Greenport, NY, March 26, 2026 — Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital (SBELIH) has achieved Primary Stroke Center designation from the Joint Commission. This expands access to advanced, coordinated stroke care for communities on the East End of Long Island.
The Joint Commission is an independent organization that accredits and certifies healthcare organizations by evaluating them against strict quality and safety standards, ensuring high-quality, safe care.
The designation follows more than two years of planning, education and collaboration across the hospital’s multidisciplinary stroke team, including clinical, diagnostic, quality, infection prevention, and operational staff, to meet national standards for stroke care, patient safety, and performance improvement.
“Achieving Primary Stroke Center designation reflects the dedication and coordination of our entire stroke team,” said Paul Connor, Chief Administrative Officer of Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital. “For a 70-bed, rural hospital, this designation demonstrates our ability to deliver timely, evidence-based stroke care close to home.”
Stroke care at SBELIH is supported by coordinated protocols, rapid assessment, continuous access to imaging and laboratory services, infection prevention, and ongoing performance monitoring to ensure readiness at all times.
“The Primary Stroke Center designation at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital is a major milestone in Stony Brook Medicine’s longstanding history of ensuring state-of-the-art stroke care,” said William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, Executive Vice President at Stony Brook Medicine. “Every minute counts in stroke care. This gives patients in our community timely and specialized care to those most at risk and who need it and saves lives.”
“This achievement underscores Stony Brook Medicine’s commitment to providing high-quality stroke care across our healthcare system,” said Carol A. Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer of Stony Brook University Hospital. “Providing this level of stroke readiness at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital is especially important for the North Fork’s aging population, where rapid access to care can significantly impact outcomes.”
SBELIH is a hospital serving a geographically unique region with a high proportion of adults aged 65 and older, a population at increased risk for stroke and related complications. This is a significant achievement for our hospital and further demonstrates Stony Brook Medicine’s commitment to delivering advanced, coordinated care close to home for the communities we serve.
About Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital:
As part of Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital (SBELIH) combines the best in academic and community medicine, improving access to advanced medical care for residents of the North Fork and Shelter Island. With 70 beds, SBELIH is Suffolk County’s first hospital, serving all of Suffolk County since 1905. SBELIH provides care to 25,000 year-round residents, and expands to 60,000 residents in the summer, with comprehensive healthcare solutions, including behavioral health, medical-surgical, orthopedics and general surgery, wound care, interventional pain management, gastroenterology, advanced ambulatory care, diagnostic laboratory and radiology services, and physical therapy services. The hospital is also a clinical campus and training site for Stony Brook Medicine, with its first SBELIH Psychiatry resident having graduated in 2022. To learn more, visit elih.stonybrookmedicine.edu.