Couple Buys 'Critical' Coronavirus Testing Equipment For Hospital

GREENPORT, NY — Additional generous donors have stepped forward to help in the battle against the new coronavirus at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport, official said.

ELIH Foundation board members Peter and Erica Harold have donated a GeneXpert® diagnostic system, a "vital" piece of equipment to aid in the fight against coronavirus, the hospital said in a release.

"Thanks to the Harolds’ long-standing generosity, SBELIH’s laboratory is currently equipped with one GeneXpert® diagnostic system that delivers a rapid flu diagnosis in 30 minutes," the hospital said.

Cepheid, the manufacturer of the equipment, has received FDA approval to test for COVID-19 on this same equipment with a 45-minute turnaround time for results, the release added.

The Harolds are "long-time friends of SBELIH and the ELIH Foundation, and their contribution will serve as a powerful weapon in this war," the release said.

“Our entire hospital staff is working tirelessly to ensure the safety of their patients, their families, their community, and themselves,” said Paul J. Connor III, SBELIH's chief administrative officer. “This generous donation from Peter and Erica is going to play an enormous role in aiding our staff to win the fight against this virus.”

The new system has a higher test capacity that will allow for six tests every 45 minutes as opposed to the current two-chamber equipment that performs two tests at once, the release said. Once the hospital acquires the new equipment, having the extra capacity and quick turnaround time will be "significantly beneficial" to SBELIH’s medical staff, the community, and the New York State Department of Health; it will also better prepare the hospital for future outbreaks, which is believed to be possible, according to what the literature has indicated, officials said.

"The hospital has received an overwhelming amount of support from the local community in response to the pandemic. No matter how prepared SBELIH be for this battle, the main source of support for the 70-bed hospital has and always will be the local community," the hospital added.

Others have opened their heart: Last week, a respiratory therapist who works at SBELIH purchased a $10,000 high velocity nasal insufflation system from Vapotherm for the hospital. The device pushes oxygen into the lungs through the nose and doesn't require the patient to be intubated.

The philanthropic group Kait's Angels has also been making masks to donate to the hospital.

For more information about to support Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and the ELIH Foundation, call the Foundation Office at (631) 477-5164 or email elih_donations@stonybrookmedicine.edu.