SOUTHAMPTON, NY, August 2, 2023 —Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Regional Tick- Borne Disease Center will open the first dedicated tick clinic in the northeast on Monday, August 14 in the Hampton Bays Atrium. The clinic is supported by physicians from Stony Brook Medicine’s Meeting House Lane Medical Practice and Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. This on-site team of infectious disease specialists will treat children and adults for tick bites and diagnose tick-borne illnesses, by appointment only.
Patients will have the potential to participate in Stony Brook Medicine’s research studies. The site is conveniently located steps away from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s lab services and blood drawing. In addition to tick removal and disease diagnosis, the clinic will provide counseling on tick bite prevention, tick identification, free tick removal kits and reference handbooks.
“This year is one of the worst for tick bites and tick-borne disease illnesses,” says Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, which was a study site for a pediatric study for a Phase 3 trial on a Lyme disease vaccine. “A dedicated tick clinic is important to the health of our community and reinforces Stony Brook Medicine’s commitment to bring world-class healthcare, driven by evidence-based research, to the East End.”
Since 2015, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center has been operating a free tick help line (631) 726-TICK (8425). To date, the patient navigator, Rebecca Young, RN, BSN has answered over 5,500 tick calls.
Adults can schedule an appointment by calling (631) 725-2112. To make an appointment for a child, please call: (631) 444-KIDS (5437). Most insurances are accepted and self-pay is available.
The clinic’s suite was generously gifted for ten years by Brian Kelly, East End Tick and Mosquito Control®, and features a reception area, two exam rooms, two private offices for consults, and a large nurse’s station.
Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center is funded exclusively through charitable gifts, with major support coming from The Island Outreach Foundation, whose grants have sustained the center for the last five years. To donate, visit EastEndTickResource.org.
About Stony Brook Southampton Hospital (SBSH):
With 124 beds, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital (SBSH) is staffed by more than 280 physicians, dentists, and allied health professionals representing 48 medical specialties. 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 designated Level III Trauma Center and primary stroke 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 Stony Brook Medicine:
Stony Brook Medicine integrates and elevates all of Stony Brook 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 Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and more than 200 community-based healthcare settings throughout Suffolk County. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu.