Health & Safety
Where to go, who to call, and how to handle ticks, rip currents, and other East End risks.
Ambulance, fire, police and ocean rescue all answer on 911, from anywhere on the East End. Everything below is for planning, not medical advice.
Lifeguards are seasonal and each beach posts its own — 35 of the 49 beaches here are guarded, most 10am-5pm. Swim in front of them.
Where to go
The emergency departments, walk-in clinics, pharmacies and the one 24/7 emergency vet we hold. Not every clinic out here: a town missing below is a gap in our list, not a town with no care.
- Emergency room
- Urgent care
- Pharmacy
- Emergency vet
🏥 Emergency room
Stony Brook Southampton Hospital
240 Meeting House Ln, Southampton, NY 11968
24/7 Emergency
The Jenny and John Paulson Emergency Department, the only hospital-based 24/7 emergency care on the South Fork. Provisional Level III adult trauma center.
🏥 Emergency room
Peconic Bay Medical Center
1 Heroes Way, Riverhead, NY 11901
24/7 Emergency
The North Fork's only hospital and its only 24/7 emergency department — the East End's other ED, Stony Brook Southampton, is a South Fork drive away. Northwell-affiliated, with an ICU, cardiac catheterization and a Primary Stroke Center.
🩺 Urgent care
Southampton Urgent Medical Care
609 Hampton Rd, Southampton, NY 11968
Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00, Sat 8:00-16:00, Sun 8:00-15:00
Walk-in, no appointment needed. At the corner of Hampton Road and County Road 39.
🩺 Urgent care
Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care - Hampton Bays
80 E Montauk Hwy, Hampton Bays, NY 11946
Mon-Fri 8:00-20:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-17:00
Walk-ins welcome. X-ray and lab on site.
💊 Pharmacy
CVS Pharmacy - Southampton
111 Main St, Southampton, NY 11968
Mon-Fri 8:00-20:00, Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 9:00-17:00 (pharmacy counter closes 13:30-14:00 for lunch)
Those are the pharmacy counter's hours. The store and photo counter run daily 7:00-23:00.
💊 Pharmacy
White's Apothecary - Southampton
18 Hampton Rd, Southampton, NY 11968
Hours not published - call ahead
Independent village pharmacy, one of White's four East End shops.
💊 Pharmacy
White's Apothecary - East Hampton
81 Main St, East Hampton, NY 11937
Hours not published - call ahead
Independent village pharmacy on Main Street, one of White's four East End shops.
💊 Pharmacy
White's Apothecary - Sag Harbor
20 Main St, Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Hours not published - call ahead
Independent village pharmacy at the foot of Main Street - the only pharmacy the guide holds in Sag Harbor.
💊 Pharmacy
White's Apothecary - Westhampton Beach
132 Main St, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978
Hours not published - call ahead
Independent pharmacy on Westhampton Beach's Main Street, the westernmost of White's four shops and the guide's only pharmacy west of Southampton.
🐾 Emergency vet
East End Veterinary Center
67 Commerce Dr, Riverhead, NY 11901
24/7 Emergency
The only 24/7, 365-day emergency veterinary hospital in eastern Suffolk County. Riverhead is off the forks entirely - allow for the drive.
Ticks & Lyme — read this one
The East End has one of the highest tick-borne disease rates in the country. Deer ticks carry Lyme, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus.
Lone star ticks, very common here, can leave you with alpha-gal — an allergy to red meat that arrives months later.
- Light-coloured long trousers tucked into socks in grass, dunes and woods.
- Permethrin on clothing; DEET or picaridin on skin.
- Full body check within two hours of coming inside, then shower.
- Fine tweezers, straight up, no twisting — keep the tick in a bag.
- Bullseye rash, fever or fatigue in the next 30 days: call a doctor early.
The ocean
Caught in a rip? Don’t fight it — it pulls out, not under. Swim parallel to the shore until you are free, then angle back in. Or float, and wave for a guard.
Currents and flags, beach by beach
- Flying Point Beach Water Mill — Strong rips; pay attention to flags. Guards 10am-5pm summer.
- Mecox Beach Bridgehampton — Open-ocean surf with a strong shorebreak at the cut — swim near the lifeguards. Guards 10am-5pm summer.
- Main Beach East Hampton — Strong rip currents common mid-to-late summer; swim near lifeguards. Guards 10am-5pm (Memorial Day weekend-Labor Day weekend).
- Two Mile Hollow Beach East Hampton — Lifeguard-protected in season; Village flags conditions (green calm, yellow caution, red dangerous, no flag = swimming prohibited). Guards 10am-5pm (Memorial Day weekend-Labor Day weekend).
- Indian Wells Beach Amagansett — Rip currents frequent; check flag. Guards 9am-5pm (in season).
- Ditch Plains Beach Montauk — Legendary surf break; strong currents. Guards 9am-5pm (in season).
- Ponquogue Beach Hampton Bays — Strong rips near inlet. Guards 10am-5pm summer.
- Cupsogue Beach County Park Westhampton — Open-ocean surf at the Moriches Inlet - strong currents near the inlet; stay in the guarded area. Guards 10am-5pm summer.
Jellyfish
Lion’s mane and moon jellies show up July to September. Rinse a sting with seawater, never fresh, lift the tentacles off with the edge of a card, then warm water for 20 minutes.
Sharks
Sightings have risen along the south shore. Stay out at dawn and dusk, in murky water, and anywhere near bait fish or seals — and take a lifeguard’s closure at face value.
Water quality
Suffolk County tests bay and ocean beaches weekly in summer. Give it 24 to 48 hours after heavy rain before swimming, and check current advisories at suffolkcountyny.gov.