The Long Island State Veterans Home (LISVH) at Stony Brook University celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special ceremony on Friday, Oct. 29.

Long Island State Veterans Home Executive Director Fred Sganga addresses the crowd at the 30th anniversary celebration on Oct. 29, 2021.

Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis said that the university was proud to be the home for such an important facility, “a resource for and a monument to our country’s heroes.”

“For the past 30 years, for the next 30 years, and the next, and the next… the lives of our service men and women will always be nurtured and honored,” said McInnis, who thanked the veterans in residence for “protecting our freedom.”

The Long Island State Veterans Home opened on October 25, 1991, after more than 12 years of intensive planning and building. The 350-bed skilled nursing facility provides round-the-clock nursing and sub-acute care to veterans of the United States Armed Forces, and has provided care for more than 15,000 veterans.

Its mission is twofold. First, to provide the highest quality and most comprehensive healthcare services to Long Islands veterans, and second, to serve as a model site for research, and the education and training of tomorrows long-term care and geriatric professionals.

Speakers at the ceremony included New York State Assemblyman Steven Englebright, Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn, LISVH Executive Director Fred Sganga, Interim Dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine Dr. William Wertheim, LISVH Chaplain Rev. Gregory Leonard and LISVH Chairman Robert Smith.

“We continue to be honored to care for the one percent,” said Sganga. “The one percent of Americans that have worn the uniform. We owe a debt of gratitude to these brave women and men, and Stony Brook University’s decision to operate a state veterans home honors all from our region who have served in the Armed Forces.”

The ceremony included the dedication and unveiling of a commemorative statue of a flying eagle, “Honoring our residents, families, volunteers and employees.”

Read the full story: https://news.stonybrook.edu/university/long-island-state-veterans-home-celebrates-its-30th-anniversary/