Bay Shore's RBK Pediatrics nearly doubles size of office and urgent care

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RBK Pediatrics in Bay Shore has nearly doubled in size by taking over a neighboring Montessori School that was vacant. And the staff got straight to work in renovating the 5,000-square-foot space to better service local children and families.

The expansion allowed RBK Pediatrics, founded in Commack in 1958, to add eight exam rooms and greatly expand its lab, the partners told greaterbayshore.com.

The new Bay Shore offices were rebuilt and modeled after the brand-new flagship location in Commack, said Dr. George Rogu, who joined the practice in 1996 after completing his residency at Montefiore Medical Center.

These big moves in both Commack and Bay Shore come after years of research and deliberations.

“What better time to do such a project, during the COVID-19 pandemic?” Dr. Rogu said. “What does not destroy you will only make you stronger.”

“I always called our medical practice the RBK Titanic,” he continued, describing the decades-old practice — and where it’s headed today.

“This practice was very big and state-of-the-art to a point, but it gets difficult to maneuver as time goes on, and to change,” he continued. “But as the culture of physicians changed, especially with technology, it was time to develop a new culture for what’s now the RBK Enterprise, with new technology, and a patient centered medical culture.”

RBK first expanded into Bay Shore in 2003.

The practice taking over the old Montessori School is just the latest chapter.

RBK’s history in Bay Shore

RBK Pediatrics first teamed up with a small practice about a 1/4-mile away on East Main Street run by Dr. Hafiz Rehman, who still works part-time at RBK.

“We brought in part of the RBK culture and physicians down here, and built that very quickly from a one-man operation to a two-man operation,” Dr. George Rogu recalled.

The tiny practice moved to the current space, which is next to what’s now the Imbert Cancer Center (formerly King Kullen) on South Saxon Avenue and East Main Street in 2015.

Back then, there was one doctor in Bay Shore, and another splitting time between there and Commack.

Today, RBK Pediatrics — with the two locations and a call center location, also in Commack — currently employs 16 doctors with a supporting staff nearing 100 for the two locations.

“We had a good thing going and we wanted to make a brand, and you can see the results now,” Dr. Rogu said.

The wheels started in motion a few years ago; today all the staffers’ ideas and efforts are reaching fruition.

One thing, however, that has never changed at RBK Pediatrics is absolute attention to patient care, especially in terms of children and adolescents being cared for by physicians.

“Our tagline mission is, “Primary care when you want it, urgent care when you need it, services provided by physicians”, Dr. Rogu states.

“So basically, the secret formula is access to care in nice surroundings, and providing quality service by doctors.”

Also an urgent care

For local families who might not know, RBK Bay Shore is also a certified urgent care center, meaning the practice is open every night from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. for emergency visits — with no appointments necessary.

That also goes for kids who aren’t regular patients.

“It’s an alternative to an emergency room for illnesses and visits that don’t require an emergency room, but due to routine nighttime closures, the hospital might be your only option otherwise,” explained Dr. Nick Rogu, who’s also Dr. George Rogu’s brother.

“Parents don’t like to wait for an appointment, so they panic and go to the E.R.”

For regular patients, RBK is also offering COVID-19 testing and COVID vaccines on a daily basis.