Westchester Medical Center tops out $230 million patient pavilion

Westchester Medical Center on Wednesday marked the topping-out of its $230 million ambulatory care pavilion on its Valhalla campus.

The 280,000-square-foot building next to the hospital will feature an advanced imaging center, ambulatory surgery center and heart and vascular institute, along with a 20,000-square-foot expansion of private rooms for the medical center and 75,000 square feet of office space for doctors.

Officials with the medical center celebrated the milestone of what the hospital said is the largest hospital construction project in the county in 40 years. Construction is expected to be completed by 2018.

Michael D. Israel, president and CEO of Westchester Medical Center Health Network said they welcomed the “significant progress that has been made to date on this one-of-a-kind-facility and look forward to the care, innovative technologies and possibilities for the future that will live within its walls.”

The project is financed through up to $340 million in tax-exempt, municipal bonds from the county run Local Development Corp. The LDC, which makes tax-exempt financing available to nonprofits, amended its bylaws last year to allow the Westchester Medical Center project to qualify for the bond financing.

The new facility is expected to generate 180 full-time jobs when complete, in addition to 225 construction jobs, by Westchester Medical Center’s estimates.