St. Charles Hospital to become Good Samaritan University Hospital campus
The Port Jefferson facility will be known as Good Samaritan University Hospital St. Charles Campus. Credit: Newsday/Drew Singh
St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson will become a campus of Good Samaritan University Hospital, Catholic Health officials announced Thursday.
The Port Jefferson facility will be known as Good Samaritan University Hospital St. Charles Campus starting July 1 if it gets state and federal approvals.
Catholic Health said no changes for staff or patient care are expected. Linking St. Charles with the larger Good Samaritan in West Islip will result in more training for workers and provide better patient care by sharing staff and services, the health system said in a statement.
It will also help boost the finances of both hospitals, which the system said helps them reinvest in services.
"Our primary goal is to enhance how care is delivered," Catholic Health said in a statement. "This integration is expected to make it easier for patients to schedule appointments, find doctors, and access the high-quality services we provide."
The 253-bed hospital opened over 100 years ago, focused on the care of homeless children with disabilities brought in from Brooklyn. The emergency department recently underwent a $10 million expansion project that added 4,000 square feet.
"The St. Charles legacy will remain, with St. Charles becoming a campus of Good Samaritan University Hospital, providing all current services for the same communities," Catholic Health said in a statement. "We expect no changes to staff responsibilities or patient care as a result of this integration — only continuity, strength and stability."
Additionally, there are no plans to make staffing changes, officials said.
Wendy Darwell, president and CEO of the Suburban Hospital Alliance of New York State, an advocacy group for hospitals in the region, said these administrative changes are "fairly typical." She also noted consolidating hospitals in this manner increases the federal reimbursements for teaching programs.
"Many other hospitals that are part of health systems on Long Island and across the state are organized the same way," she said. "It’s a mechanism for extending medical education programs across a health system while improving care integration — all good news for patients at Good Samaritan and St. Charles.”
Good Samaritan is Catholic Health’s flagship hospital in Suffolk County that serves about 90,000 patients a year, according to the system. It is undergoing a $500 million expansion project with a six-story, 300,000-square foot Patient Care Pavilion on its Montauk Highway campus. It will include an enhanced emergency department and larger surgical suite with 16 operating rooms that have private pre and post surgery rooms.
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
Sarra Sounds Off: Soccer scene and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Jolie Katzen and Michael Sicoli recap the girls and boys soccer scene, and Jared Valluzzi has a look at the plays of the week.
Sarra Sounds Off: Soccer scene and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Jolie Katzen and Michael Sicoli recap the girls and boys soccer scene, and Jared Valluzzi has a look at the plays of the week.
