A Calm Hand

He’s not really going anywhere — in fact, in his new role, leading the effort to conjure up the necessary donations to fund a new state-of-the-art hospital on the Stony Brook Southampton campus, Robert Chaloner is arguably going to be working even harder to cement his legacy on the South Fork.

But … what a legacy it is, even before that task is completed.

As he steps down as the chief administrative officer of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital — having previously served as president and CEO of Southampton Hospital, a post he took in late 2006 — it’s worth voicing appreciation and thanks for all he has done to bolster health care in East Hampton and Southampton towns. His efforts have been monumental, and seeds have been planted to produce even more in the decades to come.

It’s hard to remember, but Southampton Hospital was a wounded institution in 2006, struggling financially and with a staff discouraged by decisions made over a decade of changing, uneven administrations. Almost immediately, a calm hand took the rudder, and Chaloner, with his sincerity and leadership, not only guided the ship through troubled waters, he charted a new course that none of his predecessors had identified.

The merger with Stony Brook Medicine has had its ups and downs, probably for both sides, but there seems little doubt that Southampton chose its partner well. Finances are no longer a crisis, and the level of care has only improved. Stony Brook, meanwhile, has an opportunity to play to the university’s strengths by providing a steady stream of health care professionals to work in the field, in one of the most desirable places on the planet. It’s a win-win — and a jackpot for South Fork residents.

But Chaloner’s leadership has made a new hospital something the region can look forward to with confidence. In East Hampton, after years of hand-wringing over the worsening traffic as an obstacle for ambulances, a new emergency room facility will soon be in place, stabilizing the situation and hundreds of patients a year.

And then there was the pandemic. A lesser administrator might have buckled, but Chaloner led a dedicated, heroic staff in providing care despite the danger. He was visible, communicated honest but optimistic outcomes — and, with his staff, delivered.

It would take much more space to fully list the ways Robert Chaloner has taken a troubled institution and polished it into a jewel. There’s still time for more — and the biggest prize of all. If anyone can get the project over the finish line, it will be him.