Welcome to the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery of
Westchester Medical Center. Our division provides highly specialized care in
the fields of Trauma Surgery, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency General
Surgery as part of a Level I Trauma Center and a quaternary academic hospital
that serves a large catchment area including the entire Hudson Valley. The
mission of the Department is three fold:
1) to provide evidence-based cutting edge patient-centered
clinical care
2) to teach the next generations of surgeons, physicians,
and nurses, and
3) to provide leadership and innovation in the form of ground-breaking
research.
We invite you to explore the services provided by our
Division as well as our expert faculty.
Westchester Medical Center is home to the Joel A. Halpern Trauma Center, a Level I Trauma Center which cares for the most severely injured patients and has the capability to perform open heart surgery, complex emergency neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery, reattach severed limbs, and to care for burn victims, victims with multiple life-threatening internal injuries, pregnant women and children, among others.
As a top-level trauma center, we are at the core of the regional trauma system and are unique from other hospitals due to our immediate on-site availability of specialized surgeons, anesthesiologists, orthopaedists, neurosurgeons and other specialty physicians and nurses. We provide and sophisticated resuscitation and life support equipment 24 hours per day.
As the lead hospital in the Hudson Valley Regional Trauma System, Westchester Medical Center provides leadership and total care for every aspect of injury, from prevention to rehabilitation. Our trauma research is presented at national symposia, and is used as a benchmark for training the region's lifesaving personnel, including local EMTs, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency staff from community hospitals. In fact, our research was used by the U.S. government in the creation of a national program for regional trauma systems throughout the U.S.
News
As Trauma Cases Reach Record Levels, Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital Receive Level I Trauma Center Reverification for Adults and Children
Westchester Medical Center Elevates Kartik Prabhakaran, MD, to Chief, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Trauma
Westchester Medical Center is home to the Joel A. Halpern Trauma Center, a Level I Trauma Center which cares for the most severely injured patients in the region, and has the capability to perform complex emergency neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery, reattach severed limbs and perform open heart surgery. Expert trauma surgeons are immediately available on-site 24 hours per day, and work in close coordination with Orthopaedists, Neurosurgeons, Radiologists, Anesthesiologists and other specialty physicians and nurses to care for the most complex of trauma patients including pregnant women, the elderly, and children. With world-renowned experts and state-of the art technology our trauma center provides sophisticated comprehensive and technologically advanced resuscitation and life support to the most critically ill trauma patients. This is complemented with a robust support system and resources for families and caregivers throughout the institution. As the most advanced and core hospital in the Hudson Valley Regional Trauma System, Westchester Medical Center provides a comprehensive approach to trauma, from prevention to rehabilitation. As part of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, our Level I trauma center works in partnership with MidHudson Regional Hospital which serves as the Network’s Level II Trauma Center. Both trauma centers are independently verified by the American College of Surgeons but share a rich faculty, clinical and administrative collaboration as part of a larger trauma system. This collaboration is enhanced by the use of telemedicine which instantaneously connects providers across the network’s hospitals in providing evaluation, referral and interventions in real time, taking advantage of the latest technological advances.
Surgical Critical Care
With both a state-of-the art Trauma Intensive Care Unit and a Surgical Intensive Care Unit, the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Division provides critical care to highly complex surgical patients across a wide variety of disciplines including solid organ transplantation, colorectal surgery, vascular surgery, thoracic surgery, surgical oncology, general surgery, and bariatric surgery. Board-certified intensivists from a variety of disciplines including Trauma Surgery, Anesthesiology, Burns, and Pulmonary Critical Care provide around-the-clock care to critically ill patients in partnership with highly skilled nursing staff, respiratory therapy, nutritionists, pharmacists, physical therapists and social workers. In addition, the Division’s critical care efforts work in tandem with the telemedicine critical care unit of Westchester Medical Center which provides 24 hour remote access telemedicine support to all intensive care unit beds across the network’s hospitals. Westchester Medical Center sponsors an ACGME accredited fellowship training program in Surgical Critical Care training four fellows per year.
Emergency General Surgery
The Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery performs a wide range of elective general surgical procedures scheduled through our outpatient offices including complex abdominal wall reconstruction, hernia repairs, cholecystectomies, colon resections and more. In addition, the highly skilled trauma and general surgeons provide on-site evaluation and emergent surgery for complex emergent general surgical problems. The Division serves as a referral center for hospitals throughout the Hudson Valley for the transfer, surgery, and post-operative care of the most complex general surgical cases.
Injury Prevention Program
In addition to the treatment of trauma patients, The Joel A. Halpern Trauma Center at Westchester Medical Center has made a commitment to preventing injury in the communities that we serve. With appropriate interventions, most unintentional injuries can be prevented. Please use these resources to help you and those you love stay safe.
ATV/4-Wheeler Safety
Bicycle Safety
Child Safety Locks and Gates
Child Safety Seats
Driving Safety for Teens and Tips for Parents
Fall Prevention for Older Adults
Fire Safety in the Home
Home Safety Checklist
Pedestrian Safety
Sports Injuries (general and concussion), including trampolines
Water and Pool Safety and Hot Water Safety
Westchester Medical Center
Ambulatory Care Pavilion
100 Woods Road
Valhalla, NY 10595
914.493.7000
Surgeydept@wmchealth.org
Goshen
7 Coates Drive
Goshen, NY 10924
845.294.3312 (Office)