Caption
Left to Right: Anthony E. Mitarotondo, Jr., MD, ABAR, Chair of Eastern Long Island Leadership Coordinating Council; Z. Micah Kaplan, MD, Chairman, ELIH Foundation; Erica Harold, Secretary, ELIH Foundation; Anne McDonald-Horan, Radiology Manager, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital; Paul J. Connor III, Chief Administrative Officer, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital; Peter Harold, ELIH Foundation Board
November 5, 2019
Thanks to a generous donation from Peter and Erica Harold, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital (SBELIH) is home to a new bone densitometry system.
Long-time friends of SBELIH and ELIH Foundation Board members, the Harolds have made significant contributions to our hospital over the years. Thanks to the Harolds in 2019 alone, SBELIH obtained a Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure Machine (BIPAP), a new generator, and now a new bone densitometry system.
Bone densitometry, also known as DEXA or DXA, is a painless test that estimates bone mineral density (BMD) using x-ray technology. The test measures how much calcium and minerals are in the patient’s bones; the lower one’s mineral content, the greater one’s chance of breaking a bone in a fall or developing osteoporosis.
The Town of Southold is home to one of the oldest populations per capita. Low bone mineral density can strike at any age, but Caucasian females ages 65 and over are the highest risk demographic. One out of every two women and one in four men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. In women over 45, osteoporosis accounts for more days spent in the hospital than diabetes, heart attack, and breast cancer.
The best prevention comes from eating and drinking well, staying active, living a generally healthy lifestyle, and routine bone densitometry screenings. To make an appointment, call Central Registration at 631-477-5121, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8am and 3pm.
