Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, which is part of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, plans to offer services at the MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie.
MidHudson Regional Hospital, also a member of WMCHealth, has 243 beds and cares for more than 10,000 inpatients annually while performing hundreds of thousands of outpatient procedures each year.
Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital is establishing a pediatric center at the Poughkeepsie hospital that will provide emergency room services as well as inpatient care. Renovation work is underway and the facilities are expected to be fully operational late this summer.
The pediatric emergency room will be separate from the hospital’s regular ER. The dedicated inpatient unit will be staffed by pediatric nurses and others with pediatric training. In addition, a caregiver center will be established to provide support services for patients, siblings, parents and other family members during care.
Michael D. Israel, president and CEO of WMCHealth, said, “We are pleased that we are able to bring the renowned emergency and inpatient care and service of our Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital into the Mid-Hudson region, giving residents more direct and immediate access to the renowned care of the Hudson Valley’s largest health care network.”
Michael Gewitz, executive director and William McCurdy physician-in-chief of Maria Fareri, said, “Every day families come from around the region, and around the world, to seek the care of Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital physicians and our advanced care medical team. Now, we are able to bring this child- and family-friendly care to another part of the Hudson Valley.”
The pediatric facility will allow more children to be treated closer to home for illnesses that are routine as well as those that are life-altering, according to a press release. WMCHealth said that children needing specialized care and procedures will still receive treatment at the main campus in Valhalla.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro called the new facility an important win for the area, adding, “There is a critical need for pediatric care and the simultaneous attention to meeting the needs of family members and loved ones.”
Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla has 136 beds and provides cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, hematology and oncology treatment, organ transplants and other specialized services. It has the area’s only pediatric intensive care unit, level one pediatric trauma and burn care programs and regional neonatal intensive care unit.
