U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Joins Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Stony Brook Medicine Phillips Family Cancer Center, and Community Partners for a Roundtable on the Decline in Cancer Screenings during the Pandemic

Southampton, NY —August 7, 2023—Stony Brook Medicine providers, the US Department of Health and Human Services and community partners, convened to share best practices and advance cancer care in Eastern Long Island. Topics included community outreach integration; health care after the pandemic; screenings; treatment; survivorship, community volume, and federal grants.  

“Nearly 10 million cancer screenings were missed during the pandemic, but fortunately this administration has strongly committed resources to get screenings back on track, as part of the President’s Cancer Moonshot effort to redefine how we treat cancer as we know it,” said HHS Region 2 Regional Director Dr. Dara Kass. “But the investments are only as strong as our partners on the ground, and health systems like Stony Brook Medicine are proving to be second to none when it comes to delivering the care needed to turn the tide on this disease.”  
 

The Roundtable event started with a tour of The Phillips Family Cancer Center. Participants included: 
 

Dr. Dara Kass: Regional Director for Region 2; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Dr. Fredric Weinbaum: Stony Brook Southampton Hospital CMO/COO and Interim CAO 

Dr. Sam Ryu: Phillips Family Cancer Center Medical Director and Chair of SBM Radiation Oncology 

Dr. Margarita Yarovikova: Phillips Family Cancer Center Medical Oncology Director 

Dr. Edna Kapenhas: Medical Director of the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center 

Kevin Unruh: Stony Brook Southampton VP of Allied Health 

Julie Ratner: Co-Founder and Chair of The Ellen Hermanson Foundation 

Anne Gomberg: Executive Director of the Ellen Hermanson Foundation 

Kathleen Mulcahy: Executive Director of Fighting Chance 

Mercedes Barre-Williams: Site Administrator of Shinnecock Health Center 

Minerva Perez: Executive Director of OLA of Eastern LI (Organización Latino Americana) 

Bonnie Cannon: Executive Director of The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center 

Kim Jones: Community Outreach Advocate of The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center 

Loretta Davis: Executive Director of The Retreat 

 

About the Cancer Moonshot 

As Vice President, in 2016, Joe Biden launched the Cancer Moonshot with the mission to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer. As President he has renewed the moonshot with ambitious goals: to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years, and improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer.  

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