THE FUTURE OF STONY BROOK SOUTHAMPTON HOSPITAL AND THE NEW PHILLIPS FAMILY CANCER CENTER
By Jean Shafiroff
What are the latest initiatives at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital?
These are extraordinary and exciting times for our hospital and the communities that we are devoted to! Together with our colleagues at Stony Brook Medicine, our dedicated hospital family of trustees, physicians, nurses, staff, and volunteers, we are on the cusp of quite literally redesigning the health care landscape of the East End. I have never been more optimistic about our ability to provide accessible, high-quality health care to the year-round and seasonal populations that greatly depend upon us.
Our overall vision is a health care system with a brand new state-of-the-art community hospital on the campus of Stony Brook Southampton College. This new hospital will serve as the centerpiece of a network of robust community-based primary, secondary, and ancillary services located throughout the South Fork from Westhampton to Montauk. This vision also includes a satellite emergency department in East Hampton. Our goal is to provide the best academic and community medical care close to home.
Are there other examples you can cite for our readers?
Absolutely. After many years of planning and development, our Phillips Family Cancer Center, in partnership with Stony Brook Medicine and The Southampton Hospital Association, opened its doors to the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 25. On this occasion, more than 300 friends gathered to celebrate a journey that I have often described as one that began with inspiration and one that was completed with dedication — the dedication of so many wonderful people. We are forever grateful to the Phillips family for their wonderful generosity!
We are thrilled that people from the East End will no longer have to travel great distances to access state-of-the-art, compassionate cancer treatment and care. This 14,000-square-foot radiation and oncology center, located on County Road 39A in Southampton, is divided into two floors. The first floor houses the radiation department and a full-time oncology social worker in the office annex of Fighting Chance, a well-known Sag Harbor-based organization that provides counseling to patients, families, and caregivers. The second floor is home to the medical oncology department, an on-site pharmacy, dual-purpose treatment rooms, and a conference/community meeting room where support programs such as yoga and group therapy sessions will be held. This beautiful new facility is a clinical masterpiece. The Phillips Family Cancer Center is an invaluable resource that provides high-quality cancer care close to home.
As we enter the 2019 summer season, what other programs are on your radar screen?
Anyone who spends time in our beautiful East End communities knows that we are ground zero for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Six years ago our hospital created the Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center to educate and inform the clinical community, our local legislators, and the public about tick-borne diseases. This center has grown exponentially. In 2018 our tick help line, received more than 800 calls from people throughout the region. Amazingly, we also received calls from people across the nation and throughout the globe. We provided more than 40 public educational outreach events for groups throughout the region and distributed over 6,000 tick-removal kits to individuals and organizations. We provided “TICKWISE” educational programming for children in public and private schools and hosted a medical symposium for Suffolk County pediatricians. As we look ahead, we plan to expand our services in this area with a significant presence in Hampton Bays.
What would people be surprised to know about Stony Brook Southampton Hospital?
Our hospital is at the forefront of some exciting clinical programs for our East End constituencies. For example, our Center for Parkinson’s Disease currently supports and oversees seven unique programs in seven communities on the East End, all at no charge to participants.
Over 130 residents living with Parkinson’s disease have participated in many of our unique offerings, some of which include Rock-Steady Boxing, Tai Chi, Yoga, Sing Out Loud Therapeutic Chorus, Dance for Parkinson’s, Paint the Parrish, and Eat Well for Parkinson’s. The center seeks to improve services available to individuals living with Parkinson’s disease on the East End, while increasing expertise among staff, and potentially serving as a model for other communities.
While we are situated in a region known for great wealth, we also serve a wide and diverse population with a broad spectrum of needs and capabilities. We have a longstanding commitment to the health care needs of the Shinnecock Nation and have a large presence on the reservation.
Our David E. Rogers M.D. Center provides important services to people living with HIV and AIDS. As we look ahead, we plan to relocate this important resource to Hampton Bays and develop a more robust array of services for the LGBTQ+ community. We also plan to rename the center for Edie Windsor, who was a good friend of our hospital and an iconic American figure who paved the way for same-sex marriage in our nation.
How would you describe life at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital these days?
These are exciting times for all of us who work and volunteer at our hospital. Together with our colleagues at Stony Brook Medicine, we have a historic opportunity to provide our communities with the high-quality health care they deserve. We are committed to achieving this ambitious goal. This goes beyond new buildings and new clinical services. It includes a commitment to high-quality patient care and a welcoming environment that respects and values people from all walks of life. This is a journey that we have been embarking on for several years and we have never been more optimistic about our future.
How are plans for the 61st Annual 2019 Summer Party progressing?
Extraordinarily well! The date of our 61st Summer Party is Saturday, August 3rd. It is our largest annual fundraising event of the year, with all proceeds benefiting our Jenny and John Paulson Emergency Department, a facility that is critically important to everyone on the East End.
We are thrilled to be honoring you and your husband, Martin, for all that you do on behalf of us and so many other worthwhile causes! Our event chairs are Cindy Willis and Laura Lofaro Freeman, both of whom have been our hospital’s longtime friends and benefactors. We hope to see all of our friends at this great event. Tickets are available on Event Crazy. Just Google “Southampton Hospital Summer Party Event Crazy.”
About Robert Chaloner
Bob Chaloner joined Southampton Hospital as its president and CEO in late 2006, following a 25-year health care career in senior administrative posts at Lenox Hill Hospital, the Franciscan Health System of New Jersey, and Cabrini Medical Center. He was appointed as the chief administrative officer of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital when it merged with Stony Brook University Hospital in August 2017. A graduate of Dartmouth College, he earned a Master of Public Health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, a Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture and Planning, and an MBA in finance from New York University Graduate School of Business Administration. He is currently an adjunct lecturer of management information technology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and a clinical adjunct professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Health Technology and Management. Mr. Chaloner is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
About Jean Shafiroff
Jean Shafiroff, a philanthropist, humanitarian, activist, and author of the book Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life By What You Give, is a volunteer leader of several charitable causes. She serves on the boards of seven charities: NYC Mission Society, French Heritage Society, Couture Council, Jewish Board, Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation Honorary Board, Global Strays, and Southampton Bath and Tennis Club Charitable Foundation. She will be joining the board of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital in July 2019. In addition, Jean is an ambassador for the American Humane Society and an ambassador for the Southampton Shelter. Jean and her family reside in Manhattan and Southampton.
