St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, 50 Route 25A, Smithtown will have the Catholic Health Community Health and Outreach Mobile Bus in its main parking lot on Friday, Feb. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to offer free health screenings and flu vaccinations for adults 18 years and older.
Each screening will include a brief cardiac history, blood pressure screening, BMI screening, simple blood test for cholesterol and glucose, health education, referrals as needed, resources for those without insurance and a free flu vaccination (senior dose available.) For more information, please call 631-469-0989.
StonyBrook Medicine (SBM) has received the highest level of achievement from Healthgrades, as one of America’s 50 Best for 2025. This achievement places StonyBrook Medicine among the top 1% nationwide for overall care excellence. StonyBrook University Hospital, StonyBrook Southampton Hospital, and StonyBrook Eastern Long Island Hospital are collectively assessed by Healthgrades and share the America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award™.
“This distinction reflects our shared commitment across StonyBrook Medicine to bring exceptional care to our patients,” says William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, Executive Vice President, StonyBrook Medicine. “This is only possible when we collectively maintain the highest standards of quality throughout the organization.”
“I am grateful to all of our healthcare professionals for their dedication to excellence,” says Carol A. Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer, StonyBrook University Hospital. “Our steady increase in rankings — from the top 250 since 2015, to the top 100 since 2019, and now the top 50 for three years in a row — can give patients the confidence in knowing that StonyBrook delivers consistent, high-quality care.”
To determine the top hospitals for 2025, Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for more than 30 conditions and procedures at approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide. Healthgrades’ annual analysis revealed significant performance gaps between the nation’s highest- and lowest-achieving hospitals, making it increasingly important to seek care at a top-rated facility. From 2021-2023, if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to America’s 50 Best, 173,516 lives could potentially have been saved.*
“As one of America’s 50 Best, StonyBrook Medicine is elevating the standard for quality care nationwide,” says Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science at Healthgrades. “Healthgrades commends StonyBrook Medicine for their leadership and ongoing commitment to providing the best possible care for all patients on Long Island.”
The Best Hospitals Award comes on the heels of receiving numerous specialty awards this past fall, underscoring StonyBrook‘s dedication to exceptional patient care. These include:
The only in New York State to be recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care for 10 years in a row (2016-2025)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Attack (2022-25)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Failure (2014-25)
Five-Star Recipient for Cranial Neurosurgery (2020-2025)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke (2015-2025)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (2025)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of GI Bleed (2024-2025)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Sepsis (2015-2025)
Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Respiratory Failure (2021-2025)
Outpatient Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™ (2025)
Five-Star Recipient for Outpatient Prostate Care Excellence (2025)
Outpatient Prostate Care Excellence Award™(2025)
As care variation grows, consumers can find and select a top-rated hospital to maximize their outcome. Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for guidance on how to find best-in-class care in 2025, with additional resources on how Healthgrades rates hospitals and why hospital quality matters available here.
*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2021 through 2023 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.Click here to view the complete 2025 America’s Best Hospital Awards Methodology.
About StonyBrook Medicine:
StonyBrook Medicine integrates and elevates all of StonyBrook University’s health-related initiatives: education, research and patient care. It includes five Health Sciences schools — Renaissance School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, School of Health Professions, School of Nursing and School of Social Welfare — as well as StonyBrook University Hospital, StonyBrook Southampton Hospital, StonyBrook Eastern Long Island Hospital, StonyBrook Children’s Hospital and more than 200 community-based healthcare settings throughout Suffolk County. To learn more, visitwww.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
About Healthgrades:
Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering meaningful connections between patients, doctors, and hospitals. As the #1 platform for finding a doctor and a leader in healthcare transparency, we help millions of consumers each month find and schedule appointments with their healthcare professional of choice and prepare for their appointments with best-in-class, treatment-focused content.
Exceptional clinical performance places Mather in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide
Northwell’sMather Hospital in Port Jefferson recently announced that it is one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals for 2025, according to new research released by Healthgrades, the number one site Americans use when searching for a doctor or hospital. This achievement reflects Mather Hospital’s unwavering commitment to exceptional patient care and puts the organization in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance for a third consecutive year (2023-2025). Mather Hospital is one of seven hospitals in New York State to receive the award.
In addition to this recognition for overall clinical care, Mather Hospital is the recipient of numerous accolades related to its exceptional patient outcomes in key service areas, including Coronary Intervention, Pulmonary Care, Gastrointestinal Care and Critical Care. These achievements further underscore the organization’s dedication to clinical excellence, placing Mather Hospital among the upper echelon of hospitals nationwide.
“Congratulations once again to our entire team for this achievement! Mather consistently ranks among the top hospitals nationwide for patient care, safety and clinical excellence,” said Mather President Kevin McGeachy. “We believe in investing in our staff and creating a culture that elevates care beyond expectations”.
Mather Hospital’s achievements are based exclusively on what matters most: patient outcomes. To determine the top hospitals for 2025, Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for over 30 of the most common conditions and procedures at approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide. Healthgrades’ annual analysis revealed significant performance gaps between the nation’s highest- and lowest-achieving hospitals, making it increasingly important to seek care at a top-rated facility. In fact, from 2021-2023, If all hospitals, as a group, had performed similarly to America’s 250 Best, on average, 174,081 livescould potentially have been saved.
“As one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals, Mather Hospital is elevating the standard for quality care nationwide,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades. “Healthgrades commends Mather Hospital for their ongoing leadership and commitment to providing the best possible care for all patients in its service area.”
As care variation grows, consumers must find and select a top-rated hospital to maximize their chances of a successful outcome. Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for guidance on how to find best-in-class care in 2025, with additional resources on how Healthgrades rates hospitals and why hospital quality matters available here.
*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2021 through 2023 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. Click here to view the complete 2025 America’s Best Hospital Awards Methodology.
Bird flu, which is a virus that has so far primarily infected animals, has affected a duck farm in Aquebogue.
Amid concerns about transmission, Crescent Duck Farm, which has operated as a family business since 1908, has had to put down close to 100,000 ducks.
At this point, health officials haven’t reported any cases of humans contracting the virus, although the farm, its workers and doctors have been looking out for signs of illness.
Local doctors suggested that the risk to humans from bird flu is limited to those people who have worked with or handled sick birds.
Dr. Adrian Popp, chair of Infection Control at Huntington Hospital/ Northwell Health. File photo
The virus “transmits easily from bird to bird, but so far transmission to humans has not occurred to my knowledge,” Dr. Adrian Popp, chair of Infection Control at Huntington Hospital/ Northwell Health and associate professor of medicine at Hofstra School of Medicine, explained in an email. “There is a theoretical possibility that this can occur, but so far, I think we are safe,” as New York State is monitoring exposed workers.
Doctors urged residents to see a healthcare worker if they have any contact with birds and they develop symptoms such as a fever, conjunctivitis (an eye infection that can include redness or watery eyes), or breathing issues.
“Monitor yourself for 10 days after exposure,” urged Dr. Aleena Zahra, infectious disease physician at St. Charles Hospital. “If you develop any symptoms, seek medical attention.”
The treatment for bird flu, which can affect people in ways that are similar to influenza, is to take tamiflu, which is more effective in the earlier stages of an infection.
“If you’re in contact with an animal that is sick, then that would be a potential risk factor,” added Zahra.
Zahra advised residents to avoid picking up a dead bird in their yard without gloves and other safety measures.
Dr. Sharon Nachmann, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, added that the jump to humans from other animals is rarely happening.
People who have become infected are typically recovering, although one person in Louisiana died from the virus.
Despite the relatively low risk, viruses have the ability to mutate, which could make them more transmissible and more dangerous.
CDC silence
At the same time, local doctors are concerned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped publishing information on infectious diseases.
“This is an unprecedented attack on timely access to reports about transmission of various infectious diseases in the country and worldwide,” Popp explained. “It will lead to delayed prevention measures, poor health care, and potentially allowing infectious disease outbreaks to get out of control.”
Dr. Sharon Nachmann/Stony Brook Children’s Hospital
The CDC has created travel bans in the past, but has not closed its reporting on outbreaks, Nachmann said.
“It’s incredibly stressful,” said Nachmann.
Doctors added that they were missing the bigger picture that might offer important information about the source of an illness and the best possible treatment.
“We want to do the best for our patients. We want to tell them that this is working or that is not working and you need a different medication,” Nachmann said.
For right now, doctors are gathering information from state and local officials, said Zahra.
The CDC typically shares details about the specific type of infections in an area or region, its responsiveness to various treatments and its differential impact on any specific subgroup, such as children.
“It is sad to see how political, partisan measures are used to suppress sharing of scientific information between healthcare professionals,” Popp added.
Doctors are hoping for more and better information before too long.
“All we have now is a stop,” said Nachmann. “We don’t know what happens after the stop.”
Registration underway. St. Charles Hospital, 200 Belle Terre Road, Port Jefferson will offer a 24-class free diabetes prevention program (DPP) in St. Luke’s lecture room, 2nd floor, from March 4 to Dec. 2 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This program provides trained lifestyle coaching, CDC approved curriculum, and group support during the course of the year. Classes will be held weekly from March 4 to June 17, bi-monthly from July 8 to Aug. 26 and then monthly from Sept. 9 to Dec. 2.
If you have prediabetes, you can take control and reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Pre-registration is required. To register or for more information, please email [email protected] or call 631-474–6797.
Andrew Reid, 19, who transformed his family’s East Northport home into a holiday lighted winter wonderland with over 500 restored holiday decorations, along with his mother, Christine, presented a check for $16,023.20 in donations raised by visitors to their holiday light display to representatives from Ronald McDonald House Charities NY Metro on Jan. 15.
The size of the donation was kept a surprise by Andrew right up until the moment the check was presented.
“I was blown away, I had no idea it was going to be that large,” said Matt Campo, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities New York Metro. “I told the family we work so hard to raise every dollar. For someone to come and hand us more than $16,000 is just amazing.”
What began as a passion for refurbishing discarded holiday decorations grew into an annual tradition for Andrew and his family, with more than 500 decorations covering nearly every inch of Andrew’s home, yard, and even his car. His display was chronicled by media across New York and nationally. Andrew’s “Misfit Island” Christmas display was also voted the winner of Newsday’s “Holiday Lights” contest, with a prize of $1,000, which will be part of the donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities NY Metro.
“I surprised myself as well. It was a lot of work, a lot of standing in front of the house collecting donations,” said Andrew, who says he begins setting up his display in August every year. “Ronald McDonald House is a very good organization to support and it’s local, so the money will stay here.”
The money donated will go toward the construction of the new Ronald McDonald House at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. A groundbreaking ceremony was held last year and construction will begin in the spring with plans to open in 2027.
Ronald McDonald House Charities New York Metro provides comfort and support to families of children undergoing medical treatment. Funds raised through Andrew’s light display will directly benefit the new 24/7 care facility at Stony Brook Hospital, ensuring families can stay close to their sick or injured children.
Recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data indicates a significant increase in illness across the United States, with roughly 40 states reporting high illness activity levels in the past week.
So, what illnesses are hitting the hardest at the moment?
According to Carrie Reed, epidemiologist with the CDC Influenza Division, as reported in a recent NBC News Chicago article, “There is a lot of flu out there.”
Reed further emphasized that the current flu surge is being driven by multiple strains, a fact supported by the latest CDC hospitalization data.
According to the CDC, “flu symptoms usually come on suddenly.”
Some of the most common symptoms include fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue (tiredness). Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than in adults.
According to the CDC, antiviral medications may be a treatment option if you contract the flu. These medications can potentially lessen the severity of illness and shorten the duration of sickness. They may also help prevent certain flu complications, such as pneumonia.
For optimal effectiveness, antiviral medications should be initiated promptly, ideally within the first two days of the onset of flu symptoms.
While the flu is prevalent at the start of 2025, it is essential to note that several pathogens, including COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, can present with similar symptoms, such as fever, cough and sore throat. While RSV typically causes cold-like symptoms, it can pose significant health risks for infants and the elderly.
According to the CDC, people infected with RSV usually exhibit symptoms within four to six days after getting infected. The most common symptoms are runny nose, congestion, decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing and fever.
It is also important to note that symptoms often appear in stages rather than simultaneously. While adults may experience more pronounced symptoms, they can be less noticeable in young infants. Although RSV typically causes mild cold-like illness, it can lead to severe conditions such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
Preventive and protective measures against RSV infection vary depending on the age group. For adults, RSV vaccination is recommended for individuals aged 75 and older as well as those aged 60-74, who are considered at increased risk for severe RSV. In infants, two primary approaches are utilized to mitigate the risk of severe RSV infection. First, a maternal RSV vaccine can be administered to pregnant women, providing some level of protection to the developing fetus. Alternatively, an RSV antibody can be administered to infants after birth to enhance their immunity against the virus.
Additionally, the common cold can present with symptoms similar to both RSV and the flu, including a runny nose, sore throat and cough. While the common cold is generally considered a mild illness, it can cause significant discomfort and may lead to more serious complications in individuals with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly or those with chronic health conditions.
According to the CDC, the manifestation of cold symptoms usually reaches a peak within two to three days of infection and may include runny nose or nasal congestion, cough, sneezing, sore throat, headache, mild body aches and fever (usually low grade in older children and adults).
The common cold is a self-limiting viral infection that typically resolves without the need for specific medical intervention. It is crucial to understand that antibiotics are ineffective against viruses and, therefore, will not alleviate cold symptoms.
Additionally, individuals experiencing cold-like symptoms who suspect a possible COVID-19 or flu infection, particularly those at elevated risk for severe illness, are strongly encouraged to undergo testing.
Antiviral treatments are available for both COVID-19 and flu, and their efficacy is significantly enhanced when administered promptly following the onset of symptoms.
More information can be found on the CDC website: www.cdc.gov.
Close to six decades after another surgeon general urged a warning label about the link between cancer and smoking, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the current surgeon general, would like to add cancer warnings to labels for alcohol.
The third leading cause of preventable cancers after tobacco and obesity, alcohol increases the risk for at least seven types of cancer, the surgeon general recently wrote.
At the same time, less than half of the American population recognize alcohol as a risk factor for cancer.
As with the prevailing wisdom about smoking decades ago, several doctors and various studies have, until recently, indicated that moderate drinking such as a single glass of red wine for women each day and two glasses for men, have suggested a medical benefit to consuming alcohol.
Dr. Mark Solomon
“We have been misguided all these years by thinking there’s an acceptable amount of alcohol that’s safe enough to recommend,” said Dr. David Rivadeneira, Director of Northwell Health Cancer Institute at Huntington Hospital.
Any change in required labels for alcohol would have to come from Congress, which would likely face lobbying pressure from the alcohol industry.
Local doctors, however, suggested that the potential increased risk of cancer from alcohol outweighs any potential reduction in the risk related to any cardiovascular incident or stroke.
Dr. Mark Solomon, medical director of St. Charles’ chemical dependency program, called the benefits of alcohol a “myth.”
“Anything you put in your body affects every cell in your body,” said Solomon. “It’s finally coming to the forefront that we should put labels [on alcohol]. Drinking alcohol is not some benign social activity. There are certain risks associated with that, with cancer being one of them.”
Paolo Boffetta, Associate Director for Population Sciences at the Stony Brook Cancer Center, explained that earlier studies, including one that he participated in, that showed a cardiovascular benefit to drinking had various scientific problems.
Those studies didn’t differentiate between people who quit drinking and those who never consumed alcohol.
“The category of a non drinker had an increased risk” that was above what researchers had understood because that group included a mix of people, Boffetta said.
This sampling problem suggested to Boffetta that the results of some of these studies that suggested a cardiovascular health benefit to drinking “were probably not correct.”
Boffetta, who welcomed Dr. Murthy’s recommendation to add cancer risk to a label that already warns consumers who are pregnant or who are operating a car or heavy machinery, urged researchers to continue to study the link between alcohol and cancer.
Protecting health
Dr. David Rivandeneira. Photo courtesy of Northwell Health
Dr. David Rivadeneira, director of Northwell Health Cancer Institute at Huntington who specializes in colorectal cancer, is concerned about the increased incidence of cancer among the younger population.
The current cancer rates are at levels “we’ve never seen before in patients that are less than 50 years old,” said Rivadeneira. “That is very worrisome. The issue of alcohol may have something to do with it.”
Indeed, during the worst of the lockdowns amid the Covid pandemic, some people increased their consumption of alcohol.
“Our current understanding is that alcohol is a chemical that probably has no health benefits whatsoever,” said Rivadeneira. “If anything, it’s detrimental even in small quantities.”
Rivadeneira anticipates the effect of such a discussion of the health consequences of consuming alcohol and of any future labeling on bottles may alter consumer behavior more rapidly than changes in established patterns for smoking decades ago.
“People are more likely to take ownership with regard to their own health,” he said. “They want to be healthier.”
Rivadeneira wants to give patients information that is appropriate and medically sound, giving them the option to decide if they want to incorporate this knowledge into their lifestyle.
Working with their doctors, people can decide on their overall risk profile, based on their family history, other health factors such as their weight and their history through cancer screenings such as mammographies, whether they want to reduce the kind of risk that might tip the scales through alcohol consumption, Rivadeneira said.
“I tell people, ‘You can be proactive or reactive. Here you are, you’ve got to make a decision about what you want to do. Do you want to reduce the chance of cancer and other ailments?’” Rivadeneira said.
A warning and behavior
Dr. Jana Deitch
Doctors believed a warning label on alcoholic products might alter consumer behavior.
“People are more afraid when it’s written down,” said Dr. Jana Deitch, breast surgical oncologist at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown. “If it’s on the bottle, the population will take it more seriously.”
Deitch added that everyone has to decide to what degree they are putting themselves at risk.
“It’s information that’s readily available to the general population” Deitch said.
Solomon suggested that doctors should educate their patients about the dangers of consuming alcohol.
“The medical community and physicians have to be more educated so they can start to relay this to the patient,” said Solomon. “There’ll be some kind of shock to this” because people will indicate that they have been drinking their whole lives. “It’s going to take a long time and it has to start with education from doctors.”
Good cruise ships? Sure, absolutely. Norovirus? Nope, that’s a hard pass!
Unfortunately, residents on Long Island and in many places around the country are battling higher than normal outbreaks of the stomach curdling norovirus, which sometimes afflicts people who are on cruise ships.
Norovirus has been coming “from the community, from nursing homes” and from places where large groups of people congregate, said Dr. Adrian Popp, chair of Infection Control at Huntington Hospital/ Northwell Health and associate professor of medicine at Hofstra School of Medicine.
Norovirus, with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramping, nausea, headache and chills, is spread through contaminated food, contaminated drinking water, unclean hands and surfaces such as counters or door handles where the virus awaits its next victim.
“It doesn’t take a lot of virus to get somebody ill,” said Popp. The usual incubation period, when someone can be contagious without knowing it, can be a day or two.
People often have these symptoms for anywhere from a day to three days.
At this point, researchers have not produced a vaccine for the virus and treatment for those with the most severe symptoms often involves fluids, either orally or intravenously if a person can’t keep anything in his or her stomach.
People who are most at risk from complications related to norovirus include senior citizens who are in poor health, people with chronic conditions, those who are immunocompromised, or people who become dehydrated quickly, doctors suggested.
When people have numerous and frequent liquid bowel movements, they should realize something is wrong, even if they are younger or in good overall health.
The emergency rooms at hospitals recognize the symptoms of the virus and can often place a person in isolation quickly, reducing the likelihood of other patients developing the illness, Popp added.
Unlike other viruses, norovirus does not respond to hand sanitizer. The virus dies in response to products containing hydrogen peroxide or to a thorough washing with soap and water.
“During COVID we had people who were a lot more careful about these sorts of protection measures,” said Popp. “Now, we’re back to baseline carelessness. People don’t wash their hands as much as they should.”
Higher reporting
Dr. Sharon Nachmann, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, believes norovirus cases have increased in part because of more testing.
“If you ask families in the past, they would say, ‘we’ve all had that stomach bug. Our relatives had it.’ No one would have said, ‘Let me go to the hospital to get tested.’”
Rapid testing means that doctors can get results quickly, leading to more immediate diagnosis and isolation.
Nachmann added that this virus is particularly infectious, with a potential patient needing only 10 particles to become sick, compared with a couple of thousand for infections from other pathogens.
Stay home!
Doctors urged those who are experiencing norovirus symptoms to work remotely, if at all possible.
“We don’t want you at work if you have six watery stools a day,” said Nachmann. “You need to stay close to a bathroom and close to home. Whatever you have, nobody wants it.”
Indeed, even at home, doctors urged people to try to isolate from family members as much as possible.
“You don’t want everyone using the same toilet and door handles,” Nachmann said.
People don’t need to use plastic utensils when they are sick. Putting forks, knives, spoons and plates in a dishwasher should protect others from contracting the virus.
Northwell Health’s first baby of the New Year was born at 12:10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, at Huntington Hospital. The little bundle of joy was born to parents Meryum Ali and Ashfaq Khan after almost ten hours of labor.
The baby girl weighed in at 8 pounds 6 ounces and measured 21 inches long. The parents from North Babylon were over the moon to learn their new addition rang in 2025 as the system’s first baby.
“We are so excited our baby is healthy, but this makes it just a little more special,” said Khan.
This is the couple’s second child. Newborn Gulbano Khan has a big brother waiting for her at home.