Northwell East End Health Walk raises $131,472 for PBMC cancer care

More than 250 people gathered at RGNY Vineyard in Riverhead and raised $131,472 for Peconic Bay Medical Center’s cancer services and breast health programs, turning Northwell’s East End Health Walk into a direct boost for local care. The May 17 event opened with registration at 9 a.m., an opening ceremony at 9:45 a.m. and the walk at 10 a.m., and it was open to participants 13 and older with a $20 donation.

PBMC said the money will support prevention, early detection, treatment and survivorship resources for patients across Eastern Suffolk County. Northwell said the East End funds are meant to strengthen PBMC’s cancer services and breast health programs and help ensure timely diagnosis and care regardless of ability to pay, a point that matters on the East End, where access to specialized treatment can mean long trips and lost time for patients already facing a cancer diagnosis.

PBMC president Amy Loeb said, “every person who walked, donated or volunteered helped strengthen the hospital’s ability to provide cancer care and breast health services close to home.” Breast cancer patient Jan Harting-McChesney told attendees that events like the walk help patients know they are not going through cancer alone. She said cancer care is not just treatment, but also early detection, access, support, education and having a trusted team from the beginning.

The walk brought together community members, patients, families, hospital staff and supporters at a setting that felt festive without losing sight of the stakes. PBMC’s breast health programs include screenings, advanced imaging, surgical expertise, follow-up care, education, navigation and survivorship resources, all services tied to whether a patient can get seen quickly and stay connected to care after a diagnosis.

The East End stop was one of six Northwell Walk to Raise Health locations this year, alongside Jones Beach, Port Jefferson, Westchester, Staten Island and Norwalk, Connecticut. Northwell said the regional campaign drew more than 5,000 participants and raised more than $1.31 million, a record high. PBMC also used the event to host a PBMC 75th Expo, marking a hospital that began in 1951 as Central Suffolk Hospital, added a west wing in 1962 and an east wing in 1972, and was renamed Peconic Bay Medical Center in 2006.

Last year’s East End walk brought in more than $170,000, but this year’s $131,472 still kept the focus where it belongs: on keeping cancer care, breast health screening and survivorship support within reach for Riverhead and the wider East End.