Stony Brook University Hospital's Emergency Department has achieved Level 1 Accreditation for Geriatric Emergency Care from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). This makes it one of only two hospitals in Suffolk County to earn this distinction.
"Adults aged 65 and older represent one of the largest populations seeking emergency care here on Long Island," said William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, Executive Vice President at Stony Brook Medicine. "We are proud of our team’s persistent efforts to provide high-quality geriatric care and promote healthy aging throughout the community."
Carol Gomes, CEO of Stony Brook University Hospital, stated, "This designation shows Stony Brook Medicine’s commitment to preserving the independence and dignity of seniors on Long Island by providing the latest treatments, comprehensive services and improved patient outcomes."
Hospitals with a Level One Gold accreditation deliver top-tier person-centered care for older adults through specific initiatives related to policies, guidelines, procedures, and staffing.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, there is a growing senior population on Long Island. From 2019 to 2023, about 36.9% of households in Suffolk County included someone aged 65 or older—a rise of 3.4% compared to the previous five-year period ending in 2018. The median age in Suffolk County is 42 years, which is higher than the national average.
Stony Brook's ED has implemented various policies focused on age-appropriate care. These include fall assessment protocols, geriatric-specific pain management strategies, alternatives to urinary catheters use, continuous access to nutrition for older adults, standardized discharge protocols addressing communication needs specific to age groups, and reduced use of physical restraints by employing trained companions.
The Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University supports the institution's mission to help seniors live healthy lives. In 2023, they established the Stony Brook Center for Healthy Aging (CHA) aimed at understanding aging better through research and innovation. The CHA seeks to improve early intervention methods so seniors can maintain a high quality of life at home and aims to develop new treatments possibly involving robots.
Stony Brook University Hospital is Long Island’s leading academic health center with several specialized institutes including Heart Institute and Cancer Center among others.