Northwell Health opens multi-specialty practice in Riverhead

A 6,400-square-foot Northwell Health facility is now open on the fourth floor of 889 Harrison Ave. in Riverhead and seeking patients who are looking for high-quality care in a variety of medical specialties, including cardiology and vascular medicine.

The $1.2 million investment features 10 exam rooms and four dedicated testing rooms designed to support a wide range of diagnostic services. With a team of 10 Northwell physicians, there will be coordinated care across six medical specialties: vascular medicine, nephrology, cardiology, thoracic surgery, lung transplant and hepatology.

“Our goal is to make it easier for East End residents to get the care they need, when and where they need it,” said Amy Loeb, president of Peconic Bay Medical Center, in a statement. “By expanding services on the east end, we’re not just building a medical office — we’re investing in the health and well-being of this community and the people who call it home.”

Joseph Baglio, senior vice president of ambulatory operations for Northwell Health’s eastern region, said the new multi-specialty site is a “one-stop destination” that provides East End residents with medical experts and advanced diagnostic services closer to home and all under one roof.

Mr. Baglio said that after looking at population data on the East End, Northwell Health invested into the building around 18 months ago because there was a need to further expand its cardiology footprint. He said there were many zip codes “in the Riverhead market” that had seen significant growth during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a study conducted by the NYC Comptroller’s Office on shifts in population trends due to COVID, it analyzed the change in net residential moves in 2020 based on USPS permanent address changes. Among zip codes within New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the largest net gains in 2020 occurred in East Hampton, Southampton and Sag Harbor, according to the study.

“Northwell is committed to meeting the demands of that growth, and as healthcare has evolved outside of the four walls of the [Peconic Bay Medical Center] hospital, we are expanding our ambulatory footprint to meet the needs of the communities that we serve,” Mr. Baglio said.

Reflecting on the last 15 years for the healthcare provider, Mr. Baglio said Northwell’s eastern market footprint, which covers approximately 1,500 miles — from Glen Cove to the east end of Long Island — has boomed from just 34 locations to now having close to 300. Since opening its latest Riverhead practice on July 5, he said the feedback from patients has been positive.

“For residents of the East End, years ago, it was acceptable for those people to travel west to get care,” Mr. Baglio said. “[The Harrison Avenue facility] is a familiar place for patients, more of a one-stop-shop. We even offer integrative wellness now as part of the specialties within that building … between the third and the fourth floor, folks could get a lot of core services right in that building.”