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Stony Brook Medicine

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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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Dr. Suzanne Fields, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chief of the Division of General, Geriatric and Hospital Medicine. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine

By Daniel Dunaief

A year after its formation, the Center for Healthy Aging has not only brought groups of scientists and doctors across the Stony Brook University campus together, but has also funded several early-stage projects.

An initiative started by SBU President Maurie McInnis and that received financial support from the Stony Brook University Presidential Innovation and Excellence Fund, the CHA is currently jointly run by interim co-directors Dr. Suzanne Fields, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chief of the Division of General, Geriatric and Hospital Medicine and Dr. Christine DeLorenzo, Professor of Psychiatry and Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Center for Understanding Biology using Imaging Technology.

The CHA has several themes, including helping people live longer and healthier lives. In addition, it will serve as a research center that will include basic science, translational, clinical and health services research.

McInnis spoke with Dr. Peter Igarashi, the Dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, to create this initiative.

Dr. Igarashi wanted to make it a center where people from different departments in the university, the five Health Sciences Schools and the Program in Public Health, as well as affiliated institutions such as the Northport VA and the Long Island State Veterans Home collaborated on innovative projects related to aging.

Fields and DeLorenzo anticipate the collaborative research with bioinformatics, pharmacology and bioengineering, for example, will help clinical providers prescribe effective medications for older patients safely through special alerts/ suggestions, identify patients at risk for falling through mobility sensors, and assist clinical providers with AI diagnostic tools.

‘Shark Tank’

Last June, the CHA held a workshop in the style of the “Shark Tank” television show.

Over 100 faculty members attended that meeting from different parts of the university, where they formed groups with other attendees to pose research questions and address challenges people face as they age.

“There was so much enthusiasm there,” said DeLorenzo. “We have so much expertise on campus. We have brilliant researchers who are working on everything from age-related effects at the cellular level all the way through to lifestyle interventions for elderly folks.”

After that meeting, the CHA provided $40,000 to two projects, hoping the support could help ideas get off the ground enough that the principal investigators could then apply to larger funding agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging, for additional funding.

Led by Adam Singer, the chair of the Emergency Room department, one group of faculty developed ideas to help people who suffered from falls.

“When people who are elderly come into the ER and they’ve fallen, the chances” of them falling again doubles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said DeLorenzo. “What I love about that pitch the table gave, which was a mixture of clinicians, biomedical engineers, a respiratory therapist, and a physical therapist is that people were coming at this question from all angles.”

The group pitched an idea to create an intervention program that helps explain how to change a person’s lifestyle to prevent another fall.

Senescent cells

Markus Riessland, an Assistant Professor in the Empire Innovation Program in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, led the other funded pitch.

Riessland’s project looks at a particular type of cell that can become problematic as people age.

Older cells sometimes get stuck in a senescent state, where they don’t die, but give off signals that cause an inflammatory response.

Riessland’s group “got together and asked, ‘How can we intervene to clear away these senescent cells?’” said DeLorenzo.

Young immune systems typically recognize senescent cells and remove them. As people age, the immune system has a diminished ability to detect and remove these cells, causing inflammaging, which describes a build up of inflammation during the aging process, Riessland explained in an email.

“If you remove senescent cells from an old mouse, these mice show improvements in the function of virtually all tissue” including heart, liver, lung and brain and the lifespan increases by 30 percent, Riessland added.

Researchers have hypothesized that there is also a threshold number of senescent cells a human body can tolerate. If a person exceeds that threshold, it “causes inflammaging and age-related symptoms,” he wrote.

Based on his laboratory work, Riessland found that specific neurons in the brain become senescent and that these neurons secrete proinflammatory factors.

Riessland and his colleagues aim to ameliorate this inflammation and have found a molecular regulator that could be a drug target.

Based on the work Riessland did through the CHA study, he and his colleagues are writing a grant proposal for the National Institutes of Health. In the future, he, DeLorenzo and Dr. Carine Maurer will perform a clinical trial on Long Island that will assess the feasibility to ameliorate the inflammaging process in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Fall awards

In the fall, the center gave out six awards for $40,000 each and six for $100,000, many of which were in basic science, according to Dr. Fields.

“There was a broad array of topics, with some translational and some basic,” said Fields. “We’re following up with those people.”

Nancy Reich, a Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, received support as a part of the fall round.

The funding from CHA has “allowed us to begin to investigate the development of pancreatic cancer in the older population versus the young using a mouse cancer model,” Reich explained in an email. “Our hypothesis centers on the immune defense response.”

Search for a new director

Now that the center has made some headway and brought various teams together, the university is searching for a permanent director.

“It’s a real joy and pleasure to see this center start up,” said DeLorenzo.

DeLorenzo urges anyone interested in learning more to check the center’s web site, Center for Healthy Aging | Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.

“We have events, and we would love for the community to go to them,” said DeLorenzo.

DeLorenzo encourages community members to reach out to Fields and her with any questions.

Riessland added that the CHA-funded projects will “have an impact on the understanding of the aging process itself.”

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Carol Gomes with NYS Sen. Anthony Palumbo at Senate Women of Distinction event in Albany. Photo courtesy Office of Anthony Palumbo

State Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) proudly announced Carol Gomes as the 2024 New York State Woman of Distinction for the 1st Senate District at this year’s annual New York State Senate Women of Distinction event at the state capitol.

“Today marks a celebration of extraordinary dedication and leadership in health care,” Palumbo said. “It is my great privilege to honor Carol Gomes as my 2024 New York State Woman of Distinction.”

On Tuesday, May 14, Gomes of Mount Sinai, joined Palumbo and guests at the New York State Senate in Albany for her recognition. As chief executive officer of Stony Brook University Hospital, Gomes has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to excellence in health care.

“It is an honor and privilege to stand beside the many accomplished women leaders in New York State for this prestigious recognition,” Gomes said.

With over 35 years of experience, Gomes has played a pivotal role in elevating Stony Brook University Hospital to its status as Long Island’s premier academic medical center. Her leadership as CEO and COO has propelled the hospital to new heights of innovation and patient care.

Under Gomes’ guidance, Stony Brook Medicine completed its largest expansion project in 2019, including the opening of the Medical and Research Translation, Stony Brook Children’s and Hospital Pavilion. Her strategic vision and operational excellence have positioned Stony Brook University Hospital as a beacon of cutting-edge health care delivery.

“Carol Gomes’ remarkable achievements and unwavering dedication make her a true inspiration to us all,” Palumbo said. “Her leadership in health care has touched countless lives, and her commitment to excellence sets a standard for others to follow.”

As a recipient of numerous leadership awards, including recognition from the American Society of Clinical Pathology and recipient of the American College of Healthcare Executives Award of Distinction, Gomes’ impact extends far beyond the walls of Stony Brook University Hospital. Her leadership in sustainability efforts and commitment to quality care have earned her the respect and admiration of colleagues and peers alike.

“Her contributions to health care in our community and beyond are immeasurable, and her legacy will continue to inspire future generations,” Palumbo said.

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Eleanor Lollo, Volunteer of the Year. Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook Medicine

Stony Brook University Hospital has awarded Eleanor Lollo from Stony Brook as its 2024 Volunteer of the Year. Since 2015, Eleanor has contributed more than 700 hours of service to patients and their families, exemplifying the spirit of compassion and selflessness that defines the hospital volunteer program.

Eleanor first joined the volunteer team to assist with patients undergoing treatment in the Stony Brook Cancer Center. Eleanor would visit patients to offer snacks or beverages or to have a conversation. Her mission was to make patients as comfortable as possible.

“The hospital is grateful for Eleanor’s dedication and invaluable contributions as our Volunteer of the Year,” said Kathy Kress, Director of Volunteer & Concierge Services at Stony Brook University Hospital. “We extend our sincere appreciation to Eleanor and to all the remarkable volunteers who tirelessly serve our hospital during Volunteer Week and beyond.”

After a pause in service due to the pandemic, Eleanor eagerly returned to Stony Brook University Hospital to serve patients who are seeking treatment in the Inpatient Pediatric Unit.

“Eleanor always has a welcoming smile and puts patients at ease, especially those who frequent the hospital,” said Sarah Schoepp, Certified Child Life Specialist. “Eleanor is a valued member of the Child Life team. In addition to working with patients, Eleanor also mentors new volunteers.”

Sarah recalls when Eleanor used her own crafting skill of crocheting to help a long-term patient use her free time during her hospital stay. Eleanor sparked a new love of crocheting for this patient. She would bring in patterns, different sized hooks and yarn so that the patient could continue her projects in Eleanor’s absence.

Throughout the Stony Brook Medicine healthcare system, volunteers touch patient lives — whether by offering a comforting presence, lending a helping hand or simply sharing a smile.

To learn more about Stony Brook University Hospital’s Volunteer Program and to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve, visit stonybrookmedicine.edu/patientcare/hospital-volunteers.

 

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Stony Brook University Hospital

Becker’s Healthcare has named Stony Brook Medicine to its 2024 list of 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare. The list highlights hospitals, health systems and healthcare companies that prioritize workplace excellence and the happiness, satisfaction, well-being and fulfillment of their employees.

“Being recognized by Becker’s Healthcare as one of the Top Places to Work in Healthcare is a testament to our dedicated team. It’s a reflection of our commitment to create a culture where every member of Stony Brook Medicine feels valued, supported and empowered to thrive,” said William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, Interim Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine. “This achievement reaffirms our ongoing efforts to create an environment where everyone feels a connection to the important work that they do and the organization.”

The organizations that make up Becker’s Top Places to Work in Healthcare offer robust benefits packages, professional and personal development opportunities, diverse work environments and the resources necessary for work-life balance. To learn more and view the list, visit this link.

This recognition is the latest distinction the Stony Brook Medicine healthcare system has received in 2024. For the second year in a row, Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH)achieved the highest level of national recognition as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals from Healthgrades. SBUH was also ranked number 19 on Money magazine’s prestigious “Best Hospitals of 2024” list. This recognition gave SBUH an “A” ranking for General Practice and underscores Stony Brook’s unwavering commitment to providing the highest level of care to every Long Island resident.

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Stony Brook Go Red. (02/02/24). Photo by Kristy Leibowitz/Stony Brook Medicine
Stony Brook Go Red. (02/02/24). Photo by Kristy Leibowitz/Stony Brook Medicine
Stony Brook Go Red. (02/02/24).Photo by Kristy Leibowitz/Stony Brook Medicine
Stony Brook Go Red. (02/02/24) Photo by Kristy Leibowitz/Stony Brook Medicine

Today is Wear Red Day, supporting the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” movement, which raises awareness about cardiovascular disease in women. And in honor of the nationwide movement, Stony Brook Medicine rocked their red gear to make a heart of their own during American Heart Month. Each year millions of people unite for a common goal: the eradication of heart disease and stroke.

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September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Early detection is key to long-term survival rates of prostate cancer, which is why Stony Brook Medicine’s Department of Urology and Stony Brook Cancer Center offers free Prostate Cancer Screenings throughout the year. 

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men. Approximately 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 1 in 41 men will die of the disease. As you get older, your risk increases.

Men aged 45-75 years, African American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer may benefit from early screenings. In most cases, prostate cancer has no symptoms and is usually detected through a screening.

This month, free screenings will be held at Stony Brook Medicine’s Advanced Specialty Care, 500 Commack Road, Suite 201B, Commack on Sept. 19 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and at Stony Brook Urology, 24 Research Way, Suite 500, East Setauket on Sept. 20 from 2 to 5 p.m. 

Appointments are strongly recommended. Insurance is not required. To make an appointment, call 631-216-9181.

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Doctors warn against swimming in brackish water and advise wearing protective gear when handling raw shellfish, among other safety measures to guard against vibrio vulnificus. Photo from CDC

In mid-August, Suffolk County recorded its first death in seven years from vibrio vulnificus, often referred to as “flesh-eating bacteria.”

A man over the age of 55 who had underlying health conditions was admitted to a local hospital with a leg wound and chest pain in July. He died the following month due to a bacterial infection.

Dr. Susan Donelan, medical director of health care epidemiology at Stony Brook Medicine. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville

“People that are at risk should be more aware” of an infection they can get from raw shellfish or brackish water, said Dr. Susan Donelan, medical director of health care epidemiology at Stony Brook Medicine. That includes people who have liver disease, poorly controlled diabetes, are considered immune suppressed because of a condition or are taking medication that can cause immune suppression.

At the same time, Connecticut reported that three people died from contracting the potentially deadly bacteria. Two of them died from wound infections, the third contracting the bacteria from handling raw oysters.

To be sure, most people are not vulnerable to contracting the disease or from its effects.

“The general public is not at an increased risk,” said Donelan. “In most cases, [infections] are mild or moderate.”

Those who might be vulnerable to vibrio can avoid it by not handling or eating raw or undercooked shellfish, staying away from shellfish juices, covering up wounds or not swimming in brackish waters.

People can shuck shellfish with gloves to minimize any injuries to their hands and can wash their hands before and after coming in contact with raw shellfish.

“Some people like putting raw oyster juice into different drinks,” Donelan said. “You want to avoid doing that.”

Area doctors and health officials urged people with wounds — which could include cuts, new body piercings or tattoos — to avoid swimming in brackish or salt water.

“The bacteria thrives in brackish water, where fresh water meets ocean water,” Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County health commissioner, said in an email. “It would be best to avoid those waters if you have an open wound or a chronic health condition.”

Donelan also suggested that people who go in the water with such wounds cover them up with a waterproof bandage.

Symptoms

People who contract vibrio typically develop a host of symptoms.

These can include “diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting,” Pigott explained.

Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. File photo

Symptoms from consuming raw shellfish can start within 24 hours of a meal. A person exposed  through their skin can develop a blistering skin or soft tissue infection.

Pigott urged residents to seek help for gastrointestinal symptoms or a worsening skin infection.

Those who are unable to drink enough fluids to counterbalance the losses through the gastrointestinal tract could become dehydrated, doctors warned.

Lightheadedness and hypotensive appearances can be a warning sign that residents should seek medical help.

Wounds may become red, hot and tender with streaky marks leading away from them. These are “all concerning things” that might signal an infection, Donelan said.

People generally know how quickly cuts heal. A cut that gets visibly worse quickly, which could include blistering of the skin with a bolus that looks like murky fluid or blood beneath it should be “very concerning signs,” Donelan added.

Knowing that the bacteria is present in Long Island Sound and being aware of it could help people prevent exposure or react early to an infection.

This summer, area hospitals have not reported an unusual number of infections, according to Donelan.

Doctors said the bacteria typically lives in waters between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that the longer the waters remain warm amid a hot summer and warming climate, the more likely the bacteria will be prevalent in waters around the Island.

Illness and travel

At this time of year, residents return from their seasonal travels. They sometimes bring unwanted microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria with them.

Health care professionals urged residents to notify their doctors about their travels prior to getting sick, so doctors can get an idea of where and how they might have contracted an illness.

When people return from cruises, plane trips or other travel, they should “help the emergency departments become aware of where they’ve been,” Donelan said.

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Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan
Stony Brook Medicine/Kali Chan

Studies have shown that having confidence in the kitchen leads to fewer fast food meals and more meals as a family to strengthen a healthy lifestyle. A study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior also highlights that young adults with strong cooking skills are more inclined to eat healthy as an adult. This summer, kids are getting to experience food moving from farm-to-table and work on building healthy habits through unique cooking and nutrition classes at Stony Brook Medicine.

Stony Brook Medicine is committed to helping kids gain kitchen experience and learn healthier cooking habits at an early age. On August 15, fourteen kids between the ages of 7 through 10 established healthier cooking habits through learning healthy recipes. On day one of the Healthy Cooking and Baking Classes, kids made hummus and veggie wraps, tabbouleh and fruit smoothies. The 3-day series teaches kids how to prepare their own meals and pick produce from the 2,242-square-foot rooftop garden known as Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm. The hospital’s rooftop farm supplies approximately 1,500 pounds of produce per year for patient meal trays and local charities. The program is organized by the Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine’s Nutrition Division.

Kids also learned about how food and ingredients are grown; harvested and chose ingredients to prepare healthier food options; tried a variety of fruit and vegetables with the health benefits behind them; and learned proper use of kitchen equipment to prepare meals using ingredients they picked by hand. In addition, each gained a hands-on approach to sustainable methods in farming, such as composting, choosing local foods and water conservation.

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The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Group at Stony Brook Medicine’s new regional tick-borne disease center, located in the Hampton Bays Atrium. From left, Dr. Andrew Handel, Dr. Dalia Eid, Dr. Christy Beneri and Dr. Sharon Nachman. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine

Stony Brook University is planning to open the first and only dedicated tick clinic in the northeast on Monday.

Supported by doctors from Stony Brook Medicine’s Meeting House Lane Medical Practice and Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, the new regional tick-borne disease center, which is located in the Hampton Bays Atrium, will provide by-appointment treatment for children and adults for tick bites and diagnose tick-borne illnesses.

The timing could be especially important for people with tick bites, as the previous warm winter allowed more ticks and their eggs to survive.

“They are out there, happily laying eggs and the eggs will hatch,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.

Brian Kelly of East End Tick and Mosquito Control donated the center’s suite which includes a reception area, two exam rooms, two private offices for consults and a nurse’s station, for 10 years.

“Between the beautiful weather in the winter and the nice weather in the summer, ticks are outside,” Nachman said. “I’m thrilled we’re doing it now. There’s no time like the present to move forward and work with the community to get this done.”

Tick checks

Health care providers urged parents, caregivers and anyone who spends quality time in nature to do regular tick checks.

Ticks can be so small that they look like a little freckle. These ticks can harbor diseases beyond the dreaded and oft-discussed Lyme Disease. Other diseases include babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis.

In general, Nachman urged patients not to send ticks they pulled off themselves into the center.

“It’s the tick that they didn’t see that’s also putting them at risk,” she said. The clinic will determine the type of tests to run based on the symptoms.

For tick bites, as with many other health challenges, time is of the essence.

A tick that’s attached itself to a human for fewer than 48 hours likely won’t lead to an infection. Someone with a tick bite for about 48 hours might get a single dose of an antibiotic. People who had a tick bite for over that period might develop a rash or even facial palsy, in which one side of the face droops for an extended period of time.

Doctors work with patients to try to hone in on the date of a possible tick bite.

“We do pretty good guessing,” said Nachman. “We don’t need to be perfect: we need to be pretty close.”

Ticks are present throughout Suffolk County.

Health care workers urge people to spray their clothing with DEET. While ticks aren’t always easy to see, people can find them by feeling a new lump or bump on their skin.

Removing ticks

Nachman advised people to wipe an area with a tick down with alcohol before trying to remove an embedded insect.

Using a flat edged tweezer, the tick removers should grasp the insect and slowly back it out.

“Don’t grab the tick and yank,” Nachman cautioned. The mouth parts of the tick have an adhesive, which can leave some of the parts inside the infected person.

Nachman, who will be at the center on Mondays, also urged people not to use petroleum jelly or match sticks.

The hours at the center will adjust to the demand. In the winter, when ticks are less prevalent, the center may have more limited appointment times.

One of the advantages of the center is that the health care providers can track patients over time who have been infected.

Doctors can also sign patients up to become a part of a registry. By tracking people who have tick-borne infections, doctors might also address questions that are part of the science of diseases like Lyme.

“There may be better treatments or better tests” down the road, Nachman added.

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