Health

PBMC Foundation receives $1M donation  from retired doctor

The Peconic Bay Medical Center Foundation has received a $1 million donation from Dr. Stanley Zinberg for emergency department services, the hospital announced last week.

The donation will be put toward a dedicated space for critical care and trauma needs within the emergency department, according to a press release from the hospital. The Zinberg Family Critical Care and Trauma Unit will include a trauma resuscitation room that can accommodate multiple patients simultaneously. This is the first step in a phased expansion and renovation of the facility’s existing emergency department.

Dr. Stanley Zinberg

Dr. Zinberg is a retired obstetrician/gynecologist and philanthropist living in Remsenburg. He is a member of the PBMC Foundation board, and a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, the New York Gynecological Society and the American College of Physician Executives. 

“As an obstetrician/gynecologist, everybody thought I’d be interested in the obstetrical unit and women’s health — and I am — but for the general community and for the hospital at large, the emergency room is actually primary as far as I’m concerned,” he said in a phone interview.

“I think the emergency room is really a very, very important area,” he said. “It’s particularly important for people who don’t know the institution, it’s their first experience.”

Currently, Peconic Bay Medical Center provides access to emergency services such as trauma, stroke and cardiac services, according to its press release. 

Dr. Lincoln Cox has been director and chairman of PBMC’s emergency department at Peconic Bay Medical Center for seven years. He said the donation has been motivating for him and his staff. 

“It lifted our spirits because we’re only growing out here on the East End, our volume has gone up every year, and our department hasn’t grown in size to accommodate the number of patients we have, so this donation is basically starting us off for the next level of care at Peconic Bay emergency department,” Dr. Cox said.

This wasn’t Dr. Zinberg’s first donation to the hospital. He first gave a small donation to refurbish the admitting office in 2011. His second donation, in 2014, went toward the progressive care unit and he and his wife also donated to the cardiac unit in 2017.