Why Choose WMCHealth?
Organ transplantation is a complex and life-saving operation. For a procedure as critical as an organ transplant, you want only the most experienced team and most advanced care available. As one of the most established multi-organ transplant facilities in New York, Westchester Medical Center is home to teams that perform the most complicated, life-saving transplants using the most advanced technology. Led by the top surgeons in the field, we have performed thousands of heart, liver, and kidney transplants, including multi-organ transplants in both adults and pediatric patients.
Having a transplant means getting a second chance at life. Our patient-centered approach ensures that you’ll be heard, cared for, and supported at every step of your transplant journey, from donor matching through recovery, and beyond.
Organ Transplant Expertise Close to Home
Having trained at some of the best programs around the country, our surgeons have performed some of the highest risk cases, while consistently maintaining survival rates that exceed the national average. Patients receiving care at the Transplant Center benefit from WMCHealth’s status as the sole academic medical center in the region. Our partnership with New York Medical College enables our patients to have early access to the latest medical research and exciting breakthroughs in new treatment options and technologies.
What to Expect
As a first step, our team of transplant experts perform a comprehensive evaluation to determine the patient’s eligibility to undergo transplant. We review the patient’s medical history and determine what tests are necessary to evaluate the patient. The evaluation may include testing such as stress tests, echocardiograms, imaging and cancer screenings.
Waiting for a Transplant
After the evaluation process is completed, patients and their doctors are immediately notified about whether or not they qualify to be placed on the national waiting list for a donated organ. We know that waiting for news like this can be difficult. We provide information as quickly and accurately as possible to our patients and their caregivers.
Depending on the patient’s situation, the transplant coordinator may explore the potential for finding a living donor match in the patient’s community, usually from a close friend or family member, or even an altruistic donor. With living donor transplants, waiting times are generally shorter, and the chances for success are often higher. The gift of an organ donation is the most incredible gift any person can receive, and we can help make that happen.
Because health conditions can change over time, our team will follow the patient carefully between the time of listing until transplant. We partner with our patients to ensure they remain eligible to accept an organ.
If you are interested in becoming a donor or want to learn more about the donation process, please visit these websites: LiveOnNY.org, DonateLife.net, or UNOS.org. You can also call 914-493-1990 or fill out this form.
Transplant Surgery and Recovery
When you have a transplant at Westchester Medical Center, you are not only trusting a team of world-renowned surgeons with your care. You are being treated by a whole team of professionals who have extensive experience in transplantation.
During the procedure, you will be under general anesthesia for a few hours. Post-surgery, initial recovery occurs at the transplant hospital. Post-transplant care may include rehabilitation care, follow-ups with specialists, and careful monitoring by the transplant team.
Once you leave the hospital, healing continues at home. But that doesn’t mean your care at WMCHealth ends. Our team of experts are with you throughout the recovery process and beyond. We can also provide resources and information about support groups so you can connect with others who share a similar journey.
Transplant Outreach and Support Center at WMCHealth
Supporting Transplant Patients and Families Every Step of the Way
Undergoing a transplant can be an overwhelming experience for patients and their loved ones. Transplant surgery requires a lifelong commitment to working closely with the transplant team. At Westchester Medical Center, we believe in taking care of the whole patient, including their clinical, psychosocial, and sometimes logistical needs.
Transplant Outreach and Support Services at WMCHealth
In 2024, the Transplant Program established the Transplant Outreach and Support Center (TOSC) to address the needs of our patients and their families, as well the healthcare professionals involved in their care. The various support services available through the TOSC include:
Get Me to Westchester Medical Center Transplant
As the only comprehensive Transplant Program located between Westchester County and Rochester NY, patients come to our Center for transplant services from all over New York State, southwestern Connecticut and northern New Jersey. For some patients, transportation can sometimes pose a barrier to obtaining care. Our goal is to minimize the challenges associated with traveling to our Center. In collaboration with reputable livery companies, we offer transportation to and from our center as well as gasoline subsidies. For more information, please contact us at 914.493.1990 to find out if you qualify.
Rehab Without Walls
In collaboration with our Addiction Service, we developed the Rehab Without Walls Program, a multidisciplinary approach designed to address the growing epidemic of alcohol and substance use disorder (AUD & SUD) in the transplant population. Our highly qualified staff have considerable experience in treating AUD and SUD in patients undergoing transplant. Run by a Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), our program does not rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. Each treatment plan is tailored to the needs of our patients, utilizing talk therapy, medication-assisted treatment, case management services, inpatient and outpatient treatment, as well as other evidence-based interventions. For more information, please contact us at 914.493.1990.
Transplant Telemedicine Program
We recognize that multiple visits with your Transplant Team can be challenging, especially for patients who live far away from our Center. If you are a clinically stable patient, you may qualify for our Telemedicine program. Visits with your providers can take place from the privacy of your home, using a HIPAA secure platform. To find out more, please contact us at 914.493.1990.
Transplant Buddy Program
Open to all WMC transplant candidates, recipients, living donors and care partners, this program is designed to match participants with mentors who provide support, education and help navigating the transplant process. Depending upon the needs of the transplant mentee, the transplant buddy relationship can be as brief as a single meeting or it can last a lifetime. Our program is flexible and is designed to focus on the individual needs of the mentee. If you are interested in becoming a mentee or a mentor, please contact us via email at [email protected].
Kidney Transplant Educational Seminars
Learn about kidney transplantation. Various members of the team, including nurse coordinators, social workers, nutritionists, and financial counselors, as well as surgeons and transplant nephrologists, provide information about the process and what to expect. Hear from transplant recipients and living donors about their experiences. Educational seminars are conducted several times throughout the year via an online platform. All potential and listed patients are welcome to attend. Attendees are encouraged to interact with the team and ask questions. For more information, please contact us via email at [email protected].
Transplant Speakers Bureau
Like many areas of medicine, best practices in transplant are continuously evolving. Our staff of transplant professionals are some of the brightest and most well-trained professionals in the field. We are committed to providing community clinicians with the most up-to-date information about end-stage organ disease and transplantation. If you are interested in inviting a speaker from any of our three transplant programs (heart, liver, or kidney) or participating in our continuing medical education (CME) offerings, please contact our Transplant Outreach Department via email: [email protected].
Support Groups
Each of our programs in heart, kidney and liver transplant sponsor regularly scheduled support groups which provide a forum for discussing issues of mutual concern as well as ongoing education regarding healthy lifestyle pre- and post-transplant. In addition to general support groups, we offer specialized groups for transplant patients suffering from alcohol and/or substance use disorder. For more information, please contact our Transplant Outreach Department via email: [email protected].
Call 914-493-1990 for more information.
How Transplants Change Lives
The Transplant Center at WMCHealth is where people come for a second chance at life. And many of those people pay it forward.