Medical Villages: One-Stop Shopping for Better Health

Imagine seeing your doctor, getting your prescription filled, grabbing a nutritious lunch and maybe even squeezing in yoga class all in one, easy-to-reach location.  No stretch of the imagination needed as the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) “medical villages” open for business over the next few years.

The one-stop-shop medical complexes, opening in 2019 at Bon Secours Community Hospital, in Port Jervis, and in 2020 at the converted HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus, in Kingston, will be hubs for a wide variety of health, well-being and human services.

“Patients visiting one of our medical villages will be able to meet with their physicians, then very easily have lab work completed, pick up prescriptions, buy their eyeglasses and even attend wellness classes — all in the same building,” says WMCHealth President and CEO Michael D. Israel.

“A better, more convenient healthcare experience is part of our vision of improving access and encouraging people to seek preventive care, and develop and maintain good health habits, which means fewer hospital admissions and reduced healthcare costs for everyone.”

With construction starting this spring, the Port Jervis medical village will include a wellness center offering blood pressure and body-mass-index monitoring services, along with healthy-living programs, such as exercise classes, nutritional education, walking programs, yoga sessions and cooking workshops, as well as meeting rooms and a retail pharmacy.  Partnerships with community organizations such as the Orange County Department of Mental Health and the Cornerstone Care community health center will bring much-needed services like dental care, pediatrics, women’s healthcare and mental health services to the “village.” WMCHealth will also be working with community partners to offer housing support and transportation coordination.

The project is part of a larger $40 million endeavor to renovate and upgrade Bon Secours Community Hospital with a new, expanded Emergency Department, renovated and upgraded inpatient center for weight-loss surgery and an upgraded imaging suite with state-of-the-art technology.

In Kingston, the HealthAlliance “village” will occupy the entire Broadway campus as a focal point for the region’s health and related needs — an outpatient destination for integrated primary and behavioral healthcare. The services, provided by HealthAlliance, WMCHealth and community partners, are also expected to include complementary and alternative medicine, senior services, housing support, transportation coordination, and other health and human services, along with a retail pharmacy, café and retail shopping opportunities.  The Broadway campus will also be home to a technology-enhanced active-learning classroom (see sidebar) and a conference center.

The Kingston project is part of a $133.6 million investment in Kingston that includes a new 110,000-square-foot patient tower addition on the Mary’s Avenue Campus with a new Emergency Department, new intensive care unit, new day surgery suite and new and renovated private rooms.

“WMCHealth’s mission is to drive quality care as close to home as possible,” Israel said.  “That has been our promise, and these two projects, and our investments, will make it a reality for these communities.”

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HealthAlliance Medical Simulation Center

A special medical-education wing of the Broadway campus’ medical village will house the new HealthAlliance Medical Simulation Center. The center — the size of two tennis courts — will be a state-of-the-art medical-training facility for current and future healthcare professionals. Using high-tech “real life” mannequins and computerized simulation, the center will provide invaluable training and experience by using “virtual” technology to help participants learn new tasks, hone their skills and refine advanced techniques — experiences vital to meeting the patient safety gold standards set at HealthAlliance and affiliated WMCHealth facilities.