Long Island Select Healthcare has been awarded a $2.3 million state grant to expand healthcare access for people with developmental disabilities, state officials announced in early June as part of a statewide $25 million initiative launched by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The funding will allow for the “expansion and modernization of our Riverhead facility and the launch of a fully dually equipped medical mobile unit for both medical and dental services,” said Aaron Clark, the CEO of Long Island Select Healthcare.
Willow Baer, Commissioner of the NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), announced the award during a press conference at Long Island Select Healthcare’s headquarters in Central Islip. This grant is part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $25 million 2025-2026 executive budget investment, which looks to improve access to healthcare for people with developmental disabilities across New York State.
Commissioner Baer, sitting in the front row, delivered a speech that was filled with hope, understanding and a guide to action.
“What a pleasure to be here for such an exciting and important project,” Baer said. “I can’t underscore enough the importance of health equity on Long Island and New York State. Thank you to the CEO, Aaron Clark, and all of the Long Island Select Healthcare family for your clear commitment all year long to making medical and dental care available to people with developmental disabilities.”
In his opening speech, Clark was pleased to hear the news that Long Island Select Healthcare has acquired this award from New York State.
“I want to extend gratitude to the NYS Office of People with Developmental Disabilities, especially Willow Baer for your leadership, partnership and belief in this mission,” Clark exclaimed. “Thank you for being here today and for investing in the future for healthcare access for people with developmental disabilities.”
In his speech, Clark shared why this investment for Long Island Select Healthcare is extremely meaningful and highly necessary.
“Long Island Select Healthcare was created to address that critical problem that many healthcare systems were not built to solve — the lack of accessible disability-competent healthcare,” Clark asserted. “Too often, individuals with IDD face barriers — including limited provider access, inaccessible facilities, long wait times, transportation issues and healthcare environments that just aren’t designed to meet their needs. This is not acceptable, and that’s why this investment matters so much.”
Long Island Select Healthcare serves more than 8,500 patients annually and operates six locations across Suffolk County — Central Islip, Hauppauge, Manorville, Port Jefferson Station, Riverhead and Smithtown. Some patients even travel from outside Suffolk County to receive care. Hayden Maran is a patient of Long Island Select Healthcare and he has autism, ADHD and cerebral palsy. Debbi Maran, Hayden’s mother, appeared at the press conference with him to share her thoughts on Long Island Select Healthcare. Maran and her son don’t live around the corner. She travels from Nassau County so her son can receive the multi-speciality care he needs, and she has been doing this routine for the past 11 years.
The reason why Maran came to Long Island Select Healthcare is because it is very hard to find appropriate care for people with special needs.
“Places don’t always have the training, they don’t always have the care, compassion and patience for what people with different needs may need,” Maran said. “That’s why we stay here. I have told so many people about Long Island Select Healthcare and will continue to do so. It’s such an important place for the special needs population. When we come here, I know he is going to be taken care of. Everybody here is so empathetic and they want to help. They take their time, they don’t rush the patients here. They build a rapport and build trust, which is so important for the patients and also their caregivers.”
Clark believes that the Riverhead expansion will “transform Riverhead into one of the most advanced disability-accessible facilities in Suffolk County.”
The Riverhead expansion will increase exam room spaces from three dental exam rooms to five ADA-accessible exam rooms. The expansion also looks to add five additional medical exam rooms. The dental and medical spaces will also be “equipped with adaptive technology, mobility supports, sensory-friendly design features and communication and accommodations to make it more comfortable for patients living with disabilities,” according to Clark.
Willow Baer, Commissioner of OPWDD, speaking to attendees at Long Island Select Healthcare’s headquarters in Central Islip, NY, on June 1.
Photo Credit: Emily G. Sauchelli
In her speech, Baer shared how OPWDD — in partnership with Gov. Kathy Hochul and partners in the state Legislature — decided where to allocate this large investment. Able News has earlier reported that NYU College of Dentistry received $5 million under the same state initiative.
The $25 million “was invested to focus on what people with lived experience told us mattered the most to them — expanding access to specialized healthcare, especially dental care,” she said. “Making physical access accessible for wheelchair users, creating sensory-friendly critical environments and bringing critical healthcare services to communities that have been historically underserved.”
As a result of this investment, Baer shared that Long Island Select Healthcare will be able to increase their capacity to provide care, by up to 50%.
Dr. Jaclyn DiMattei, DNP, Assistant Chief Medical Officer & Adult Care Nurse Practitioner at Long Island Select Healthcare, gave a speech at the press conference. She shared her thoughts on the grant investment, and what she thinks the impact will be as a result of having a medical mobile unit at Long Island Select Healthcare.
“With the addition of the mobile unit, it will take our commitment even further,” she said. “If there are staffing shortages or transportation barriers, preventing patients from leaving their residence, we will now have the ability to bring their care to them. We are truly redefining what it means to meet the patient where they are. What this grant represents goes beyond the dollars. It is a vote of confidence from the state in our model of care and in the belief that individuals with disabilities deserve accessible high-quality healthcare catered to their needs.”
The Riverhead expansion is slated for completion in March 2027. The mobile medical unit is estimated to be operational in early 2027. To learn more about Long Island Select Healthcare, visit https://www.lishcare.org/.