$650M expansion planned at NYU Langone Hospital — Suffolk in Patchogue

NYU Langone Health plans a $650 million expansion at its Patchogue hospital, the hospital told Newsday on Monday.

The health care system acquired Long Island Community Hospital in 2022 and completed its merger in March, making it NYU Langone’s seventh hospital. Now known as NYU Langone Hospital — Suffolk, the hospital has already undergone changes, the group said, including the reopening of the hospital's inpatient psychiatric center and an under-construction ambulatory center on Main Street. However, the planned expansion will be its largest, adding a "bed tower" to the hospital campus that will have room for 144 private beds. The system filed a certificate of need with New York State on Friday, a document that is required when health care networks plan a major expansion.

Hospital officials said they were not ready to say how many stories the tower would have.

A bed tower is "an optimal configuration for patient care," according to Dr. Marc Adler, the hospital's senior vice president and chief of hospital operations. The tower will centralize nursing on several floors and provide better spaces for the pharmacy, physical therapy and other support services.

"We're clearly seeing growth here," Adler said. "This really enables the flexibility to continue that growth and enhance our current services and bring the hospital up to a more current state. We want to make sure we keep up with the standard of care for years to come."

Today, NYU Langone Hospital — Suffolk has 306 beds, 11 surgical rooms and 20 inpatient psychiatric beds. The bed tower will modernize the hospital with the newest technology and capabilities, said Dr. Ravi Gupta, chief medical officer of NYU Langone Hospital — Suffolk.

"It's going to have a tremendous impact," Gupta said. "Right now, our physical footprint is that of an aging hospital, and the ability to take care of patients in a brand new tower with the latest technology, to be able to make sure that we have the right tools for infection prevention, efficient care and the newest technology for both the clinicians and actually the patients, will have a huge impact on the community."

The Suburban Hospital Alliance of New York State, a nonprofit health care advocacy group, said the expansion is a major boon not just for Patchogue but for all of Suffolk County, as it adds more accessibility to health care.

“This is a major investment in the hospital but, just as importantly, it’s a major commitment to the Patchogue community and surrounding areas,” Wendy Darwell, the group’s president and CEO, said in an email to Newsday. “It will be a boost to the local economy, too. As eastern Suffolk’s population continues to grow and age, the demand for services is expected to increase, which is why we’ve seen so much growth from all of the health systems on that part of Long Island. These projects elevate the level of care and comfort for patients without having to travel long distances.”

Added Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri, “The hospital is a tremendous asset to the village.”

The expansion is contingent on the certificate of need being approved, and a hospital spokesman  said he could not provide a timeline for development.