Dr. Konstantinos Spaniolas. Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook Medicine
Dr. Dara Brener. Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook Medicine
Dr. Lara DeSanti-Siska. Photo by Tanya Mallot/Stony Brook Medicine
Stony Brook Medicine (SBM) has announced several leadership changes within Stony Brook Community Medical (SBCM) and Meeting House Lane (MHL), effective November 1.
Following Dr. William Wertheim’s promotion to Executive Vice President of Health Sciences and Stony Brook Medicine a new President of SBCM needed to be identified. Under Dr. Wertheim’s leadership, Stony Brook Medicine is committed to improving integration across its healthcare system. Therefore, the leadership team has strategically unified the roles of President of SBCM and MHL under one leader, as well as integrated the operational leadership of both SBCM and MHL. Dr. Konstantinos Spaniolas, Chief of the Division of Bariatric, Foregut and Advanced GI Surgery at Stony Brook Medicine and Director of the Stony Brook Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center, will serve as the next President of SBCM and MHL. To support Dr. Spaniolas in his dual role, Dr. Dara Brener will be elevated to Medical Director of SBCM, and Dr. Lara DeSanti-Siska will serve as the Medical Director of MHL.
For operations, Jennifer Crema, the Executive Director of Stony Brook Administrative Services (SBAS), will be promoted to the Executive Director of SBAS and MHL.
After serving as President of MHL, Dr. John Patrick Reilly will be appointed the Director of East End Cardiology Development, where he will lead efforts to shepherd new and innovative cardiac services for the East End of Long Island.
“It is my privilege to work alongside so many dedicated healthcare professionals,” says William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine. “Their continued efforts in expanding Stony Brook Medicine’s reach through Stony Brook Community Medical and Meeting House Lane clinical practices ensures the healthcare needs of our patients across Long Island are met. I thank Dr. Reilly for his leadership of MHL, and I congratulate Dr. Spaniolas on assuming the role as President of the SBCM and MHL. I also congratulate Drs. Brener and DeSanti-Siska on their new roles. We have very good times ahead for MHL and SBCM.”
“Congratulations to each team member on their new roles within Stony Brook Medicine,” said Carol A. Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer at Stony Brook University Hospital. “We are fortunate to have an exceptional staff who support Stony Brook’s mission to set the standard for how healthy communities thrive.”
With the goal of bringing smiles to patients and families who are facing Halloween in the hospital, Stony Brook Medicine hosted Halloween events to make the holiday extra special. The March of Dimes made costumes for NICU patients at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. The Stony Brook Cancer Center held its first-ever Trick or Treat and Halloween extraBOOganza with a parade.
Dr. Siva Kolruypoti. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville
Siva Kolupoti, MD, and his practice, Three Village Medical Care at 140 North Belle Mead Road, Suite E, in East Setauket has joined Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group, Stony Brook Medicine’s expanding network of community practices.
Dr. Kolupoti is a highly skilled, board-certified internal medicine physician with more than 20 years of experience serving the healthcare needs of his local communities.
“We proudly welcome Dr. Kolupoti back to Long Island with his practice, Three Village Medical Care,” said Dara Brener, MD, Clinical Quality Director of Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group. “His dedication to providing comprehensive primary care to his patients is an essential foundation in their healthcare journey.”
Dr. Kolupoti’s patient-centered approach is at the core of his practice. He understands the importance of actively listening to his patients’ concerns and empowering them to participate in their healthcare journey through open communication and collaboration.
“As a primary care physician, I am thrilled and honored to serve this community,” said Dr. Kolupoti. “My excitement stems from the opportunity to provide comprehensive and compassionate care that revolves around each patient’s unique needs and well-being. Together we can build a healthier future.”
He received his medical degree from Siddhartha Medical College in Vijayawada, India, and completed his residency in internal medicine at the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens in Queens, NY.
Patients who wish to make an appointment with Siva Kolupoti, MD, should call (631) 216-9242.
About Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group, an arm of Stony Brook Medicine, includes over 40 community practices with over 50 locations across Long Island, from Farmingdale to Greenport. We offer exceptional care in 22 specialties committed to enhancing medical care coordination in the community. To learn more, visit sbcommunitymedical.org.
Stony Brook Medicine (SBM) has once again been recognized by the American Heart Association for its commitment to delivering high-quality patient care across cardiovascular and stroke focus areas. This year marks the 14th consecutive year for Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) (2010 – 2024) and the 11th consecutive year forStony Brook Southampton Hospital (SBSH) (2014 – 2024) to receive the Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – StrokeGold Plus achievement award. For the sixth consecutive year, SBUH received the Get With The Guidelines® – Heart FailureGold Plus quality achievement award. Both awards recognize SBM’s dedication to improving outcomes for patients, meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.
“This recognition by the American Heart Association underscores the unwavering dedication of our healthcare teams to provide exceptional care for our patients,” said Dr. William Wertheim, Executive Vice President of Stony Brook Medicine. “Our continuous recognition over the years highlights our dedication to providing top-tier cardiovascular and stroke care, and we are proud to see the positive impact our efforts have on improving patient outcomes.”
Stroke
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times. Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines.
In addition to this year’s Gold Plus achievement, Stony Brook University Hospital once again earned the distinctions of Target: Stroke℠ Elite Honor Roll, Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes℠ Honor Roll for Stony Brook University Hospital.
Heart Failure
Approximately 6 million U.S. adults live with heart failure, a condition that impairs the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively throughout the body. This can significantly impact a person’s quality of life, causing symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue which is often severe. However, with advanced care, patients can often achieve a better quality of life through lifestyle changes, symptom monitoring, accurate diagnosis, and cutting-edge therapies including state-of-the-art medications and interventions.
The Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy Center at Stony Brook continues to be recognized for its excellence in patient care, having earned the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Gold Plus quality achievement award for the sixth consecutive year. This prestigious honor commends hospitals that consistently demonstrate an unwavering commitment to treating patients according to the latest evidence-based guidelines from the American Heart Association. The award further highlights Stony Brook’s Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy Center’s recognition as Long Island’s only heart failure program to have earned the distinguished Joint Commission Certification for Advanced Heart Failure, a mark of excellence the Center has proudly achieved since 2011. At Stony Brook, the comprehensive heart failure program leverages the most advanced pharmacological therapies, surgical interventions, and breakthrough devices to ensure the highest quality of life for its patients.
Resuscitation
Each year, more than 300,000 adults and children experience an in-hospital cardiac arrest. Survival from cardiac arrest largely depends on timely medical emergency team response and effective CPR.
Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation was developed to help save lives of patients who experience in-hospital cardiac arrests by consistently following the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for treatment as outlined by the American Heart Association. Guidelines include following protocols for patient safety, medical emergency team response, effective and timely resuscitation (CPR) and post-resuscitation care.
Stony Brook University Hospital is also nationally recognized for its commitment to improving cardiac arrest survival rates and received these top-level awards:
Get With The Guidelines® – Resuscitation Gold – Adult
Get With The Guidelines® – Resuscitation Gold – Pediatric
Get With The Guidelines® – Resuscitation Gold – Neonate/Infant
About Stony Brook University Hospital:
Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) is Long Island’s premier academic health center. With 624 beds, SBUH serves as the region’s only tertiary care center and Regional Trauma Center, and is home to the Stony Brook University Heart Institute, Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute. SBUH also encompasses Suffolk County’s only Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center, state-designated AIDS Center, state-designated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, state-designated Burn Center, the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, and Kidney Transplant Center. It is home of the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sbuh.
About Stony Brook Southampton Hospital:
With 124 beds, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital (SBSH) is staffed by more than 280 physicians, dentists, and allied health professionals representing 48 medical specialties. A campus of Stony Brook University Hospital, SBSH offers a diverse array of clinical services, ranging from primary medical care to specialized surgical procedures, including cardiac catheterization, orthopedics and bariatrics. The sole provider of emergency care on Long Island’s South Fork, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is a provisional Level III adult Trauma Center. The hospital includes The Phillips Family Cancer Center, a Heart and Stroke Center, Breast Health Center, The Center for Advanced Wound Healing, Wellness Institute, and 32 satellite care centers throughout the South Fork of Long Island. The hospital is the largest employer on the South Fork with more than 1,200 employees. To learn more, visit www.southampton.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
About Get With The Guidelines:
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
Student falling asleep at his desk. Courtesy MetroCreative Connection
By Daniel Dunaief
Imagine a typical school classroom filled with adults, listening as intently as they can to a detailed lecture about the finer points of tax law or multivariable calculus.
The adults in the room who weren’t particularly interested in the topic might struggle to concentrate, and several of them might try — perhaps unsuccessfully — to stay awake.
Now, bring a group of 8-year-olds into the same room, with the same instructor, and the same material. The likelihood that any of those younger students would fall asleep in their chair is far lower.
One reason for that difference is that the younger set, consistently, gets more sleep, while the older generation, from high school students on up the chain, typically, are not as well-rested.
“We think it’s normal, if you’re bored, to fall asleep, but it’s not,” said Dr. Steven Feinsilver, director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital. “Falling asleep in a lecture that doesn’t interest you means that you either have a sleep [problem] or, more likely, are sleep deprived.”
Indeed, the percentage of the population that is sleep deprived is estimated at around 50% or more, a staggering number, which means that at least half the population needs more restorative sleep.
With the start of another academic year just under a month away, sleep experts are urging students to start shifting back to their respective school sleep schedule in the coming weeks.
These sleep experts suggest that students who may sleep until 9 a.m. or later during the summer, but will soon get up for school at, say, 6 a.m., are experiencing a type of jet lag people often feel when they travel across the Atlantic.
Sleep experts say that changing an adolescent’s schedule to an earlier waking routine, a week or more before school starts, can ease that school-year transition, while others recommend shifting up wake-up time, by an hour earlier per day during the September lead-up.
“If you know you’re going to have to be waking up at 6 a.m. for the first day of high school, you should be starting to wake up within that hour, within three days or so, before that so your body gets used to it,” said Lauren Hale, professor of preventive medicine and sleep behavior expert at Stony Brook Medicine.
Routines, including getting enough sleep, are important in preparing for the mental effort required to meet daily learning challenges.
“Our brains like a consistent schedule,” said Brendan Duffy, director of Sleep Services at Catholic Health, which includes Port Jefferson-based St. Charles Hospital and Smithtown-based St. Catherine of Siena. “It’s important to get up at the same time,” even on weekends.
Teenagers need more sleep
The academic age group that needs the most sleep is the one that is often getting the least.
High schools often start just after 7 a.m., in part because after-school activities such as athletic practices and events, as well as other extra-curricular activities, take up the hours between the end of school and the onset of darkness.
“Between 15 and 25, everybody’s clock tends to run slow,” Feinsilver said.
The school districts that have pushed high school start times back have seen their test scores go up, added Feinsilver.
He acknowledged that it’s challenging for parents who are managing their own work schedules to balance their children’s academic hours. Parents and schools can and should try to compromise, he urged.
Benefits on the athletic field
Boy chases a soccer ball. Pixabay photo
A return to school also means the restarting of athletic programs, some of which begin before the first day of the new academic calendar.
Student-athletes are pushing their minds and bodies, as they juggle demanding academic requirements with training and competition.
Sleeping the estimated optimum of seven to nine hours per night not only helps improve an athlete’s competitive skills but also helps prevent physical problems.
Sleeping enough is a “way to avoid injuries,” said Duffy, who has been talking to students in a range of ages all the way through college.
Duffy added that professional teams are also encouraging athletes to budget for the sleep their minds and bodies need.
Additionally, he suggests sleep is a form of prehab, as sufficient rest can prevent injuries that would require rehabilitation.
Duffy has spoken with several area teams about the importance of sleep, including the Stony Brook women’s soccer team.
“For 90% of the players, this is the first time” they hear about the importance of sleep athletically, said Tobias Bischof, the head coach of SBU women’s soccer team. “My players are 18-to-22 years old and it’s not on their radar yet how important sleep is.”
He describes sleep as “probably the greatest recovery tool we have” and believes it’s “super important for injury prevention.”
As a coach, Bischof has started journaling his sleep patterns and believes he and others can be better coaches with enough rest.
He suggested that coaches are under tremendous pressure and sleep helps him become more patient.
Numerous factors contribute to success on and off the field with these student athletes, including nutrition, hydration, self-care and relationships with their families, as well as sleep, Bischof added.
The soccer coach doesn’t ask about sleep when he’s speaking with high school players who might join the SBU team, but it comes up when athletes ask about ways the school works with athletes beyond training.
He describes mental health support as well as sleep education.
“You always want to make them a better version of themselves,” Bischof said.
Jim Taylor, who specializes in the psychology of sports and parenting and who has been a consultant to the U.S. and Japanese ski teams, met Duffy when they were on a podcast panel related to sport psychology in 2022. Taylor suggested that sleep is much more than a physical process, as it has psychological and emotional implications.
“One of the most powerful tools that athletes have is sleep, which impacts them in so many ways,” he explained in an email.
Taylor, who competes in triathlons, has seen his results improve from top 20 in his age group to two national championship titles and three world championship podiums.
“Of course, I’m sure other factors contributed to my improved results, but I know that improved sleep was a key contributor,” he explained.
Mental health
Sleep can also be a sign of, or a contributing factor to, mental health issues.
In a Sleep-to-Rise campaign, the Sun Belt Conference suggests that talking about sleep is a gateway to discussing mental health.
Not getting enough sleep or poor sleep quality can increase the risk for mental health issues, while poor sleep itself can reflect mental health challenges.
In its sleep-to-rise online effort, the conference urges athletes to consider sleep a “competitive advantage.”
“With student-athletes, we emphasized the importance of prioritizing your sleep,” Lauren Shear, assistant commissioner of Championships & Sports Administration at the Sun Belt Conference, explained in an email. “This meant highlighting how sleep affects both mental health and physical health.”
Shear added that the conference tries to provide educational resources on mental health, nutrition, sleep and other factors to equip the student-athletes with the information they need to succeed in and outside competition.
She tries to get seven to eight hours of sleep per night and has noticed that when she gets six or less, she’s more irritable and lethargic. She’s also more likely to get sick.
Stony Brook’s Hale added that sleep, unlike diet or other life changes, can provide a noticeable benefit.
“People can see immediate results quicker than other behaviors,” Hale said. “If you choose not to have dessert, you might feel like you lost something and you don’t see a benefit the next day. If you actually got a full night of sleep, you might feel the benefits that day.”
Sleep tips from SBU’s Hale
•Prioritize your sleep health
• Try to have regular sleep times, even on
weekends
• Make sure you get morning light
• Avoid substance use, like caffeine late in
the afternoon
• Put screens away before bedtime
• Sleep in a cool, dark, quiet place
• Pay attention to your body. Figure out when you get restorative rest compared with when you don’t.
Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm Nutrition and Cooking Workshop for Kids. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm Nutrition and Cooking Workshop for Kids. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm Nutrition and Cooking Workshop for Kids. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm Nutrition and Cooking Workshop for Kids. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm Nutrition and Cooking Workshop for Kids. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm Nutrition and Cooking Workshop for Kids. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm Nutrition and Cooking Workshop for Kids. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Medicine recently hosted its annual Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm Nutrition and Cooking Workshop for Kids, a three-day farm-to-table nutrition education program based out of Stony Brook University Hospital’s organic rooftop farm.
Twelve children ages 7 to 10 took part in the workshop from July 23 to 25. Participants picked fresh vegetables from the 2,242-square-foot garden and then prepared their own meals which included hummus and veggie wraps, tabbouleh and fruit smoothies.
By day 3, they had learned about how food and ingredients are grown; harvesting and choosing ingredients to prepare healthier food options; trying a variety of fruit and vegetables with the health benefits behind them; and proper use of kitchen equipment. They also learned about composting and water conservation. Each young chef went home with easy recipes they can duplicate for their families.
On July 19, a “routine” Microsoft software update left the world in chaos.
The cloud-based, cyber security firm, CrowdStrike, which is utilized by Microsoft, released a defective, antivirus security update, pertaining to the firm’s Falcon Sensor. The system is installed in approximately 70-80% of global PCs and numerous company servers,
Microsoft Windows operating system’s omnipresence, across major industrial hubs, affected crucial infrastructure, such as airlines, the London Stock Exchange, banks and other forms of commerce, to temporarily halt service.
Some companies, including Delta, are still facing major delays, as of July 22. Many small businesses are continuing to play catch-up, as their computers slowly return to normal.
“Small businesses rely on third parties for this not to happen and instead, it became a ‘code red’ situation. … The ripple effects from this could be felt for days and weeks ahead,” said Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities tech analyst.
This problem led to widespread disruptions and caused the ‘blue screen of death’ to appear on Windows PCs.
CrowdStrike has fixed the mishap, but said that it could take “some time” for all systems to be back up and running, while Microsoft has stated that over 8 million devices have been affected by, what they are calling, the “largest IT outage in history.”
Here on Long Island, DMVs were unable to process transactions, the LIRR experienced scheduling issues and numerous Starbucks’ ordering-ahead options were disabled, forcing people to pay in cash.
“I went to order my morning coffee on the Starbucks app, as I do each morning, and was prompted with an error message,” said Samantha Rutt, a Stony Brook resident.
“Instead of preordering, I went into the store and there was a line longer than I have ever seen. The baristas looked as if they had a long morning at just 9 a.m. Just before my turn, the store manager started comping everyone’s orders.”
Northwell Health implemented “standard emergency response procedures,” where needed, as it experienced “sporadic” technology failures. Stony Brook Medicine officials confirmed that their operations were uninterrupted.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) was quick to assure New York state residents that there was “no indication this [was] a hack or a cybersecurity threat.”
According to Markus Rauschecker, a cybersecurity expert with the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, industries should view this episode as a wake-up call, of sorts.
“The bottom line is every organization, every kind of entity, needs to have a plan in place because the question is not if something like this is going to happen again, but when. And when another incident happens, you have to be prepared,” he said.
Breast cancer research at the Stony Brook Cancer Center is taking a long-lasting, impactful leap forward thanks to the generous support from the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. The Fund, which has been supporting research grants at Stony Brook for the last 25 years, has established a new $5.5 million endowment that will be used in perpetuity to fund breast cancer research at Stony Brook Medicine.
Carol M. Baldwin dedicated her life to helping other women overcome the struggles associated with breast cancer after her own diagnosis in 1990 and enduring a double mastectomy. After raising her six children on Long Island, New York, she formed the Fund in 1996 with her family, friends and health professionals with a mission to fight and ultimately win the battle against breast cancer. That same year, Stony Brook dedicated the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center in recognition of her efforts to raise funds for cancer research. The care center continues to operate today within the Stony Brook Cancer Center. In addition to cancer care, the center treats patients with benign conditions of the breast and offers community education on overall breast health and cancer prevention.
“Carol was very supportive of local women who were newly diagnosed and would become their advocate to make sure they received the right treatment,” said Brian J. O’Hea, MD, director of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center. “This newly endowed fund will allow the expert care and research to continue and will ensure Carol’s legacy will always live on here at Stony Brook.”
Over the past few decades, the Fund has provided seed grants to more than 100 researchers at Stony Brook Medicine as they investigate the causes, prevention and treatment of breast cancer. In memory of Carol, who passed away in 2022, the new endowed Fund will ensure that breast cancer research at Stony Brook will continue for years to come. With the State Endowment Match Challenge and the Simons Infinity Investment Challenge, this gift will have an impact of $16.5 million.
“Through the support of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, our researchers will learn more about breast cancer, providing us better methods of detection and treatment,” said William Wertheim, MD, interim executive vice president of Stony Brook Medicine. “This endowed gift will allow that important work to continue in perpetuity as our researchers search for advances in technology and medicine.”
This past May, the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) awarded the center a full three-year reaccreditation. According to O’Hea, NAPBC-accredited programs have demonstrated excellence in organizing and managing a breast care center to facilitate multidisciplinary, integrated and comprehensive breast cancer services.
Dr. William Wertheim. Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook Medicine
Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis has announced that William Wertheim, MD, MBA, has been promoted to executive vice president, Stony Brook Medicine. Dr. Wertheim, who has been serving as the interim executive vice president role will continue to report to the university’s president and is a member of the senior leadership team. In this role, he will continue to work in partnership with academic, hospital and clinical leadership and with community partners to ensure the continued development and excellence of the premier academic medical center and health system. Stony Brook Medicine’s leadership team will continue to report to Dr. Wertheim.
“I have been impressed by Dr. Wertheim’s engaging leadership style that prioritizes collaboration and action,” said President McInnis. “He is deeply respected for his approach that has fostered a culture of teamwork and inclusivity and as a result, Stony Brook Medicine continues to make meaningful strides in expanding patient access, elevating research, and innovating in its approach to teaching and learning. I am confident that Stony Brook Medicine will continue to thrive under his leadership.”
Under Dr. Wertheim’s leadership, Stony Brook has grown patient visits throughout its hospitals, ambulatory centers and clinical practice groups. The recruitment of 28 new providers to the East End has allowed Stony Brook Medicine 14,000 additional patient visits in the community. From supporting the development of clinical research spaces at Stony Brook University Hospital and the Lake Grove and Commack Advanced Specialty Care centers to participation in student and resident research days across the institution, it is clear Dr. Wertheim wholeheartedly believes in Stony Brook Medicine’s research mission and supports innovation in clinical practice.
Dr. Wertheim joined Stony Brook in 1996 and previous to his interim position, served as vice dean for academic affairs of Stony Brook’s Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM). He also holds the Endowed Chair in Graduate Medical Education at RSOM and is president of the Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group.
A graduate of Harvard University and New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Wertheim completed his internal medicine residency at University of Michigan Hospitals, where he also served as chief resident. He worked as a clinical faculty member at the University of Michigan’s Veterans Administration Hospital, then moved to New York, where he worked at The Brooklyn Hospital Center.
“Having been part of this remarkable academic healthcare center for years, I’ve seen the unwavering commitment, the tireless dedication and the profound impact we make on the lives of our patients and their families,” said William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, executive vice president for Stony Brook Medicine. “Together, we’ve championed excellence in healthcare and education, solidifying our position as a leader in academic medicine. I am deeply excited about the journey ahead and the future we will shape together.”
The four person MSU crew Patricia Babiam, Kristofer Martin, patient Bill Rothmeier, Anthony Papaleo and Frank Time, reunite for a reunion.
By Daniel Dunaief
Ralph Sabatino, a lawyer and St. James resident, was in his bedroom, sitting at his computer when he fell out of his chair.
Ralph Sabatino of St. James. Photo courtesy Stony Brook Medicine
When his sister Maria, who was visiting from New Jersey in April of 2023, came into the room, she immediately called his wife Claire, a registered nurse, to come check on him.
“I noticed his left arm and left leg were paralyzed,” said Claire Sabatino, who has been married to Ralph for almost 44 years. “HIs speech was garbled.”
Claire called 911 and told the dispatcher that her husband was exhibiting the signs of a stroke. Within minutes, an EMS ambulance and one of the two Mobile Stroke Units from Stony Brook hospital arrived.
In the mobile stroke unit, technicians conducted a CAT scan, forwarding the results to Dr. David Fiorella, Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center and Co-Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular and Comprehensive Stroke Center at Stony Brook Medicine. When he arrived at the hospital, Sabatino bypassed the emergency room and went directly into an operating room.
Fearing the worst, Claire Sabatino called their adult daughter Gabrielle and told her to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.
“I never saw anybody with the symptoms my husband was exhibiting that fully recovered in the past,” she said. “When I saw him on the floor, I thought that would be the way he’d live for the rest of his life, if he survived. I wasn’t sure he would.”
After the stroke and the operation, Sabatino, who is now 68 years old, has no symptoms following what is far too often a life-altering condition.
“It’s sometimes hard for me to fathom how massive the stroke was because I have had no lingering effects,” he said.
Indeed, Sabatino estimates that the time between when he had the stroke until he was wheeled in the recovery room was about an hour and a half.
“Stroke is an emergency,” said Fiorella. “Although it’s not painful, numbness, weakness involving one side of the body, difficulty with speech, understanding speech, difficulty with vision, anything that presents acutely shouldn’t be ignored. It needs prompt attention.”
As a way to recognize the signs of stroke and the urgency to get help, doctors in this field suggest that people remember the acronym BE FAST, which stands for balance, eyes, face, arm, speech, time.
With seniors representing the fastest growing population on Long Island, residents and their families and caregivers need to be aware of stroke symptoms and, in the event of a stroke, to have an action plan in place.
“We have an aging population and the prevalence of stroke is increasing,” said Fiorella.
In Suffolk County, Stony Brook has two mobile stroke units, positioned on the Long Island Expressway at Exits 57 and 68. These units are located within 10 miles of 46 EMS territories.
Since Stony Brook started deploying these mobile stroke units in April of 2019, these specialized and life-saving ambulances have responded to about 8,000 stroke calls.
During those years, the hospital has demonstrated a significant reduction in time to treatment, with more patients receiving clot busting medications while in transit, and lower rates of mortality and morbidity, Fiorella explained.
A workup and diagnosis at other hospitals can take three or more hours, which a mobile stroke unit can perform with a CAT scan.
Additional benefits
David Fiorella, MD, PhD stand for photo at Stony Brook Hospital on Monday Sept. 12, 2022. (9/12/22)
Fiorella explained that the technicians in the ambulance share considerable information about the patient while in transit, including whatever contact numbers they could collect from family members on site.
Stony Brook Hospital can then begin a dialog with those family members, preparing them for any potential procedures and, if the patient is a candidate for a new treatment, receiving authorization.
A well-established and industry leading stroke unit, Stony Brook is involved in several experimental protocols designed to improve treatment.
“Whenever we can, we offer newer and better technologies,” said Fiorella. By participating, patients not only benefit from advances in the field, but also help the thousands who come after them. Patients can “make tremendous contributions to their own care and to medicine” amid developments and advanced technologies, he said.
In cases where patients or their representatives prefer not to use any advanced or newer technology, Stony Brook provides other life-saving services.
Fiorella added that the mobile stroke unit doesn’t only bring patients to Stony Brook, but also takes them to other comprehensive stroke centers for advanced treatment.
While strokes disproportionately affect the elderly, with the Medical University of South Carolina estimating that 75 percent of strokes occur in people 65 and older, certain conditions can increase the risk of strokes, such as smoking, vascular or heart disease, high blood pressure and peripheral vascular disease.
Another success story
The four person MSU crew Patricia Babiam, Kristofer Martin, patient Bill Rothmeier, Anthony Papaleo and Frank Time, reunite for a reunion.
Bill Rothmeier, who lives in Oakdale, was coming back from upstate in 2019 when his wife Eileen recognized that he was driving strangely.
She asked him to pull over so she could use the restroom. When she returned, she took over the driving. By the time they got home, Rothmeier’s ability to speak had declined.
Eileen Rothmeier spoke to a next door neighbor, who was involved with a community ambulance in Sayville. He had heard about the stroke unit.
“The next thing I knew, two ambulances were in front of my house,” said Bill Rothmeier, who is now 68. The MSU did a CAT scan and gave him a shot on the way to the hospital.
When he was in the recovery room, Rothmeier said Fiorella came in and told him he put in a stent and pulled two blood clots out of his brain.
“He said it like I was going out to a deli to get lunch,” said Rothmeier, who, as it turns out has owned the Lake Grove Deli for 29 years. “If it wasn’t for those guys,” including the MSU crew and Fiorella, “I could be in a nursing home or worse right now.”
Rothmeier was one of the first to receive life saving treatment through the mobile stroke unit and at the hospital.
A rewarding job
While the mobile stroke unit provides an important service for people battling a stroke, it doesn’t add any cost for the patient.
Stony Brook provides the units “free of charge,” because the “outcomes are so much better,” Fiorella said.
Patients who have untreated strokes or whose strokes are treated much later can have an irreversible brain injury, which could involve hospitalizations that last for months.
Stony Brook receives the same flat rate from Medicare for stroke victims, which helps provide financial support for the ambulance and is a “home run” for the patient, Fiorella added.
From Fiorella’s perspective, the opportunity to help people more than compensates for the 2 am calls he sometimes gets when he needs to come in for emergency surgery.
In the 25 years he’s been involved in stroke care, Fiorella has “never lost the fascination in how great the technology has become and how quickly it’s advanced,” he said. After treatment, people who couldn’t speak or understand speech and who couldn’t move the dominant side of their body can return to normal activities.
“It’s such a wonderful experience being involved with this,” he said. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of Stony Brook.”
As for Claire Sabatino, who had never heard of the mobile stroke unit before the ambulance was parked on her driveway last April, the benefit of the rapid transit and the Stony Brook team is “nothing short of a miracle.
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