Community Corner
Southampton Hospital Breaks Ground on Heart, Stroke Center
Live saving facility enabled by $5 million donation from Audrey and Martin Gruss.
Thanks to a $5 million gift from Audrey and Martin Gruss, Southampton Hospital broke ground Monday on a new heart and stroke center that will be named for the benefactors
"It is well-known that the over-50 age group has the highest probability of experiencing a stroke or heart attack," Audrey Gruss remarked. "With many of us spending months or weekends year-round in Southampton and the East End, Martin and I felt it was important that our local hospital have the capability to conduct stroke and vascular distress intervention.”
According to the hospital, the nearest facility with similar heart and stroke services is Stony Brook University Medical Center, which can take two hours to reach from the East End during the busy summer months.
"When completed, the center will provide stroke treatment and carotid stents as needed and will consolidate a broad spectrum of new and sophisticated diagnostic and treatment capabilities with existing cardiovascular programs and services," the hospital said in a statement.
The center is slated to include an endovascular surgery suite and a hybrid operating room with the latest imaging technology where carotid stenting, aneurysm repair and treatment of cascular peripheral arterial and abdominal occlusive diseases will take place. A noninvasive cardiovascular suite will be included for diagnosing coronary and vascular illness and a heart and stroke monitoring center will provide connections to tertiary and open-heart centers. For heath-care professionals, a stroke and heart simulation and education center will provide skills training.
“Creation of The Audrey and Martin Gruss Heart and Stroke Center will be transformational for us in that it will significantly advance the hospital’s ability to diagnose and treat stroke and cardiovascular disease, and become a vital component of the care provided by our community hospital,” Southampton Hospital President and CEO Robert S. Chaloner said. “This critically important initiative will undoubtedly save lives, and we are grateful for the Gruss’s generosity a commitment to quality healthcare in our community.”
Local officials including Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, Southampton Village Mayor Mark Epley, New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele and Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman took part in the groundbreaking ceremony.
