Good Samaritan Hospital Breaks Ground on New Patient Care Pavilion

Catholic Health’s Good Samaritan Hospital (West Islip, NY) broke ground on its $500 million Patient Care Pavilion. The 300,000-sq. ft. addition will be located on the northeast portion of the campus and feature a state-of-the-art 75-bay Emergency Department, 16 high-tech replacement operating rooms and 3 floors of private patient rooms. The project will not increase the hospital’s overall bed-count. Instead, it provides patients with more private space, larger and enhanced clinical areas and closer access within the hospital to key services. The project is scheduled to be completed in early 2025.

The ceremony included a blessing and remarks from the Most Reverend John O. Barres, Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Catholic Health’s President & CEO Patrick O’Shaughnessy, DO, MBA, spoke along with Good Samaritan Hospital President Ruth E. Hennessey, Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter and former Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center of Long Island patient Christine Newins. 

“Catholic Health continues to make investments in its hospitals to transform our facilities into state-of-the-art centers for healing,” said President & CEO Dr. O’Shaughnessy. “Our strategic objective is to become the most trusted health care system on Long Island. Today’s groundbreaking of the Patient Care Pavilion at Good Samaritan Hospital is one more step toward that ultimate goal; the founding Daughters of Wisdom would be very proud.”

The Patient Care Pavilion will also include an easy-to-navigate lobby and a welcoming environment. Other amenities include an expanded café, courtyard garden, renovated gift store and an internal link to the Emergency Department. Vacated space from the existing building will enable the hospital to create additional private rooms in the future.

“Today, we celebrate this milestone in Good Samaritan’s history,” said the hospital’s president Ruth Hennessey. “Also, we recognize the employees who have made our hospital what it is today, the hub of Catholic Health in Suffolk County, a tertiary care facility with premier programs in cancer, cardiology, surgery, stroke and pediatrics and a pillar in the community on the south shore of Long Island.”

Founded on May 18, 1959 by the Daughters of Wisdom, Good Samaritan treated nearly 83,000 patients in its Emergency Department, 25,000 total admissions and performed 20,000 ambulatory surgeries last year. The hospital’s premier services include the St. Francis Heart Center at Good Samaritan, the Catholic Health Cancer Institute, the Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center of Long Island and the only Verified Level II Trauma Program for both adults and pediatrics on the south shore of Long Island.

Catholic Health has been caring for Long Islanders for more than 100 years. The system has a unique perspective on health care, supporting patients in their totality—body, mind and spirit. It has major focuses in health equity and community outreach and provides free screenings at parishes through its Healthy Sundays program. COVID-19 led to the further development of Catholic Health Video Visits, providing Telehealth services 24/7. The system also has modernization plans under way at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre and ambulatory projects in Bay Shore, Bellmore, East Setauket, Farmingdale/Melville, Lake Success, Patchogue and Queens.