SBUH Again Awarded for Highest Standards of Obstetric Anesthesia Care

Only hospital in Suffolk County to be named a Center of Excellence

Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) has been designated as a Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) Center of Excellence for the second time. This prestigious status is awarded to institutions and programs that demonstrate the highest standards of obstetric anesthesia care. Stony Brook's recertification shows the hospital's commitment to quality clinical practice and ongoing education in obstetric anesthesiology. SBUH is the only hospital in Suffolk County to be named a Center of Excellence.

"The anesthesia team plays an integral role in the day-to-day treatment of patients at Stony Brook University Hospital," said William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, executive vice president, Stony Brook Medicine. "This recertification is a testament to their attentive efforts to provide the best quality of care for women and ensure that safety and excellence in patient care remains our top priority."

"Our team is honored to be recognized for its ongoing work to keep the mothers and babies we care for safe," said Carol Gomes, chief executive officer of Stony Brook University Hospital. "Women on Long Island should walk into our facility knowing they will receive compassionate care, collaborative decision-making, and comfort and privacy for both them and their newborn."

SBUH is one of 13 institutions and obstetric anesthesia programs globally to have renewed the SOAP Center of Excellence designation initially granted in 2020. The honor is valid for four years.

The Center of Excellence designation was created in 2018 to set a benchmark of expected obstetric anesthesia care to improve standards nationally and internationally, and provides a broad surrogate quality metric of institutions providing obstetric anesthesia care.

The criteria for the Center of Excellence designation covers various domains including personnel and staffing; equipment, protocols and policies; simulation and team training; obstetric emergency management; cesarean delivery and labor analgesia care; recommendations and guidelines implementation; and quality assurance and patient follow-up systems. The criteria was generated by expert consensus and incorporate evidence-based recommendations.