VALHALLA, N.Y. and POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (July 15, 2020) – Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) announces the establishment of onsite, dedicated pediatric services at MidHudson Regional Hospital, Poughkeepsie, NY, under the auspices of the Network's Maria Fareri Children's Hospital (MFCH).
The new MFCH pediatric center of the region's only children's hospital will provide pediatric emergency room services as well as inpatient care.
Expected to be fully operational by late summer 2020, the new services will include:
- Pediatric Emergency Room: a separate, child-friendly pediatric emergency room.
- A dedicated Pediatric Inpatient Unit staffed by pediatric nurses and pediatric hospitalists.
- Caregiver Center services to support patients, siblings, parents and other family members during care.
"MidHudson Regional Hospital has a long and proud history of caring for families in the counties that it serves," said Michael D. Israel, President and CEO of WMCHealth. "Today, that legacy grows stronger as we continue our commitment to ensuring that people of all ages receive care as close to home as possible. We are pleased that we are able to bring the renowned emergency and inpatient care and service of our Maria Fareri Children's Hospital into the
Mid-Hudson region, giving residents more direct and immediate access to the renowned care of the Hudson Valley's largest healthcare network."
"Every day families come from around the region, and around the world, to seek the care of Maria Fareri Children's Hospital physicians and our advanced care medical team," said Michael Gewitz, MD, Executive Director and William McCurdy Physician-in-Chief of Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. "Now, we are able to bring this child- and family-friendly care to another part of the Hudson Valley - allowing more children to be treated closer to home - for illnesses that are routine, and those that are life-altering."
Annually, about 600 children from the Mid-Hudson region are cared for at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, via referral for care by local pediatricians, transfer from other hospitals and emergency departments, or transport directly to the Valhalla, NY hospital. This represents the majority of children who need inpatient care in this region, annually. Now, children will have direct access to pediatric emergency care, and children and their families will be able to stay closer to home for care and hospitalization. Children needing specialized care and procedures will still be cared for at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital's main campus in Valhalla where the most seriously ill or injured infants and children are brought for treatment that is not available anywhere else in the region.
"This is an important win for our community," said Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro. "There is a critical need for pediatric care and the simultaneous attention to meeting the needs of family members and loved ones. We are grateful our most vulnerable community members – our children – will have ready access to care right here, from their first symptoms of illness to a life-threatening emergency. We are grateful to MidHudson Regional Hospital for prioritizing the needs of children and their families with the addition of these new, dedicated pediatric services."
Renovation is currently underway for the child- and family-friendly inpatient unit and pediatric emergency department. Services are expected to begin being offered by the end of the summer.