Regional Perinatal Center

A Regional Perinatal Center (RPC) is a state funded grant program created to ensure that mothers-to-be with high-risk pregnancies, as well as their babies, have access to all the care they may need within that region. There are 17 RPC centers in New York State.

If you have been referred to an RPC, it’s because your doctor wants you and your baby to receive specialized care.

The RPC based at Stony Brook Medicine is a Level IV RPC (the highest level) associated with a Level III (the highest level) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and is the only RPC in Suffolk County, New York. The center is affiliated with five regional hospitals: Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center, St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, St. Charles Hospital and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, all who refer patients to us for the specialized care we provide.

The mission of the RPC is to care for women experiencing high-risk pregnancies, and for infants who need specialized care. The center works to train the next generation of high-risk obstetrical and neonatal providers and to collaborate with affiliate hospitals in improving fetal, maternal and newborn services.

Regional Perinatal Center Awards and Recognition

The RPC at Stony Brook Medicine strives for excellence in every way. We are proud to have been recognized for all these accomplishments.

  • Recipient of the “Obstetrical Improvement Project 2015 Quality Improvement Award”
  • Best record of any RPC in achieving growth of premature infants prior to discharge
  • Recipient of the “Ellison Pierce Patient Safety Award” for a presentation highlighting the protocols that can effectively reduce maternal hemorrhage mortality and morbidity rates 

Who We Help

The Regional Perinatal Center at Stony Brook serves women who are experiencing high-risk pregnancies and infants referred from our affiliate medical centers who need specialized care.

Patients at the RPC at Stony Brook have access to more than 70 obstetric providers, including 18 midwives — the largest midwife program in the region.

Our affiliate medical centers include:

  • Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center
  • Mercy Medical Center
  • St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center
  • St. Charles Hospital
  • Stony Brook Southampton Hospital

We are also responsible for helping to transport NICU babies and their mothers from Level I/II NICUs to the Level III NICU at Stony Brook Medicine. The center coordinates approximately 100 neonatal transports and 200 maternal transports every year.

Perinatal Center Services

The RPC provides a variety of services to help ensure the care we provide is of the highest quality, and every mother or baby here has access to all the resources needed.

Educational Development

The Regional Perinatal Center provides education to Stony Brook and all its affiliates to improve quality and outcomes.

In addition, the center provides an annual and/or bi-annual review of neonatal and maternal transports from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and St. Charles Hospital to Stony Brook Medicine. The case review is presented by Shanthy Sridhar, MBBS MD FAAP and medical director of NICU and neonatal transport and James Bernasko, MD of OBGYN/Maternal Fetal Medicine at Stony Brook Medicine.

Obstetrical Care

Stony Brook Medicine has a dedicated Maternal Fetal Medicine Team that diligently cares for patients admitted to our antepartum service. The team provides a multidisciplinary approach to addressing maternal complications including, but not limited to, preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, preterm labor, preterm premature rupture of membranes, gestational diabetes, and sickle cell crisis. The team provides all needed testing, including sonography, echocardiogram (maternal and fetal), fetal monitoring and much more. 

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

The NICU at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital is the first in New York to have all-private, single-bed rooms. This allows our nursing team to better control environmental factors such as lighting, temperature and noise. This is optimal for developmental care of babies, and the privacy helps families bond. We are the only institution in New York State with a March of Dimes®-funded NICU Family Support Program, which supports parents while their infant is in the NICU and provides education to parents and their family members about how to care for their baby after discharge. For future neonatologists, the NICU’s Neonatal Skills Lab provides experiential learning about how to care for this high-risk population.

Prenatal and Pediatric Cardiology Team

Stony Brook Medicine has also opened a state-of-the-art pediatric imaging center incorporated in a new echocardiography laboratory. This facility provides the latest technology while providing safe, non-invasive, pain-free testing in a soothing, family-centered environment. Our expert pediatric cardiology team serves more than 2,000 patients a year.

Patients can be referred as early as 16 to 18 weeks gestation to identify congenital defects prenatally and educate the family about prognosis. The service extends to patients in young adulthood in need of a comprehensive evaluation and diagnostics. Specialized tests available include ambulatory EKG, echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, 3-dimensional echocardiography, exercise stress testing, fetal echocardiography, cardiac MRI and cardiac CT.

Learn more or call (631) 444-KIDS.

For Medical Professionals

The range and caliber of services offered at the Regional Perinatal Center at Stony Brook ensure that your patients receive the quality of care they need and deserve.

Regional Leader

New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative -- Enteral Nutrition Improvement Program and Obstetric Hemorrhage Project

The RPC participates in the NYS Perinatal Quality Collaborative (NYSPQC). This initiative, which is comprised of obstetrical and neonatal projects, helps to establish the best and safest care for women and infants by translating evidence-based guidelines into clinical practice. Currently, the RPC participates in the NYS obstetric hemorrhage project and the enteral nutrition improvement project. The RPC continues to work diligently with providers and nurses to improve patient outcomes and enhance professional and patient education.

Neonatal Transport Program

Affiliated Hospitals: Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center, St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, St. Charles Hospital and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

Contact Us

We are ready and able to support you whenever you need us.