Officials from Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla announced this week that the hospital and its Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital have become Level I trauma centers, the highest level trauma verification for both children and adults from the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons.
Westchester Medical Center is now the second hospital in New York to become a Level I trauma center for both adult and pediatric care, joining Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.
Westchester Medical Center President and CEO Michael D. Israel said the verification is important because it now gives the hospital the ability to treat the most critically ill and injured patients.
“For decades WMC has made a significant commitment to the residents of the Hudson Valley region to provide the highest level emergency and trauma care for children and adults,” Israel said in a statement. “One of the distinguishing criteria for Level I status as regional leaders is an additional commitment to research, outreach and injury prevention.”
Westchester Medical Center employs 7,000 health care professionals, including 1,200 physicians. The 895-bed regional medical network includes an academic medical center and two inpatient behavioral health centers.
According to Israel, more than 2,600 adult and pediatric trauma patients were transported to Westchester Medical Center in 2014.
