VALHALLA, N.Y. (July 24, 2024) – Today, New York State Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, along with state and local elected officials, key community influencers, and Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) leadership, gathered to commemorate the start of construction for the Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center.
The Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center, a $220 million project, will span 162,000 square feet and rise five stories when complete. Adjacent to Westchester Medical Center’s main tower, the Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center will house 128 private, state-of-the-art patient rooms—all equipped with the latest and most advanced medical technologies for intensive care.
Importantly, the Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center will facilitate the conversion of Westchester Medical Center’s entire inpatient service to all-private rooms, enhancing patient privacy and comfort.
Aptly named the “Tower to Heal,” the Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center is a significant milestone in the advancement of critical care services.
“Advanced care is Westchester Medical Center’s bedrock service and as we break ground on the Critical Care Tower, we reaffirm Westchester Medical Center’s enduring legacy as the region’s unquestioned leader in advanced care,” said Michael D. Israel, President and Chief Executive Officer, WMCHealth. “This project is not just about bricks and mortar; it’s about our unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of our community. The Critical Care Tower will stand as a testament to our continued leadership, providing ultramodern facilities for critical care that will impact lives for years to come.”
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| Today, New York State Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, along with state and local elected officials, key community influencers, and WMCHealth leadership, gathered to commemorate the start of construction for the Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center. |
Community Support for Vital Project
“Westchester Medical Center is a leader for medical research and top-quality healthcare in New York, and this Critical Care Tower project will help ensure that the healthcare needs of residents in Westchester and beyond can be met,” said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “This groundbreaking means that Westchester Medical Center is improving care for patients and utilizing the latest technology to ensure the best possible outcomes. I’m a proud supporter of this project and thank the tremendous team at WMC for their work making this healthcare system one of the crown jewels of the Hudson Valley.”
“The groundbreaking of the Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center marks a pivotal moment in expanding advanced critical care services in the Hudson Valley,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “The Critical Care Tower will give Hudson Valley residents access to advanced specialty services, providing them with the finest medical care in the new state-of-the-art facility. Westchester Medical Center continues to lead in advanced care, and with today’s groundbreaking, it will continue to provide patients with critical care for years to come.”
“I’m honored to congratulate President Michael Israel and all the incredible staff at Westchester Medical Center on the groundbreaking of this new project that will greatly enhance WMC Health’s ability to meet the needs of Hudson Valley families,” said U.S. Congressman Mike Lawler. “The Critical Care Tower will be home to the only Level I trauma center in the Hudson Valley region and will enable all patient rooms on the Westchester Medical Center campus to become 100% private – a substantial improvement from the current situation, in which 70% of patient rooms are semi-private. Moreover, it will meet a wide variety of needs, such as providing surge capacity and increasing pandemic readiness as well as improving maternal and infant care, providing quality care to all, regardless of ability to pay. The significance of this project cannot be understated, and it will go a long, long way to serve so many Hudson Valley families. I look forward to monitoring this undertaking and continuing to partner with Westchester Medical to meet the needs of our community.”
“Every New Yorker deserves access to high-quality medical care,” said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. “Westchester Medical Center’s new critical care tower will help New Yorkers throughout the region access they care they need to lead healthy, successful lives.”
“As the sole Level I trauma center in the Hudson Valley, Westchester Medical Center provides critical care to millions of New Yorkers," said New York State Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. "I was proud to join Westchester Medical Center at today's groundbreaking, which is a significant step in expanding lifesaving care for Hudson Valley residents who are too often forced to travel far from home to receive treatment."
“New York State congratulates Westchester Medical Center and its leadership on this important milestone for healthcare for the region,” said DASNY President and CEO Robert J. Rodriguez. “This new critical care center will enable the Medical Center to continue to meet patients’ ever-evolving needs and to serve as a lifeline for millions of New Yorkers from throughout the Hudson Valley.”
“The new Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center will build on the advanced medical care that the Westchester Medical Center is known for, said New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. It will also create jobs and stimulate economic growth in our region. It is important that Westchester Medical Center continues its mission of setting new standards in advanced, compassionate healthcare for all.”
"This project is such a big win for Westchester residents,” said New York State Assembly Health Chair Amy Paulin. "There are a number of reasons why we need to move to the single room model. Chief among these are infection risk, patient satisfaction, and privacy. This is, after all, about so much more than convenience and personal preference. For patients, it’s about dignity and respect at a low point in their lives. It’s about families and their ability to be present in a comfortable setting. At this new tower, wounds will be healed, medical knowledge will be advanced, and lives will be rebuilt.”
“We are proud to stand with our colleagues at Westchester Medical Center to cut the ribbon on a project that ultimately, will save lives in Westchester,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “We all saw what happened in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and realized that having the ability to surge in capacity at a moment’s notice was critical. The County was able to assist in the financing of WMCHealth’s Critical Care Tower with tax-exempt bonds through our Industrial Development Agency, and it is our hope that this new facility will provide the highest quality critical care to the patients that need it.”
Maintaining a Leadership Position in Advanced Care
Westchester Medical Center, a regional academic medical center, plays a crucial role for individuals facing acute illness or injury, as well as for other hospitals across New York State. These hospitals transfer their most complex cases to Westchester Medical Center for advanced care.
In fact, Westchester Medical Center handles over 1,000 critical care patient admissions each month. As the demand for Westchester Medical Center’s highly specialized services continues to grow, the need for the Critical Care Tower becomes clear.
The Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center will house several notable services, including advanced cardiac, neuroscience, oncology, and surgical specialty care. Additionally, Westchester Medical Center serves as the region’s Level I trauma center, and all trauma intensive care services will relocate to the Critical Care Tower.
Furthermore, the construction of the Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center will allow other WMCHealth services to expand. For instance, pediatric emergency medicine at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and Westchester Medical Center’s women’s health services will benefit from this development.
Anticipated to be completed in 2026, the Critical Care Tower is the second major structural and service addition to Westchester Medical Center in less than a decade. This follows the successful completion of the eight-story, $230 million Ambulatory Care Pavilion in 2019.
Construction Costs and Community Benefits
The Westchester County Local Development Corporation estimated that Westchester County will receive more than $3.5 million in total economic benefits from the creation of the Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center, and the project is also estimated to create more than 770 construction jobs and 127 new full-time jobs.
“The Critical Care Tower at Westchester Medical Center represents an investment in the future of Westchester Medical Center. More importantly, it signifies an investment in the health of our neighbors here in the Hudson Valley,” said Zubeen Shroff, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Westchester County Health Care Corporation. “As a leader in advanced care for decades, WMCHealth and Westchester Medical Center will continue to pave the way for sophisticated and compassionate healthcare in the Hudson Valley. This state-of-the-art facility will empower us to continue in our mission to provide the most complex and advanced treatments to all who seek our services, regardless of their ability to pay.”
Additional Comments
New York State Senator Shelley B. Mayer: “I am pleased to join Westchester Medical Center for the groundbreaking of the WMCHealth Critical Care Tower, the construction of which will expand WMC’s ability to care for patients in significant ways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw firsthand how important it is for healthcare facilities to have the space and the staff to care for a sudden influx of patients, and the Critical Care Tower will enhance Westchester Medical Center’s preparedness for this kind of need. We are so fortunate to have teams of incredible, dedicated medical professionals here in Westchester, and this new addition will continue to push WMC ahead in innovation while ensuring we have top-of-the-field healthcare providers with appropriate support. Thank you to WMCHealth for your continued commitment to our community.”
New York State Assemblymember Dana Levenberg: "This major expansion of the critical care capacities of the only Level I trauma center in the Hudson Valley is a welcome development on so many levels. Once complete, it will enable Westchester Medical Center to better serve the region's communities in a variety of ways, from increasing intensive care capabilities to enlarging hospital capacity and enabling greater patient privacy. We are fortunate to have entities like the WMCHealth Foundation and the Westchester IDA working hard to make this project possible."
New York State Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky: “Westchester Medical Center’s Critical Care Tower will significantly expand the Hudson Valley’s capacity for pandemic readiness, equity in maternal and infant care, trauma care, organ transplants, and other high-level medical services. It will also bring over 700 construction and 127 permanent jobs – high paying, middle class jobs – to the heart of the 92nd Assembly District. Thank you, Westchester Medical Center, for bringing this project to our community.”
Westchester County Board of Legislators Chair Vedat Gashi: "Once again, Westchester Medical Center leads the charge in transformative healthcare with the introduction of the Critical Care Tower. This addition will help to deliver essential services to residents of Westchester County and the Hudson Valley." We are proud to host a world-class medical center, that serves as a beacon of healthcare excellence, here in Westchester County."
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with nine hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 12,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I (adult and pediatric), Level II and Level III trauma centers, the region’s only acute care children’s hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth.