Tony Alfano, vice president and executive director
16 Guion Place, New Rochelle
914-632-5000
What was your path to becoming an executive director of a hospital?
“Prior to joining Montefiore, I worked as a senior administrator for several New York City hospitals, like New York-Presbyterian”™s Downtown Hospital, Brooklyn Hospital Center and St. Vincent”™s Catholic Medical Center in Greenwich Village. I also held corporate positions at large organizations like Pfizer, Mobil and was vice president of labor relations at Cablevision, overseeing Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall. I joined Montefiore New Rochelle in 2013, right after Montefiore acquired what was then called Sound Shore Health System. With Montefiore”™s vision of ensuring that health care be easy to access and tailored to the needs of the community and mission of retaining the majority of employees, I made it my responsibility to support my employees with an eye to the future. Shortly after joining as (vice president and executive director), we began the journey of Montefiore New Rochelle”™s physical makeover and expansion of services like renovations to the emergency department, ambulatory care and the radiology department. In October of last year, we unveiled a comprehensive $44.3 million campus project, funded in full by the Capital Restructuring Financing Program (CRFP) awarded by New York state, to ensure the very best, state-of-the-art care is provided to New Rochelle and its surrounding communities ”” both within the hospital and outside of our doors.”
What makes Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital distinctive?
“Montefiore was founded by philanthropic leaders of New York”™s Jewish community in 1884 to care for chronically ill people other hospitals of the era would not help. As part of Montefiore Health System, we stay true to our roots. Our hospital doesn”™t just focus on treatment; we”™re hyper focused on preventive care, with the mindset of keeping people out of the hospital. Studies have shown that patients fare better and it”™s more cost-effective, if symptoms ”” especially for chronic health conditions like diabetes, COPD or congestive heart failure ”” are addressed in outpatient settings. I believe this approach to ”˜population health”™ makes us unique in the region. What else makes us unique is that Montefiore is home to Albert Einstein College of Medicine (in the Bronx), which ranks among the nation”™s top medical schools and is a research powerhouse. With Einstein, we”™re ensuring the latest care innovations are delivered to people throughout the Bronx and Westchester. This expertise also supports our integrated health-care network of nursing homes and senior-care facilities. Lastly, Montefiore New Rochelle (MNR) is the primary source of care for the city of New Rochelle. We proudly partner with the city of New Rochelle for initiatives such as the HOPE Community Services Homeless Program. Sponsoring this initiative allows access to food and shelter 24/7. Collaborating with New Rochelle Parks & Recreation Department on the Sunscreen Program ensures that children and adults visiting beaches, parks and fields have access to free sunscreen from May through September. And through our partnership with the New Rochelle Board of Education and the New Rochelle High School”™s Project SEARCH Program, we”™re preparing students for competitive employment through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on training with the hospital. What makes Montefiore New Rochelle and the above programs that much more special is that about 40% of our associates live in the community. So, we”™re not just partners in care; we live here and are collaborating to enhance the overall health and well-being of the region.”
What are its specialties?
“As one of the busiest emergency departments in lower Westchester County, we”™re quite proud of our emergency and trauma care. We also specialize in OB/GYN and women”™s health, behavioral health care, primary-pediatric and adult care, orthopedics, podiatry, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology and rheumatology services. With our new renovations, we have significantly expanded our primary- and specialty-care capacity and our emergency and radiology services to meet the diverse needs of New Rochelle residents and people in surrounding communities.”
Increasingly, hospitals are becoming part of health-care systems. What are the advantages of such networks?
“Being a part of Montefiore Health System enables us to provide the highest-quality, cutting-edge care available, including access to some of the country”™s top physician-researchers. Whether it be through our technology or clinical trials, we”™re delivering science-driven, patient-centered care and raising the bar for expectations surrounding health-care expertise and services throughout Westchester. Now, each day, more Westchester residents are accessing clinical trials led by Montefiore. Montefiore and Einstein”™s renowned physician scientists, who are also embedded in our local hospital-care teams, advise on treatments and care for patients who may have more complex or rare conditions. This also includes the Montefiore School of Nursing being directly affiliated with MNR. We”™re training the nurses of tomorrow who do clinical rotations at both MNR and in the Bronx. Lastly, we”™ve injected millions into Westchester community organizations to address the most pressing public health issues facing the county, such as substance use disorder, homelessness and obesity.
What do you see in the future for Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital?
“As the primary health-care provider in New Rochelle, Montefiore will continue to evolve with the needs of the community, including how care is delivered. With the growth of telemedicine and our outpatient clinical care teams, we”™re able to best meet patients wherever they are and identify the care and treatment plans most tailored to their needs. The future is infinite with possibilities.”
For more, visit montefiorehealthsystem.org/NewRochelle.
