Vassar Brothers Medical Center President Commits to Transform Care

From Health Quest:

Vassar Brothers Medical Center is well positioned to invest in its people, programs and facilities in order to deliver exceptional healthcare that meets the highest standards of quality, safety and service.

That was the message of medical center President Ann McMackin during the 11th annual State of the Medical Center Community Breakfast. About 200 business, civic and community members, donors and local residents attended the presentation at The Grandview in the City of Poughkeepsie.

“Vassar’s long history of investing in a core of strong services that are important to this community has resulted in an increase in demand for our people and services,” McMackin said. “In return, we are committed to transforming the way patients and their families experience healthcare in the mid-Hudson Valley.”

The medical center will invest about $466 million to build a pavilion with 264 private patient rooms, an emergency and trauma center with 66 treatment rooms and a surgical department with robotic technology. Opening in January of 2019, the 696,000-square-foot pavilion along the Hudson River will also include a conference center, café and a rooftop helicopter stop.

“This is the future of healthcare in the mid-Hudson Valley — a state-of-the-art medical center that comfortably accommodates patients and offers access to advanced treatments in a healing environment unlike any other hospital in the region,” said Francoise Dunefsky, president of the Vassar Brothers Medical Center Board of Trustees. “We’re excited for the journey ahead.”

The past year has been one of significant clinical program growth for the medical center, enhancing the level of care in the community. For example:

· Vassar became a level 2 trauma center in February. The 24/7 trauma team has treated more than 200 patients in since opening, allowing them to stay close to home.

· Cardiothoracic surgeons now offer transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, a minimally invasive procedure, targeting patients who are too frail for the traditional, more invasive surgery.

· The new Dyson Breast Center offers women a comfortable place to go for their cancer care, with access to fellowship-trained breast surgeons and imaging specialists, as well as 3-D technology, for vital early detection.

· Neurointerventional radiology continues to be a transformational intervention for stroke, with about 300 patients benefiting since February 2015 from this life-saving exclusive service.

McMackin’s presentation hit on Vassar’s growth and economic contributions to the community:

· Patient discharges have grown from 18,890 in 2013 to an anticipated 22,297 by year’s end — an 18 percent increase in that volume.

· Vassar employs more than 2,000 workers, an increase of 241 from last year, and is the largest private employer in the City of Poughkeepsie. Of those, about 700 are nurses.

· This year, Vassar expects net revenues (EBIDA) to grow by 18.6 percent over 2015, after providing $26 million in free care and sponsoring 150 nonprofits.

· The medical center and its employees contribute about $226.5 million to the region’s economic vitality, according to a Marist College Bureau of Economic Research Study.

Vassar is part of Health Quest Systems Inc., the Mid-Hudson Valley’s largest not-for-profit integrated family of hospitals and healthcare providers, including Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel, plus multiple affiliates.

Altogether, Health Quest delivers immediate, compassionate care, using the latest medical technology, to more than 700,000 people in Columbia, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, Putnam and northern Westchester counties.

Photos:

Picture 1: An architect’s rendering of the new Vassar Brothers Medical Center Patient Pavilion. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and the building will open to patient care on Jan. 9, 2019.

Picture 2: The spacious patient rooms in the new pavilion are private and offer enough room for family, who play a vital role in healing.

Picture 3: Ann McMackin, president of Vassar Brothers Medical Center.