Stony Brook University Hospital’s Carol Gomes earns 2026 AHA Grassroots Champion Award

From left to right: HANYS board chair Steven Kelley, president and CEO, Ellenville Regional Hospital; Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., president and CEO, HANYS; Carol Gomes, CEO and COO, Stony Brook University Hospital; Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA; and Bea Grause, president emeritus, HANYS.
Credit: HANYS

STONY BROOK, NY, June 26, 2025 - HANYS, in partnership with the American Hospital Association, presented the 2026 New York Grassroots Champion Award to Carol Gomes, CEO and chief operating officer of Stony Brook University Hospital, in recognition of her leadership and longstanding effective advocacy on behalf of New York's hospitals and health systems, especially public and high Medicaid hospitals.

Carol Gomes, CEO and Chief Operating Officer of Stony Brook University Hospital, accepts the 2026 New York Grassroots Champion Award from HANYS and the American Hospital Association.
Credit: HANYS

"Carol consistently works to educate New York's congressional delegation and other policymakers about complex healthcare issues and has been tremendously effective at building strong bipartisan champions for our priorities," said HANYS President and CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., PhD. "Carol has been particularly active in her advocacy to protect Medicaid DSH, fight site-neutral payments and protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program. I congratulate Carol on this much deserved recognition and thank her for her ongoing commitment to protecting our hospitals and the patients they serve."

AHA's Grassroots Champion Award recognizes hospital leaders who most effectively educate elected officials on how major issues affect the hospital's vital role in the community, have done an exemplary job in broadening the base of community support for hospitals and are tireless advocates for hospitals and patients. The award is presented annually to one person from each state.

About Stony Brook University Hospital:

Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) is Long Island's premier academic health center. With 628 beds, SBUH serves as the region's only tertiary care center and Regional Trauma Center, and is home to the Stony Brook University Heart Institute, Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook Children's Hospital and Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute. SBUH also encompasses Suffolk County's only Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center, state-designated AIDS Center, state-designated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, state-designated Burn Center, the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, and Kidney Transplant Center. It is home of the nation's first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center. To learn more, visit https://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sbuh.

About HANYS:

The Healthcare Association of New York State is New York's statewide hospital and continuing care association, representing nonprofit and public hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies and other healthcare organizations. HANYS is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the health of individuals and communities by providing leadership, representation and service to healthcare providers and systems across the entire continuum of care.