Westchester Medical Center University Hospital (WMC), formerly Grasslands Hospital, is an 895-bed Regional Trauma Center providing health services to residents of the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

, northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and southern

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. It is known for having one of the highest case mix index rates of all hospitals in the United States. 652 beds are at the hospital's primary location in

Valhalla In Norse mythology Valhalla (;) is the anglicised name for non, Valhǫll ("hall of the slain").Orchard (1997:171–172) It is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. Half of those who die in combat e ...

, while the other 243 beds are at the MidHudson Regional Hospital campus in

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

. It is organized as Westchester County Health Care Corporation, and is a New York State public-benefit corporation. Westchester Medical Center is the primary academic medical center and University Hospital of

New York Medical College New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro College and University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the Scho ...

. Many of New York Medical College's faculty provide patient care, teach, and conduct research at the adjacent campus. Westchester Medical Center provides diverse specialty services to patients of all ages, and hosts one of the leading Kidney and Liver transplant programs in New York, and is home to

Maria Fareri Children's Hospital Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), is the advanced care pediatric hospital for New York's Hudson Valley region and Fairfield County, Connecticut. Maria Fareri Children's Hospita ...

, the only all-specialty children's hospital in the region.

Organization

Westchester County Health Care Corporation is guided by an 18-member board of directors, many of whom are appointed by the

New York State Governor The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York and the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.New York Constitution article IV ...

. Its management team is headed by President and CEO Michael Israel, who is also on the board and reports to the board. In 2017, it had operating expenses of $1.379 billion, an outstanding debt of $670.27 million, and a level of staffing of 3,342 people.

History

Originally purchased in 1915, the site which would eventually become Westchester Medical Center was first used as a United States Army Hospital during World War I. In 1920, the Army turned the hospital over to the Westchester County government which renamed it Grasslands Hospital. In the 1920s and 1930s, Grasslands Hospital specialized in treating adults and children with tuberculosis, polio, scarlet fever, and diphtheria and later became known for its cardiovascular services and became one of the first public institutions to establish a renal dialysis unit. Grasslands Hospital was closed in 1977 to make way for its modern replacement, the newly built regional academic medical center then known as Westchester County Medical Center. In 1998, Westchester Medical Center became an independent institution after being spun off from the county government as an independent public benefit corporation known as the Westchester County Health Care Corporation.

Clinical and specialty services

With 900 physicians Westchester Medical Center specializes in many different services. *

: The only all-specialty children's hospital in the region. The hospital treats infants, children, teens, and young adults aged 0–21. Pediatric specialists, including pediatric neurosurgeons, open heart surgeons, cardiologists, oncologists and infectious disease specialists, contribute to MFCH's status as housing the only regional neonatal intensive and pediatric care units in the Hudson Valley. MFCH also has one of the largest pediatric corneal transplant programs in the nation. * Trauma and Burn Center: As the New York State Department of Health-designated Burn Center for the Hudson Valley region, the Center treats both adult and pediatric trauma and burn cases, and is one of eleven hospitals designated as a Regional Burn Center. * Transplant Center: Offering evaluation and treatment for patients of all ages who require kidney, liver, heart, corneal and bone marrow transplants. * Heart Center: Known for its cardiac surgery and cardiac catheterization programs, as well as its Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy National Center of Excellence, the Heart Center at Westchester Medical Center offers cardiovascular services to patients of all ages. * Cancer Center: A player in cancer education and translational research, the Cancer Center provides diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic cancer programs and services. * Neuroscience Center: Providing neurosurgical and neurological services to both adults and children, the Center features "knifeless" brain surgery, a comprehensive epilepsy program and a Cerebrovascular Center. * Behavioral Health Center: The Behavioral Health Center at Westchester Medical Center provides

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

and behavioral care such as treating individuals with severe mental disorders. The unit also includes

pediatric Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

and

geriatric Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατρός ''iatros ...

care.

Quick facts

Westchester Medical Center is home to the region's largest biomedical research site and much more: * Advanced-care academic Medical Center * Level I Trauma Center – American College of Surgeons accredited Level 1 adult and pediatric Trauma Center * Organ Transplant Center * Full-service Heart Center * Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) National Center of Excellence * Pediatric Intensive Care Unit * Pediatric Palliative Care Service * Level IV (highest) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit * Burn Center in New York State verified by the American Burn Association * All-specialty Children's Hospital * Regional Resource for Large-Scale Disasters * Critical care Hyperbaric Center * Comprehensive Stroke Center * Regional Perinatal Center

Awards and recognition

* Awarded the 2010 IPRO Patient Safety Quality Award * In 2009 named one of the 100 top hospitals in the nation for improved performance by Thomson Reuters * Ranked fourth in New York State for overall bariatric surgery by HealthGrades in 2011. Previously received the HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award for 2007/2008, 2008/2009, and 2009/2010 * One of only 25 hospitals in the nation to receive the American Heart Association's 2008 Triple Performance Achievement Award

Milestones

* In 2017 a surgical team led by Drs. Samir Pandya and Whitney McBride separated a pair of ischiopagus twins. The surgery lasted 21 hours and both babies survived and thrived. * In 2009 Westchester Medical Center installed a 256-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner, the first of its kind in the Hudson Valley. * In 2008 Children's Hospital physician Dr. M. Fevzi Ozkaynak helped lead a study that discovered new treatment for neuroblastoma, the most common cancer diagnosed in the first year of life. * In 2008 Westchester Medical Center physicians completed the first combination heart/liver transplant ever performed in the Hudson Valley.

Expansion

MidHudson Regional Hospital

On May 9, 2014, WMC completed its purchase of St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York, renaming it MidHudson Regional Hospital of Westchester Medical Center. This added 40 psychiatric beds, 18 rehabilitation beds, 60 chemical dependence beds, and 125 medical beds (including pediatric and intensive care beds) to WMC's total.

Bon Secours Charity Health System

On May 20, 2015, WMC announced that it would become the majority corporate partner in the

Bon Secours Charity Health System The Bon Secours Charity Health System, part of the Bon Secours Health System (USA), was established from a partnership between the Sisters of Bon Secours and the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth of Convent Station, New Jersey. The system in ...

, taking on active management of its three hospitals in Rockland and

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

counties and ancillary services.

HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley

On December 14, 2014, WMC and nonprofit HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley announced it was in discussion for WMC to become the sole corporate member of HealthAlliance. This would result in WMC taking over management of HealthAlliance's two hospital campuses and ancillary healthcare services in

Kingston, New York Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grouped with the New York metropolitan area around Manhattan by the United ...

, along with HealthAlliance'
Margaretville Hospital
an
Mountainside Residential Care Center
nursing home in

Margaretville, New York Margaretville is a village in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 596 at the 2010 census. The village is in the town of Middletown, on the border of the Catskill Park. Geography Margaretville is located near the geograp ...

WMCHealth

With the establishment of these new associations, Westchester Medical Center announced in 2015 the creation of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, or WMCHealth. The network has 1,900 patient beds in 10 hospitals on 8 campuses, spanning 6,200 square miles in the lower and mid-

of New York. The network has nearly 3,000 attending physicians and employs over 12,000 staff.

New Ambulatory Pavilion

In 2017, WMC broke ground for a new ambulatory pavilion on its main campus in Valhalla, NY. The new building is attached to the main hospital. It includes 20,000 square feet of new, private inpatient rooms, 75,000 square feet of office space for affiliated private physician outpatient practices, and 185,000 square feet of ambulatory care services, including an Advanced Imaging Center, an Ambulatory Surgery Center, and a Heart and Vascular Institute. At $230 million, this is the largest healthcare construction project in Westchester County since the hospital itself was built in 1977 and the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital was built in 2004. This building is open, and added 180 new full-time jobs to the hospital and local economy.

References

External links

Westchester Medical CenterMaria Fareri Children's HospitalMidHudson Regional HospitalBon Secours Charity Health SystemNew York Medical College Department of NeurosurgeryNYS Department of Health Profile of Westchester Medical Center
{{authority control Teaching hospitals in New York (state) Hospitals established in 1915 Hospital buildings completed in 1977 New York Medical College Hospitals in Westchester County, New York Mount Pleasant, New York Trauma centers