Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center Hosts NYS Health Commissioner

New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald, MD, toured Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center and Clinic in Hampton Bays on September 1, where he discussed surveillance efforts by state and local health departments, and heard from resource center staff and clinicians about their treatment and research on tick-borne diseases.

The Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center educates the public, promotes collaboration and educational opportunities within the medical community, and facilitates access to the diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases. The clinic also offers specialized care for adults and children concerned about tick bites, Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

McDonald noted that Suffolk County led the state in Lyme disease cases in 2024 by more than 3,000, according to health department data, and called ticks a “rising threat.”

“The ticks are winning. There are a lot more ticks than us,” he said. “We are their food source, and I think we really are in a time where we have to think differently about ticks.”

Sandeep Gandhi, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and clinical assistant professor in medicine said that the Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center has conducted more than 280 educational outreach events for the public throughout Suffolk County, and 30 symposia for medical professionals over the past 12 years, and has given away thousands of tick removal kits and comprehensive tick disease handbooks.

Gandhi noted that the clinic has treated patients from across the state and the country, including patients from overseas, and has treated numerous cases of acute and post-Lyme disease syndrome, along with all other tick-borne diseases.

“It’s been our privilege to be at the forefront of what some are considering to be an epidemic of tick-borne disease in our community, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration with Stony Brook Children’s, Stony Brook Medicine, and New York State and Suffolk County Departments of Health,” he said.

Andrew Handel, MD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, said that the end of summer does not mean the end of vigilance. “As our children head back to the classroom and summer winds down, it is a dangerous misconception that the tick risks disappear.”

McDonald advised Suffolk County residents to continue their awareness, checking people and pets for ticks from head to toe, while applying insect repellent to skin and clothing.

The Tick-Borne Disease Clinic is the first and only dedicated clinic of its kind in the Northeast and is committed to providing comprehensive, patient-centered care for tick-borne illnesses. Led by experienced infectious disease specialists, the clinic offers a wide range of services, including:

• Expert tick removal, diagnosis and treatment
• Convenient lab services and blood drawing
• Counseling on tick bite prevention and tick identification
• Free tick removal kits and Tick-Borne Disease Reference Handbooks

Patients also have the unique opportunity to participate in ongoing research studies, contributing to the broader understanding and development of effective treatments for tick-borne diseases.