Speedy treatment, thorough, compassionate care

With an average of more than 36,000 patients coming through its doors each year, Hudson Valley Hospital Center has one of the busiest Emergency Departments in Westchester. One reason is our reputation for the most advanced emergency care and our compassionate, award-winning Magnet nursing staff. Leading the way, our Emergency Department became the first in the region in 2005 to open a "No-wait" Emergency Department, offering bedside registration to reduce wait times. In June 2010, we doubled the size of our ER and expanded new Fast Track area so that less critical cases could be seen without taking a back seat to more urgent ones.

Our specially trained and accredited physicians and nurses are ready to deliver quality emergency care 24-hours-a-day, 365 days a year. We are a designated stroke center, meaning we have the expertise to administer the necessary care to prevent long-term disabilities.

Our new state-of-the-art Emergency Department features:

• More emergency care treatment areas - an increase from 19 to 39.
• No-wait ER with bedside registration so patients can see a medical practitioner with 10 minutes.
• Fast Track area where patients with less urgent cases are treated quickly with little to no wait time.
• Patient Satisfaction – HVHC’s Emergency Department patient satisfaction scores are consistently above the 90^th percentile when rated by Press Ganey, an independent company that helps thousands of medical facilities nationwide maintain high standards.
• Stroke Center – Another first - HVHC was the first in Northern Westchester/Putnam to receive this important designation by the state certifying that its ER staff has the training technology it needs to administer treatment to prevent long-term disabilities from stroke.
• Advance Technology – Electronic Medical Records and prescriptions to ensure patient safety and speedy treatment.
• Flat-screen TVs in treatment rooms, many of them spacious, private rooms.
• Specialty treatment rooms for specific types of emergency care, such as pediatric and cardiac care.
• Magnet Nurses and board certified Emergency Medicine physicians and nurses.
• X-ray equipment inside the Emergency Department, for more rapid imaging and diagnosis
• Therapeutic hypothermia treatment, which can improve outcomes for some cardiac arrest patients
• Negative pressure rooms for isolation of patients with serious infectious disease.
• Easy north-south access, central location – On Route 202 in Cortlandt with easy access to major parkways, HVHC is easy to reach quickly from Yorktown, Peekskill and Putnam Valley, Croton and other local population areas.

"No-Wait ER"

How does a no-wait ER differ from a traditional one? It’s one where the patient skips the waiting room and is taken directly into a triage room, where they are medically assessed by registered nurses. Portable computers are used to register them as they are being seen by a doctor or nurse. Less critical patients – such as kids with cuts and bruises – can be pulled from the mainstream into a Fast Track area where they can get immediate care without taking a back seat to more urgent cases. Whenever possible, testing is done concurrently, to speed up the process.

“Being taken care of the entire time”

"I had never been in an ER like this before. Instead of sitting at a desk answering insurance questions, my friend started receiving medical care right away. It made the whole experience less stressful," said Cathy Montaldo, who accompanied a friend to the ER. "The ER was packed, but it was OK because she was being taken care of the entire time."

“I Insisted we come to Hudson Valley”

Dr. Denise Rinato, an OB/GYN who lives in Somers and practices in Cortlandt, said she learned about the efficiency of the Hospital’s “No Wait” Emergency Department first hand on March 24, 2010 when her husband had a heart attack.

“My husband woke up on his 52 birthday about 9:30 a.m. with chest and shoulder pain,’’ said Dr. Rinato. “Even though we live in Somers, our doctor is here so I insisted we come to Hudson Valley. My husband’s treatment could not have been better. Everyone was wonderful. He arrived at the hospital at 10:25 he was seen within 10 minutes and by 12 he had been taken to Westchester Medical Center and had a stent placed and was doing well.’’

Paramedic - Advanced Life Support Service

Cortlandt Regional Paramedics (CRP) A pre-hospital emergency care program that offers the community Advanced Life Support Services delivered by Paramedics 24 hours a day. Their primary response area is the Town of Cortlandt and the City of Peekskill but also assist neighboring towns with mutual aide. These Paramedics work in cooperation with the local volunteer ambulance corps to improve outcomes before the patient arrives at the Emergency Department.

Cortlandt Regional Paramedics provides an Advanced Life Support First Response Vehicle (ALSFRV) to the local 911 system. In doing this, trained paramedics travel to patients in vehicles equipped with Advanced Life Support equipment. In most cases faster than the ambulance can get to the scene. Paramedics are able to triage patients in the field (including performing EKGs) and either send the patient with the BLS ambulance or perform Advanced skills to improve the patients medical condition. The Paramedic will also send information directly back to the hospital. Based on this vital information doctors receive from the Paramedics, the Emergency Department Physician can determine whether the patient should be transported to HVHC or be diverted to another care facility that is more appropriate.

Radiological Training

The Entergy Emergency Center at Hudson Valley Hospital Center is equipped to deal with radiological emergencies that may arise in the event of an incident at Entergy’s Indian Point Nuclear Plant. With a grant from Entergy, the hospital has constructed a decontamination room that can be used in the event that workers are exposed to radiation. Each year, HVHC, Entergy and EMS agencies participate in a radiological preparedness drill to make sure that the Hospital is prepared in case of an emergency. Workers affected at the plant would most likely be transferred to HVHC since the Hospital is the closest to the Buchanan nuclear plant.