VALHALLA, N.Y. (January 24, 2024) – Solidifying its position as a leading voice for maternal-child health in New York State, the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) began this month its four year-term as the organization leading the 17-member New York State Association of Regional Perinatal Programs & Networks (ARPPN).
Under the direction of perinatal specialists at the Network’s Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, WMCHealth was elected by peer hospitals to assume leadership of the ARPPN, which includes some of the top perinatal care hospitals in the nation.
Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the ARPPN has served as the unified voice for New York State perinatal centers and a clearinghouse for perinatal care counsel, data, and advocacy for the New York State Department of Health.
Angela Silber, MD, FACOG, Section Chief, Maternal/Fetal Medicine at WMCHealth’s Westchester Medical Center and Edmund F. La Gamma, MD, FAAP, Section Chief of Newborn Medicine and Director of the Regional Neonatal Center at WMCHealth’s Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital will serve as co-chairs.
“As the newly appointed co-chair of the ARPPN, I am deeply honored to co-lead efforts that will enhance perinatal care,” said Dr. Silber. Our focus will be to develop and foster innovative strategies and tactics aimed at improving health outcomes of mothers and newborns across New York State. “Together, we will work tirelessly to ensure that every family received the highest standard of care during this pivotal time in their lives.”
Added Dr. LaGamma, “Our goal is to further enhance the influence of the ARPPN by representing our perinatal center colleagues and their affiliates in advising the Department of Health’s Maternal & Child Health Division on policy and strategies that advance perinatal health care, perinatal services and health equity in New York State through consensus and cooperation.’’
Drs. Silber and LaGamma will be supported in their leadership efforts by Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital neonatologists Heather Brumberg, MD, FAAP and Shetal Shah, MD, FAAP co-chairs of the new ARPP Advocacy Committee, and Anna Reilly, RN, as Chair of the Regional Perinatal Center Coordinator Committee.
Leadership During a Critical Time
The election of WMCHealth to this influential position comes when New York State is in the final stages of revising perinatal regulations that govern the care of hundreds of thousands of mothers and babies across the state.
“We are honored to have this opportunity of leadership in the ARPPN, to continue to synergistically collaborate, learn and develop new strategies and action plans with our partners in improving maternal and fetal outcomes in our region,” said Sean Tedjarati, MD, MPH, MBA, CPE, FACOG, FRCS(c), Director, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Westchester Medical Center.
“At this time,” continued Dr. Tedjarati, “we face a national crisis of maternal and child health morbidity and mortality, and one of our key goals and motivating factors will be to integrate our collective New York State resources to address the social and economic determinants of health that have created significant healthcare disparities and resulting crisis for our mothers and children in the region.”
To contribute to this mission, in June 2023, WMCHealth launched the Center for Women’s Health Equity, a new care program addressing the social, economic, cultural and racial determinants of health that can result in increased maternal morbidity and mortality among women across the Hudson Valley.
Decades of Maternal-Child Health Advocacy
The Regional Perinatal Center at Westchester Medical Center (RPC) has been advocating for mothers and babies since 1982 and has cared for more than 30,000 of the Hudson Valley’s most at-risk mothers and newborns to date.
The Regional Perinatal Center at Westchester Medical Center has collaborated with the New York State Department of Health on perinatal regionalization, statewide perinatal public health, and advocacy for more than 25 years.
Elected by Peers in Perinatal Care
Voting to elect WMCHealth to lead the ARPPN were its peer Regional Perinatal Center Hospitals: Albany Medical Center Hospital; Bellevue Hospital; Crouse Hospital; John R. Oishei Hospital; LIJ Medical Center; Maimonides Medical Center; Montefiore Medical Center; Mount Sinai Medical Center; NewYork Presbyterian David H. Koch Center; NewYork Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia; North Shore University Hospital; NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island; NYU Langone Hospitals; Stony Brook University Hospital; Strong Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of Brooklyn.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with nine hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I (adult and pediatric), Level II and Level III trauma centers, the region’s only acute care children’s hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth.