President's Message

The Journey Continues… Years of Caring

John C. Federspiel,
President

Hudson Valley Hospital Center is a special and unique place. From a community hospital founded in 1889 we have grown into one of the premiere care facilities in the area, rivaling larger medical facilities in the state-of the-art care we are able to give. But what sets us apart from these larger institutions is that we have not forgotten our roots as a community hospital. We continue to give personalized attention to all our patients and to connect with them on a human level. We call this approach to medicine – Patientology, and it is part of everything we do.

Hudson Valley Hospital Center’s journey of excellence continues as the Hospital prepares to open a new $25 million Cancer Center and Medical Office Building this fall. The Cancer Center will bring together a team of experts - including surgeons from the renowned Ashikari Breast Center and the New York Plastic Surgery Group - who will treat the whole patient, offering treatment and support services in one place.

The Cancer Center is not the only new feature of our Hospital. A new Minimally-Invasive Surgery Center offers the latest in minimally-invasive surgeries that result in less pain and more rapid healing than traditional surgeries. Under the direction of renowned surgeon Dr. Klaus Thaler, the center offers minimally invasive surgeries for sinus and digestive procedures including hernia and reflux operations and will soon add bariatric or weight loss surgery.

These major additions follow the opening of a new $100 million expansion including a all-private-room patient tower an expanded and renovated no-wait emergency department with 39 treatment bays; additional operating rooms and the construction of four new critical care patient rooms.

We also continue to offer stellar services throughout the Hospital. Our diagnostic imaging department is the most comprehensive in the region with virtual colonoscopy, the addition of two 16-slice CAT scans, an open MRI. In addition, we offer five mammography machines, both digital and traditional. These services are offered in several convenient locations with weekday, weeknight and weekend hours.

Our "no-wait" ER revolutionizes the process patients are accustomed to. By moving the registration function to the bedside and creating more triage and treatment space, patients bypass the usual registration function and move through the system quickly.

Our Women's Pavilion for Birthing is THE place for the family birthing experience. We are the only hospital offering women a full-size whirlpool in every labor room. A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) provides specialized care for babies who are born premature or with specific health needs. In April 2011, our Breastfeeding Support Programs were presented with an Award of Excellence by NYS Health Commissioner.

Our Institute for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine is the only facility to offer two private chambers where patients can watch TV or listen to music while undergoing treatment. We are also the only facility in the region to be accredited by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, the leading authority in Hyperbaric Medicine.

We are proud to be the first and only Magnet Hospital in the region. Magnet recognition is considered the "gold standard" for measuring quality patient care and nursing excellence. It provides the public with the ultimate benchmark for measuring the level of care they can expect to receive along with the professionalism and expertise of the nursing staff that deliver care.

Patientology is the pride our staff – from housekeeping to surgeons – takes in everything they do, and why we were rated among the best places to work in the region. In 2006, Press Ganey awarded this Hospital with the Success Stories Award for most-improved employee satisfaction and we continue to score 90 percent and above ever since. Press Ganey is a nationally recognized company that partners with healthcare facilities to measure patient and employee satisfaction to improve quality of healthcare delivery.

In addition to high patient and employee satisfaction scores, HVHC is the proud recipient of several awards: In 2008 we received the Fire Starter Award from the Studer Group, a national leader in healthcare operation excellence. We are the first hospital in New York State to receive this honor. In 2007, HVHC was named a winner in the Forbes Enterprise Awards, a national award given to organizations that demonstrate outstanding business practices. And in 2010, we received the Westchester County Association’s Apex Award for Economic Development Leadership for our $100,000 expansion, the largest economic development project in Westchester.

But no matter how many accolades we receive – whether it’s the Magnet Award for nursing excellence, Press Ganey Award for employee satisfaction or the Forbes Enterprise Award for outstanding business practices – the most important opinion of us is yours.

Learn more about John C. Federspiel