SUFFERN, N.Y. (May 10, 2022) – Residents of Rockland, Orange and Bergen counties now have a new and convenient local option for trauma services, one with direct ties to a regional center that offers the highest level of trauma services available.
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) recently designated Good Samaritan Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), as a Level III Adult Trauma Center. In its trauma designation declaration, the NYSDOH commended Good Samaritan Hospital for "meeting nationally recognized standards in providing care to critically injured patients and in having a continuous process in place for monitoring and improving that care."
The trauma services team at Good Samaritan Hospital is comprised of board-certified surgeons and emergency medicine physicians that work in tandem with specialists from a range of clinical specialties, such as orthopedics, vascular, thoracic and neurosurgery.
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| The New York State Department of Health designated Good Samaritan Hospital as a Level III Adult Trauma Center. |
"This Level III Adult Trauma designation is the culmination of years of work on the part of our colleagues at Good Samaritan Hospital, with the support of our WMCHealth Network," said Frank Aversano, Jr., MD, Medical Director of Good Samaritan Hospital's Level III Adult Trauma Center. "We anticipate that demand for trauma services in our area will continue to grow and our multidisciplinary team of emergency medicine experts and on-call specialists expect to care for more than 600 trauma patients annually. This is a critical new lifeline in our community."
A Much-Needed Service with Ties to Advanced Care Centers
Trauma cases in the Hudson Valley region of New York State are on the rise and per the 2020 United States Census Bureau, the population of Rockland County, where Good Samaritan Hospital is located, has increased by eight and a half percent in the last decade. According to Adrienne Wasserman, MD, MPH, Medical Director of Good Samaritan Hospital's Emergency Department, Good Samaritan Hospital is surrounded by outdoor areas popular with sports enthusiasts and high-traffic roadways, Therefore, even more trauma case increases are expected, thus justifying the need for the new service.
"Key differentiators for the Good Samaritan Hospital trauma service are our WMCHealth Network links to the Level I adult and pediatric trauma services at Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital," said Michael Schwartz, MD, Chief of Surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital. "As regional Level I trauma centers, Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital can care for the most complex trauma cases. Our intra-network link to these hospitals affords us the opportunity to consult with our Level I trauma service colleagues on care, plus offer seamless patient transfer to either facility, should the need arise."
Open and Caring for Patients
Good Samaritan Hospital's Level III Adult Trauma Center is currently treating trauma patients as it undergoes a standard service review by the American College of Surgeons. As part of its trauma services, the hospital also offers an Injury Prevention Program co-sponsored by the New York State Chapter of the American Trauma Society.
For more information about Good Samaritan Hospital trauma services and upcoming educational programs on injury prevention, visit Emergency Department (goodsamhosp.org).
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 10 hospitals on eight campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I, Level II, 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, assisted living facilities, homecare services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated healthcare in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow at Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth.
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Press representatives interested in discussing the NYSDOH designation of Good Samaritan Hospital as a Level III Adult Trauma Center or wishing to interview a trauma team member as an expert source can contact us at any time.
* U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts: Rockland County, New York
**Editors' Note: WMCHealth's MidHudson Regional Hospital is also a NYSDOH-designated Level II Trauma Center.