Patchogue Planned Parenthood center's redo meets high demand with more space

An ever-increasing demand for no-cost, high-quality healthcare and family planning services in Suffolk and beyond has fueled renovations of a long-embattled nationwide nonprofit's five centers in the county.

Planned Parenthood’s reopened Patchogue center — reimagined on Waverly Avenue with an eye on government efforts aimed at reducing its reach — is the latest and last of Suffolk's five centers to be expanded.

"The need for affordable healthcare, and the need for our services, has grown," Vincent Russell, the CEO and president of the Patchogue center, told Newsday.

Meeting demand

Russell said the renovation, at a cost of roughly $1.2 million, allows the center to meet the high demand for everyday services, like prenatal and postpartum care, and potentially receive more people from other states where abortion is illegal who are seeking the procedure.

"We felt the opportunity was there to be able to both upgrade from an appearance standpoint, but also a volume standpoint," he said.

The facility now features an additional exam room, new laboratory and medication rooms, an updated nurses station, and a renovated waiting room and security portal, according to a news release from Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, which oversees the Suffolk centers and five more in Rockland and Westchester counties.

Before renovations, wait times were a week or more. The Patchogue center saw 5,485 patients in 2025, Russell said. The new exam room now allows two clinicians to see patients at the same time, projecting an additional 3,000 visits annually, he added.

Renovations at the Patchogue center and the other four in Suffolk — in Huntington, Riverhead, Smithtown and West Islip — have been funded at about the same amount by operational reserves and fundraising, according to Russell. 

Cutting Medicaid reimbursements

Funding for the Suffolk County centers predated President Donald Trump’s return to office and his signing into law of a federal budget bill last year halting Medicaid reimbursements for nonprofits that provide abortions. 

Federal funding for nonabortion services resumed as of July 5, but Planned Parenthood has said "its affiliates have closed nearly 30 of its roughly 600 clinics over the past year, citing the funding change as a key reason."

In New York, Attorney General Letitia James joined more than 20 other state attorneys general and Pennsylvania in filing a lawsuit that temporarily blocked the provision. And Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged to cover one year of Medicaid funds, nearly $35 million, for Planned Parenthood statewide.

"We were going to pause on any projects for the time being until we were sure of where the funding was coming from, and fortunately being in New York, Gov. Hochul did get state dollars to backfill the federal Medicaid funding," Russell said.

During the 10-month renovation, the Patchogue center operated out of its mobile health center.

Now that the center's back as a place to serve patients, it's doing so with more room and in an environment more conducive to the type of care provided, said Dr. Meera Shah, a family medicine physician and the Patchogue center's chief medical officer.

Shah described the previous facility as "a little tight." But after just a month, she’s already seen a more efficient workflow and decreased wait times.

A better layout

"The layout of the center, it's less kind of boxed off. It's more open and airy. ... Just navigating the center in the space just feels a lot easier," Shah said.

For Thursday’s Child’s executive director Kerry Thomas, the additional exam room makes a huge difference. The Patchogue-based nonprofit provides free HIV/AIDS services and education across Long Island, and it often refers patients to Planned Parenthood’s Patchogue center for services it’s unable to provide, like STI testing and gender-affirming care.

"There are so many barriers to healthcare. ... Planned Parenthood has the ability and the capacity to serve those who are most underserved. I think that makes them different from a lot of providers," Thomas told Newsday.

With those barriers in mind, increased safety and security in the new center have particularly given Thomas reassurance about his organization’s partnership with the center.

Russell said the renovations include a "more secure" entranceway, or security portal, where the staff can identify patients with appointments and allow them to enter the facility.

"They are keeping their patients top of mind, which is what I want to know as a service provider when I’m making referrals to another provider," said Thomas. "Ensuring the safety of those coming to their clinic is a really important piece of that."