10 Years of No-Wait ER At NewYork-Presbyterian/Hudson Valley Hospital

Apr 19, 2016

Cortlandt Manor, NY

What initially began as an out-of- the-box idea recently passed the decade mark; last week, NewYork-Presbyterian/Hudson Valley Hospital celebrated the 10th anniversary of its "NoWait" Emergency Room. The hospital’s 24-hour emergency room, which sees 40,000 patients annually, is one of the busiest emergency departments in Westchester County, and is undergoing a $4.2 million renovation that is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2017.

Group of people holding awards and posing for a photo together

"A decade ago, bypassing the waiting area upon arrival in an ER was a novel idea and proudly, we were the first in the region to do so," said John C. Federspiel, President, NewYorkPresbyterian/Hudson Valley Hospital. "They said a "No-Wait" ED would never work, but we were and remain committed 10 years later to creating the best emergency care experience for patients and families."

All 150 emergency room staff members, many of whom have been working in the ER since the No Wait approach was first conceptualized, were on hand for this distinct recognition.

Karen Westervelt, Senior Vice President and COO, NYP Regional Network, along with other hospital executives, announced that in recognition of the invaluable partnership the hospital has with area EMTs and ambulance corps, new training equipment will be donated to them.

This equipment will reflect the training required for EMS response to three community-related incidents including active shooter, opioid overdose requiring NARCAN and traumatic injury events. Uniformed representatives from area EMS corps, including Cortlandt, Ossining, Peekskill, Verplanck, Yorktown and Mahopac Falls, were on hand for the occasion.