Tick-Borne Disease Center Opens in Hampton Bays August 14

Ticks might be worse than ever this season, and the fight against tick-borne disease is very real, especially here on the East End, but help is coming with the first and only dedicated tick clinic in the Northeast — and it’s happening right here in Hampton Bays.

In an ongoing effort to fight the mounting cases of Lyme, alpha-gal (red meat allergy), ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Powassan virus, among others, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is opening a new Regional Tick-Borne Disease Center in the Hampton Bays Atrium (182 W. Montauk Highway) on Monday, August 14.

The effort is clinically supported by physicians from Stony Brook Medicine’s Meeting House Lane Medical Practice and Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. This on-site dedicated team of infectious disease specialists will treat children and adults for tick bites and diagnose tick-borne illnesses, by appointment only.

As part of being the first and only dedicated tick clinic in the Northeast, patients will have the potential to participate in Stony Brook Medicine’s research studies, and the clinic is located steps away from the hospital’s lab services and blood drawing.

In addition to tick removal and disease diagnosis, the clinic will provide counseling on tick bite prevention, tick identification, free tick removal kits and reference handbooks.

“This year is one of the worst for tick bites and tick-borne disease illnesses,” says Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, which was a study site for a pediatric study for a Phase 3 trial on a Lyme disease vaccine. “A dedicated tick clinic is important to the health of our community and reinforces Stony Brook Medicine’s commitment to bring world-class healthcare, driven by evidence-based research, to the East End.”

Since 2015, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center has been operating a free tick help line 631-726-TICK (8425). To date, the patient navigator, Rebecca Young, RN, BSN has answered over 5,500 tick calls.

Adults can schedule an appointment at the new Regional Tick-Borne Disease Center by calling 631-725-2112, or call 631-444-KIDS (5437) to make an appointment for a child.

They accept most insurances, and self-pay is available.

The center’s suite was gifted for 10 years by Brian Kelly of East End Tick and Mosquito Control, and it features a reception area, two exam rooms, two private offices for consults, and a large nurse’s station.

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center is funded exclusively through charitable gifts, with major support coming from The Island Outreach Foundation, whose grants have sustained the center for the last five years.

To donate, visit eastendtickresource.org.