Operation COVID-19 Defense Donates to SBELIH

Left to right: Paul J. Connor III, Chief Administrative Officer, SBELIH; Bob Mills, Vice President, Wm. J. Mills & Co.; Rich Vandenburgh, Co-Founder, Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. and President, Greenport Village BID; Jamie Mills, MFC President, Wm. J. Mills & Co.; Bob Gammon, Co-Owner, Woodside Orchards and Co-Lead Advisor, Southold/Greenport Robotics Team; Paul J. Romanelli, Chairman, ELIH Foundation Board of Directors and President, Suffolk Security Systems


July 6, 2020

Operation COVID-19 Defense Donates to SBELIH

On July 1, the organizers of the GoFundMe by the name of Operation COVID-19 Defense Fund generously donated their proceeds to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital (SBELIH).

Earlier this year, Richard Vandenburgh and John Leigey, co-founders of Greenport Harbor Brewing Company teamed up with Jamie, Bob, and William Mills of William J. Mills & Co. Sailmakers to develop and produce face shields for local hospitals, first responders, and community outreach volunteers. In collaboration with Mark Miller, former owner of Miller Environmental and Bob Gammon, co-owner of Woodside Orchards in Jamesport and co-lead advisor for the Southold/Greenport robotics team, the businesses started the GoFundMe, hoping the community would step up and contribute to this worthy cause. The fundraiser initially set a $25,000 goal.

“We raised $28,000 in three days,” Mr. Vandenburgh said back in April, shortly after the fundraiser’s inception. “We’ve raised what we anticipated we would need to fund approximately 5,000 units; any excess funds will be turned over to the hospital to purchase equipment, beds, or whatever is needed.” Thanks to over 280 generous donors, the initiative has raised over $47,000 to date. 

The funds donated to SBELIH will be used to acquire additional resources to support our institution-wide infection prevention efforts, including additional COVID-19 testing equipment and ultraviolet (UV) cleaning equipment:

Cepheid GeneXpert 4 Diagnostic System

  • A COVID-19 testing system
  • Four-chamber system versus a two-chamber system
  • Same system used to perform rapid influenza tests
  • Approximately 45-minute result turn-around

Ultraviolet (UV) Cleaning Robot

  • Portable sanitizing system
  • Sanitization in 45 minutes versus two hours of man power

“We are so grateful for our community’s extraordinary efforts to help us sustain our hospital’s mission to serve the North Fork and Shelter Island,” says Paul J. Romanelli, Chairman of the ELIH Foundation Board. “To the Brewery, the Mills family, Mr. Miller, Mr. Gammon, and the donors who have generously supported this initiative: thank you for standing with us.”

For more information about how you can support SBELIH and the Eastern Long Island Hospital Foundation, please call (631) 477-5164 or email elih_donations@stonybrookmedicine.edu.

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