new Shelter Island Stony Brook practice, these clinics share information and any medical records generated during your visit will be available to the local Island clinic once it opens.
Shelter Island EMS
For medical emergencies, Shelter Island is served by an all-volunteer EMS squad of about 30 individuals. The Town funds and oversees the EMS program, and maintains its three ambulances, and the centrally-located ambulance garage and training center on Manwaring Road.
Shelter Island EMS is following all recommended protocols for handling suspected COVID-19 cases, the Town EMS director says. These include the use by EMS team members of personal protective equipment (gloves, masks, and the like); notification, cleaning and more.
Detective Sergeant Jack H. Thilberg of the Shelter Island Police Department serves as the Town’s EMS coordinator. He said in a Zoom call with local media Thursday that the EMS conducts regular training, and has sufficient supplies on hand to ensure that its personnel and patients are safe.
Residents who call for emergency medical help will be asked by the dispatcher about any fever, cough or shortness of breath, he said. And, if they do report such symptoms they may be asked, if they’re able, to consult with the responding EMS crew outdoors.
“The EMS might ask the patient to step outside,” he said. “We’ll talk to them from a safe social distance to assess their medical needs. That’s to protect them and us during the initial contact.”
The ambulances and the equipment used by EMS responders are regularly sanitized, and can be deep cleaned with a device that uses ozone to disinfect in places that other cleaning agents may not reach, he said.
“It gets into every crack and crevice.”
The non-profit Shelter Island Ambulance Foundation raises money to purchase new ambulances and provide state-of-the-art equipment, gear and training beyond what’s covered in the Town budget. You can make a gift to the foundation at siambulancefoundation.org.
