Westchester Medical Center

Infobox_Company | company_name = Westchester Medical Center

company_type = Public Benefit Corporation
foundation = 1915
location = Valhalla, NY
homepage = [http://www.worldclassmedicine.com/ Westchester Medical Center]
industry = Hospital

Westchester Medical Center (WMC) is a Level I Trauma Hospital and primary tertiary care facility comprised of four academic specialty hospitals, providing high-quality advanced health services to residents of the Hudson Valley, Northern New Jersey, and Lower Connecticut regions. WMC is home to one of the leading kidney and liver transplant programs in New York, the only all-specialty Children’s Hospital Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in the region, and six distinguished Centers of Excellence, providing specialized care to thousands of patients of all ages.

Westchester Medical Center also serves as an academic medical center committed to education and research . Since 1970, WMC has been an affiliate of New York Medical College (NYMC), one of the nation’s largest private health sciences universities. Many of the NYMC faculty also provide patient care, teach, and conduct research at WMC, which is located adjacent to the school. WMC also offers roadside-to-bedside seminars throughout the year, designed to provide medical professionals and first responders with up-to-date information on topics like stroke treatments, transporting critical patients or organ transplants. Westchester Medical Center is accredited by the joint commission, the national organization committed to improving the safety and quality of care at hospitals and health care organizations through voluntary participation.

History

Purchased in 1915, the future site of Westchester Medical Center was first used as a U.S. Army Hospital during World War I. In 1920, the Army turned the hospital over to the Westchester County Government, and the hospital was named Grasslands Hospital. In the 1920s and ’30s, Grasslands Hospital became devoted to treating adults and children with Tuberculosis, Polio, Scarlet Fever, and Diphtheria. Later, Grasslands Hospital became known for its Cardio-Vascular services and was one of the first public institutions to establish a Renal Dialysis Unit. In 1977, the hospital became a regional academic medical center, and its name was changed to Westchester Medical Center. In 1998, WMC became an independent institution, breaking away from the county government. As a public benefit corporation, WMC continues to treat all in need of advanced medical care, regardless of their ability to pay.

Clinical & Specialty Services

Westchester Medical Center is one of the most comprehensive hospitals in New York State region. With more than 900 physicians, ranging from Cardiologists to Trauma, WMC is dedicated to providing high quality medical care to all patients. Westchester Medical Center is home to six Centers of Excellence:

● The Trauma and Burn Center - featuring the only Burn Center between New York City and the Canadian Border.
● The Heart Center - one of the most highly regarded cardiology and surgery programs on the East Coast.
● The Cancer Institute - offering the latest in cancer therapies, including bone marrow and stem cell transplants.
● The Neuroscience Center - providing neurosurgical and neurological care including “knifeless” brain surgery, a designated stroke service, and a comprehensive epilepsy program and a state-of-the-art
●Cerebrovascular Center - offering the lateast treatment a variety of disorders, including aneursym and strokes
● The Transplant Center - providing evaluation and treatment for patients of all ages who require heart, kidney, liver, corneal and bone marrow transplants.

Westchester Medical Center is also home to the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, the only all-specialty Children’s Hospital in the region [1] . Renowned pediatric specialists, including pediatric neurosurgeons, open heart surgeons, cardiologists, oncologist and infectious disease specialists, make the children’s hospital the only regional neonatal intensive and pediatric care units in the Hudson Valley. Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital also has one of the largest pediatric corneal transplant programs in the nation.

Quick Facts

Westchester Medical Center is home to the region’s largest biomedical research site and only:
- Advanced-care academic Medical Center
- Level I Trauma Center – both adult and pediatric
- Organ Transplant Center
- Full-service Heart Center
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
- 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
- Perinatal Center between New York City and Albany

Awards and Recognitions

● Named one of the 100 top hospitals in the nation for improved performance by Thomson Reuters [2]
● Ranked among the top five hospitals in New York State (#4) for overall bariatric surgery by HealthGrades
● Recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award [3]
● One of only 25 hospitals in the nation to receive the American Heart Association’s 2008 Triple Performance Achievement Award

References

1. http://lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080808/LIFESTYLE01/808080435/1030/LIFESTYLE
2.http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/hospitals-texas-florida-new-york/story.aspx?guid=%7B84EF2B92-0F87-4F8F-AD65-8C8D2276B418%7D&dist=hppr
3.http://www.healthgrades.com/hospital-directory/new-york-ny-nyc-suburbs-long-island/westchester-medical-center-hgst900a7b36330234

External Links

1. [http://www.worldclassmedicine.com Westchester Medical Center]
2. [http://www.worldclassmedicine.com/homepage_mfch.cfm?id=20 Maria Fareri Children's Hospital]