Dr. Madden leads expansion at SBELIH as new top doc

The new chief medical officer at Greenport’s Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, Dr. Alison C. Madden, has big plans to expand the hospital’s services.

“I’m planning to work on growing our services — a primary stroke program, improving our ER and addiction services,” said Dr. Madden, who’s in her fifth week on the job after taking over from Dr. Lloyd Simon, who retired in June. 

“We’re going to create a fast-track system in our ER,” Dr. Madden said. “For minor ailments, they’ll be treated separately, so they won’t be waiting long. We’re hoping to have this implemented in September.”

Dr. Madden was chief medical officer at St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, New Hampshire, for six years before accepting the position in Greenport. Prior positions include leadership roles at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, and UMass Memorial Medical Center. She is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, earning her medical degree from Cornell University Medical College. She completed her residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. 

“The staff here really wants to help people,” she said. “I looked at jobs in New Jersey and elsewhere on Long Island, but there’s a personal touch here, and people work here for a really long time.”

Dr. Madden will also be starting a one-day-a-week gynecology practice in the hospital’s specialty care facility in Mattituck. That office also offers family medicine, orthopedics, interventional pain management, pulmonary, hand surgery and general surgery.

Growing up in New York City convinced Dr. Madden she liked smaller communities, but she said she still wanted to be closer to Manhattan. “Greenport reminds me of Nantucket. It has a similar feel and community spirit that you don’t see often, but I felt that way here,” she said.

Chief Administrative Officer Paul J. Connor said, “As the region grows and healthcare needs become more complex, we’re expanding both our services and access points to ensure high-quality care is always close to home,. That includes recent investments in emergency care, integrated behavioral health, enhanced services with a 24/7 E-ICU as well as plans for a Primary Stroke Center.”