STONY BROOK – Stony Brook Children’s Hospital officially broke ground on its new Pediatric Emergency Department this week, marking a major step forward in expanding specialized emergency care for children across Long Island.
Hospital leaders, donors, staff, and community members gathered to celebrate the start of construction on the more than 37,000-square-foot facility, which will nearly quadruple the current pediatric emergency department’s footprint. The expansion is designed to address growing demand for pediatric emergency services and increase access to specialized care for children and families throughout the region.
As Suffolk County’s only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital currently treats approximately 25,000 pediatric emergency patients each year. According to Dr. Carolyn Milana, Physician-in-Chief of Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, that number has grown dramatically over the years, placing increasing pressure on a department that was never designed to handle its current volume.
“We’ve gone from probably around 8,000 visits a year to 25,000 visits a year,” Milana said. “The space just is not big enough.”
The current Pediatric Emergency Department occupies a 14,456-square-foot footprint and has just nine exam rooms and one fast-track treatment area. Despite the limitations, Milana praised the department’s physicians, nurses, and support staff for continuing to provide high-quality care in an increasingly crowded environment.
The new facility will feature 20 private patient exam rooms, two dedicated critical care bays, expanded pediatric trauma services, and a designated fast-track area for lower-acuity patients. Once completed, the department will have the capacity to accommodate more than 35,000 patient visits annually.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2029. While the project may seem years away, Milana noted that planning for the expansion actually began before the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“We had started this project before COVID and then had to put it on hold for a couple of years because of everything going on in the world,” she said. “Now we’ve come back to making it a reality.”
The $55 million project is being funded through a combination of institutional and philanthropic support, including more than $21 million raised from nearly 200 donors. Milana said the community’s commitment reflects the important role Stony Brook Children’s Hospital plays for families across Long Island.
Site preparation work began in fall 2025 and included structural improvements beneath the existing parking garage, where the new facility will be constructed. Throughout construction, hospital officials will maintain uninterrupted ambulance access to ensure emergency services remain fully operational.
In addition to expanding the physical space, the project will support the growth of the pediatric emergency care team through additional physicians, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Hospital officials also plan to establish new telemedicine connections with community hospitals and launch a pediatric emergency medicine fellowship program to help train future specialists.
For Milana and her team, the groundbreaking represents more than a construction project — it represents the future of pediatric care on Long Island. As the new facility rises over the coming years, they look forward to continuing their mission of providing expert, compassionate care to children and families while preparing for the next generation of pediatric emergency medicine.
