Newsroom

NewYork-Presbyterian/Hudson Valley Hospital today celebrated the 10th anniversary of its "No Wait" Emergency Department. In 2005, the Cortlandt Manor-based Hospital established what was to become a national trend, a "No Wait" Emergency Department in which patients are evaluated quickly for care and treatment, and bedside registration is offered.

To mark the occasion Tuesday, NYP and NYP/Hudson Valley leadership joined the Emergency Department’s board-certified physicians, Magnet nurses and staff for a celebration in the Main Lobby, attended by 150 well-wishers and marked by testimonials from two mothers whose young sons were treated by the ED. Also recognized for their outstanding partnership in the care of patients, families and communities were 11 area volunteer ambulance corps and EMTs.

With an average of 40,000 patients coming through its doors each year, NewYork-Presbyterian/Hudson Valley Hospital is one of the busiest emergency departments in Westchester and patient satisfaction scores rank it highly for advanced and compassionate emergency care.

"A little over 10 years ago, I gathered together a group of physicians, nurses and finance personnel, and challenged them with the goal of creating the first ‘No Wait’ Emergency Room in the entire New York metropolitan area," said John C. Federspiel, President. "Over a period of about six months, the group developed a process that, 10 years later, continues to be a unique model of delivering emergency care. We are very proud of what we have accomplished."

"Our ER is truly the front door to the Hospital; the vast majority of our inpatients come through the ER, and it is our patients and families’ first introduction and experience with us," he added.

Stacey Petrower, Chief Operating Officer, congratulated the ED for its excellent care demonstrated by exceptional patient satisfaction scores, a number of prestigious national and regional awards and accreditations, including the Gold Plus Stroke Designation Achievement Award from the American Heart Association with "Target Stroke Honor Role" recognition.

She also praised the ED staff for its culture of teamwork and shared how a recent meeting with staff confirmed that "all collaborate and jump in when there is a surge even when they are not assigned to that area. It’s a team environment that never lets one another down."

Karen Westervelt, Senior Vice President and COO of the NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network, commended NYP/Hudson Valley for establishing a "No Wait" Emergency Room. "This ED celebration today," she noted, "underscores the commitment that this Hospital made 10 years ago, to step up and meet the needs of the community by creating this setting that ensures patients receive exceptional care in a timely manner."

The head of Emergency Medicine at NYP/Hudson Valley Hospital, Dr. Ron Nutovits praised the contributions of the Magnet nurses, led by A. Bonnie Corbett, Chief Nursing Officer, Maryann Maffei, RN, MS, Director of the ED, and Donna Rosenberg RN, clinical nurse manager of the ED. "Our dedicated staff, who are experts in their fields, include our Magnet nurses who signify the highest level of nursing care. None of this would happen without the nurses," he said, drawing applause.

Two Westchester County mothers were on hand to share recent experiences their young sons had when treated by the "No Wait" ED. Laurie Weisz noted that her two boys had been to the ER before for various scrapes and bruises, but an incident last summer was life-threatening. She shared how her 11-year-old-son was treated at the Hospital’s "No Wait" ER over the summer when a camp visit to a petting zoo earlier in the day led to his experiencing anaphylactic shock soon after she picked him up.

"This hospital saved my son’s life," Ms. Weisz said. She added that the entire staff, from the front desk to the nurses and doctors, was calm and amazing. "Somehow my boys even got ice cream!" she said.

Eileen Spencer recounted how her 12-year-old son was treated for a sports injury earlier this year. "The Hospital not only lived up to its ‘No Wait’ policy, but surpassed our expectations in efficiency, compassion and complete patient-centered care. We all know that it’s the people behind the bricks and mortar that make an institution great."

Today’s festivities also provided the recognition of 11-area EMTs and volunteer ambulance corps, with the Hospital’s announcement of its gift of new training and lifesaving equipment, to assist with EMS response to three community-related incidents involving an active shooter; opioid overdue requiring NARCAN; and traumatic injury events. Thank you to the Volunteer Fire Departments-EMS of Croton, Mahopac Falls and Verplanck, along with ambulance corps volunteers from Cortlandt, Garrison, Mohegan Lake, Ossining, Peekskill, Philipstown, Putnam Valley and Yorktown.