Highlights:
- As community hospitals across the nation reduce or shutter inpatient pediatric services, WMCHealth invests in community-based children's healthcare with the opening of a new, larger pediatric inpatient unit at MidHudson Regional Hospital.
- New inpatient pediatrics "neighborhood" doubles the number of inpatient pediatric beds available at MidHudson Regional Hospital.
- MidHudson Regional Hospital pediatric services offer seamless transfer of children in need of more advanced care to WMCHealth's nearby Maria Fareri Children's Hospital.
- Selected pediatric surgery services were also added with follow-up visits conveniently scheduled at MidHudson Regional Hospital.
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (January 24, 2023) - MidHudson Regional Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Health Network (WMCHealth), today held a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the new Maria Fareri Children's Healthcare Services inpatient pediatrics unit at the hospital.
The new inpatient pediatrics unit or "neighborhood" at MidHudson Regional Hospital officially opened at the end of 2022 and now features 10 private rooms – double the amount of the hospital's prior inpatient pediatrics unit – with private bathrooms, showers and sleeping accommodations for a child's caregivers. The inpatient neighborhood also features a new infusion center and welcoming spaces for music and art therapy, and other child life activities promoting healing.
"We've experienced an incredible response from the community since Maria Fareri Children's Healthcare Services at MidHudson Regional Hospital launched in 2020. This inpatient service expansion and environment upgrade will help us provide inpatient pediatric services to even more families in the Poughkeepsie area and surrounding communities," said Michael Gewitz, MD, Senior Vice President, Clinical Operations for WMCHealth as well as the Executive Director and William Russell McCurdy Physician-in-Chief at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. "In many regions across the country, there is limited access to inpatient pediatric care, and this expansion demonstrates WMCHealth's continued commitment to investing in specialized services that benefit our entire community."
"Ensuring accessible, quality care for children in Dutchess County is critical, and today's dedication and unveiling of this expanded inpatient facility will go a long way toward strengthening our community health," said Dutchess County Executive William F.X. O'Neil. "We thank the staff at WMCHealth, MidHudson Regional Hospital, and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital for their leadership and continued commitment to improving children's healthcare in our area."
The Mid-Hudson Region's Choice for Pediatric Hospital Care
The new and expanded inpatient pediatrics neighborhood at MidHudson Regional Hospital exemplifies WMCHealth's continuing commitment to the health and wellbeing of children in the Mid-Hudson region and beyond.
Since WMCHealth launched Maria Fareri Children's Healthcare Services at MidHudson Regional Hospital a little over two years ago, the hospital has recorded more than 1,100 inpatient discharges and 10,000 pediatric emergency department visits.
"The pediatric care team has always included nurses skilled in pediatric care and in response to the community's trust in our service, WMCHealth recruited hospital-based pediatricians and allied professionals to the 24/7 MidHudson Regional Hospital staff, added a pediatric emergency medicine specialist, launched pediatric subspecialty telehealth consultative services, and debuted a pediatric ambulatory surgery program," said Jenny Sung, MD, the onsite clinical director for Maria Fareri Children's Hospital Healthcare Services at MidHudson Regional Hospital.
A Continuum of Care, Close to Home
Maria Fareri Children's Healthcare Services at MidHudson Regional Hospital supplies care under the auspices of WMCHealth's Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, which is renowned locally and nationally as a provider of high-quality subspecialty pediatric care. If advanced pediatric care is necessary, an in-network patient transfer from MidHudson Regional Hospital to the nearby Maria Fareri Children's Hospital is seamless and ensures children continue to receive care as close to home as possible.
"My family owes everything to the talented and dedicated staff at MidHudson Regional Hospital. Without them, my son may not be with us today," said Jeanine Geiser, a Beacon, NY resident and mother of Chase Pultz, 8. "Chase's care began at MidHudson Regional Hospital where he was diagnosed with a severe infection that needed immediate advanced care. Chase was transferred to Maria Fareri Children's Hospital where he spent a month in the pediatric intensive care unit. Today, Chase is doing well and enjoying life the way a boy his age should.
"My son's case shows the importance of specialized pediatric care here in Dutchess County and the Mid-Hudson region," continued Geiser, "and the unit's opening will enable more families to benefit from MidHudson Regional Hospital's pediatric services."
Recognizing Local History
The expanded pediatric inpatient accommodations at MidHudson Regional Hospital were modeled after Maria Fareri Children's Hospital where pediatric inpatient units are referred to as neighborhoods – Sailing, Heroes, Flight, Theater, Arts, Literature and Athletics - with themed décors for a welcoming and family-friendly healing environment. As an homage to the Mid-Hudson Valley's rich agricultural history the MidHudson Regional Hospital inpatient unit will carry a "Farming" theme and name.
The Farming Neighborhood at MidHudson Regional Hospital is open for the care of children and their caregivers. The inpatient pediatric service is a component of Maria Fareri Children's Healthcare Services at MidHudson Regional Hospital, which also includes pediatric emergency and outpatient services. Families interested in learning more about Maria Fareri Children's Healthcare Services at MidHudson Regional Hospital should visit our website.
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.
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*As community hospitals across the nation reduce or shutter inpatient pediatric services, WMCHealth is investing in community-based children's healthcare. Representatives from WMCHealth are available for interviews to discuss both Maria Fareri Children's Healthcare Services at MidHudson Regional Hospital as well as the Network's overall strategy for pediatric care. WMCHealth pediatric care providers are also available as subject matter experts.