The Regional Center for Tick-Borne Diseases at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital will open Monday, Aug. 14 at the Hampton Bays Atrium, the hospital announced Wednesday in a statement.
The new facility, the first and only of its kind in the region, will be clinically supported by Stony Brook's practice at Meeting House Lane, Southampton and Stony Brook Children's Hospital. This team of infectious disease specialists will treat children and adults for tick bites and diagnose tick-borne diseases by appointment only.
At this center, patients will have the opportunity to participate in Stony Brook Medicine research studies. The clinic is conveniently located steps away from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital's blood collection and laboratory services, the statement said.
In addition to tick removal and disease diagnosis, the clinic will provide advice on bite prevention and tick identification, and offer free tick removal kits and reference manuals.
"This year is one of the worst for tick bites and tick-borne diseases," said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, which was a study site for a trial. Phase 3 is a Lyme disease vaccine. "A dedicated tick clinic is important to the health of our community and reinforces Stony Brook Medicine's commitment to bringing world-class medical care, driven by evidence-based research, to the East End."
Since 2015, the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Regional Tick-borne Diseases Resource Center has been operating the toll-free tick helpline (631) 726-Tick (8425). To date, patient navigator Rebecca Young has answered more than 5,500 calls, the hospital said.
Adults interested in accessing the new center can schedule an appointment by calling (631) 725-2112. In the case of minors, appointments can be made at (631) 444-Niños (5437).
Stony Brook has said that most insurances are accepted and a private pay option is also available.
