Trauma Center

Kartik Prabhakaran, MD Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Associate Director for Clinical Operations, Department of Surgery Westchester Medical Center Vice Chair for Research - Department of Surgery New York Medical College

A Network of Advanced Trauma Care

The Section of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at Westchester Medical Center is nationally recognized for its expertise in trauma, emergency general surgery and surgical critical care. We are the only American College of Surgeons-verified Level-I Trauma Center for adults and children in the entire Hudson Valley.

Through our clinical, educational and research initiatives, our team is dedicated to bringing the best in trauma and surgical care to the Hudson Valley, while also training the next generation of physicians and surgeons, and pioneering innovations and best practices enhancing our ability to treat traumatic injuries and related conditions.

The Integrated Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) Trauma Consortium brings you a network of advanced trauma care:

• Emergency departments covering the entire Hudson Valley with seamless transportation to specialty locations
• The only American College of Surgeons (ACS) verified Level 1 Trauma Center for adults at Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of WMCHealth, and for children at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, and only burn program in the Hudson Valley, in Valhalla, NY. (Learn more about the Burn Center.)
• ACS verified Level 2 Trauma Center at MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY.
• Provisional Level 3 Adult Trauma Center at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, NY.
• Provisional Level 3 Adult Trauma Center at HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston, NY.

If injured, call 911 immediately and go to the nearest emergency room.

Level 1 Trauma Center - What to Expect

At Westchester Medical Center, we provide advanced care for the most severely injured patients in addition to minor injuries through our 24/7 on-site and available multidisciplinary and renowned surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, and other sub-specialty physicians, nurses and advanced healthcare personnel. As a tertiary and quaternary care hospital, Westchester Medical Center is a referral destination for other hospitals in the Hudson Valley’s more than 2.4 million residents. At our Trauma Center alone, we care for over 5,000 of the Hudson Valley’s most severely injured patients annually.

Westchester Medical Center is home to an advanced emergency department with expertise across an extensive spectrum of medical and surgical subspecialties, including complex emergency general surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, vascular and cardiothoracic surgery, plastic surgery, otolaryngology and a multitude of other specialties, with several intensive care units.

We provide complete care for every phase of an injury, from surgical interventions to treatment and rehabilitation. We also place a heavy emphasis on injury prevention in children, adults, and people who are aging or otherwise vulnerable.

Our priority is stabilizing a critically ill or injured patient and providing them with the required high-level medical care, promoting a healing environment and the best recovery possible. Our Level 1 trauma center offers:

• Advanced diagnostics
• Interventional treatments
• Intensive care
• Step-down care
• Rehabilitation
  
• Outpatient and interdisciplinary support services

Westchester Medical Center is a proud member of the Trauma Survivors Network. As a TSN facility, we are able to provide better trauma care and support for patients and families. Learn more about the Trauma Survivors Network.

In addition to helping those with injuries, we support our communities through an Injury Prevention Program. These efforts are highlighted by safety events for children/adults/families, dissemination of research and education through a variety of media, elderly fall prevention programs, Stop the Bleed classes and consistently high-performance ratings by national benchmarking and accrediting agencies.

Our trauma research and education have led to presentations at national conferences and symposia as well as published research in peer-reviewed journals that train the region's EMS providers, firefighters, police officers, and emergency staff from community hospitals.

WMCHealth Trauma guidelines

Emergency General Surgery

Our Westchester-based trauma and acute care surgery team perform more than 1,000 general surgeries each year. These specialists work in operating rooms equipped with advanced technology that allows for 24/7/365 treatment of acute or chronic conditions through both open and minimally invasive surgical techniques, including robotic surgery. Westchester Medical Center also serves as a leading referral center for community hospitals in and around the Hudson Valley and sees thousands of patients each year who are transferred here with complex surgical and trauma care needs, including but not limited to:

• Gallbladder Disease
• Appendicitis
• Complex abdominal and inguinal hernias
• Intestinal obstruction
• Diverticular Disease
• Peptic Ulcer Disease
• Necrotizing soft tissue infections

For patient referrals to the Westchester-based outpatient practice for evaluation by one of our surgeons, please call 914.909.6416.

Surgical Critical Care

Westchester Medical Center is also known for both an exceptional Trauma Intensive Care Unit (TICU) and Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). We provide critical care across a wide variety of disciplines, including:

• Trauma
• Solid organ transplantation
• Colorectal surgery
• Vascular surgery
• Thoracic surgery
• Surgical oncology
• General surgery
• OB/GYN
• Urology
• Otolaryngology
• Bariatric surgery

All of our physicians are board-certified surgical intensivists, including trauma surgeons and anesthesiologists. They provide around-the-clock multidisciplinary care to critically ill patients in partnership with highly skilled and dedicated nurses, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, pharmacists, physical therapists and social workers. In addition, our critical care team includes Westchester Medical Center’s telemedicine critical care unit, providing 24-hour remote support to all intensive care patients across our network’s hospitals.

Westchester Medical Center sponsors an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), an accredited fellowship training program in surgical critical care, which selects and trains four fellows per year. The program is integrated into high-level quality improvement initiatives at the local, regional and national level. It is actively engaged in the training of medical students, residents and fellows across a variety of disciplines.

Surgery Residency Program

Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program

Injury Prevention and Education (Adult and Pediatric)

Injury prevention and education are priorities for our Network, as well as the communities and patients we serve. Not only are injuries from trauma often life-threatening, they are usually the most preventable. Our Injury Prevention Program is dedicated to addressing and bringing awareness to these issues through outreach, awareness and education.

The topics and initiatives we are advancing throughout the region include:

• Geriatric Fall Prevention
• Stop the Bleed
• Pediatric Car Seat Safety
• Pediatric Bike/Helmet Safety
• ATV/4-Wheeler Safety
• Child Safety Locks and Gates
• 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

We perform safety outreach and education in our region in multiple ways, including specialty events, social media and video training programs, community outreach and clinical research. Additionally, we offer resources to foster and support injury prevention education and programs at our Regional Trauma Advisory Committee (RTAC), which we chair.

People that experience a severe injury can suffer both short- and long-term effects, including the cost of lost productivity and medical care. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, injury education is one of the greatest measures an institution can undertake in order to keep communities safe and injury-free. 

For more information on WMCHealth’s Injury Prevention Program, contact marc.musicus@wmchealth.org.

EMS Initiatives

In conjunction with the Trauma Center, Westchester Medical Center’s Emergency Department is an educational hub for the region’s EMS agencies and providers. Advanced life support, basic life support, and critical care providers are afforded a multitude of educational experiences through our clinical staff, ensuring a high-level pre- and in-hospital patient experience and working collaboratively with our Emergency Department staff.

WMCHealth’s key EMS initiatives:

• Bi-Monthly EMS+Trauma Newsletter
• Continuing medical education, including monthly programs, advanced airway management and mass casualty incident drills
• The Annual Roadside to Bedside Trauma Symposium(s)
• Quarterly EMS Educational Symposia (pediatrics, burn, neurosurgery and other specialties)
• Quality assurance/quality improvement patient data and performance improvement facilitation
• Monthly case review call audits in association with Westchester County
• Annual EMS Week event
• Regional EMS events and sponsorships
• Twiage facilitation
• State and regional educational awareness

Fellowship

Learn about our ACGME accredited Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program.

Read the Latest Trauma + EMS Newsletters

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | May 2024

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | May 2024

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | December 2023

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | September 2023

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | July 2023

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | April 2023

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | February 2023

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | November 2022

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | July 2022

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | May 2022

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | March 2022

Trauma + EMS CME Schedule | 2022

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | January 2022

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | December 2021

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | November 2021

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | October 2021

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | September 2021

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | August 2021

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | July 2021

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | June 2021

Trauma + EMS Newsletter | May 2021

A Network of Advanced Trauma Care

Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) brings you a network of advanced trauma care. Learn more about our locations throughout the Hudson Valley.

If injured, call 911 immediately or go to the nearest emergency room.

Our Locations 

Westchester Medical Center - Valhalla

Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), is home to the only American College of Surgeons (ACS) verified Level 1 Trauma Center and only Burn Program in the Hudson Valley. Trauma surgeons at WMC care for the most severely injured patients and have the capability to perform various complex emergency surgeries, open heart surgeries, limb reattachments, advanced orthopaedic procedures, neurosurgery, and care for patients with multiple life threatening injuries, including severe burn victims and children with severe traumatic injuries.

Maria Fareri Children's Hospital - Valhalla (Visit Website)

Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital is home to the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center from Manhattan to Syracuse to New Haven, CT, as well as a comprehensive Burn Care Program and Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Additionally, the hospital provides the area's only dedicated Pediatric Intensive Care Unit with specially trained pediatric neurologists and physicians providing care for emergent conditions such as pediatric stroke, seizures, brain injury, and other critical conditions requiring immediate medical attention.

The Orthopaedic Surgeons at Maria Fareri have specialized training to care for all pediatric traumatic orthopaedic injuries.

Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital believes in the continuing care of the trauma patient and their families after discharge. We have joined the American Trauma Society’s Trauma Survivors Network to provide our patients and families with access to resources that meet the psychosocial needs of patients and their families.

Good Samaritan Hospital - Suffern (Visit Website)

Good Samaritan Hospital is a Provisional Level III Trauma Center serving the communities of Rockland, Orange and Bergen Counties with advanced trauma care and direct ties to Westchester Medical Center, a regional center that offers the highest level of trauma services available. Our hospital is also home to the region's only dedicated Obstetrics Emergency Department.

MidHudson Regional Hospital - Poughkeepsie (Visit Website)

MidHudson Regional Hospital is home to the MidHudson Valley’s first Level II Trauma Center. The Emergency and Trauma Department provides complex, multidisciplinary emergency care 24 hours a day to adult and pediatric patients. As a Level ll Trauma Center, we are staffed with trauma surgeons and critical-care specialists and are equipped with a full array of advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies. The Emergency Department at MidHudson Regional Hospital features dedicated trauma bays, CT technology and real-time digital radiography enabling physicians to quickly view and interpret CT scans, MRI results, sonograms and reports.

HealthAlliance Hospital - Kingston (Visit Website)

HealthAlliance Hospital has received trauma designation as a provisional Level III Adult Trauma Center, offers advanced emergency care and is a state-designated Primary Stroke Center.

The below locations offer transfer services to Westchester Medical Center, the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, as well as to Good Samaritan Hospital, which is home to the region's only dedicated Obstetrics Emergency Department.

St. Anthony Community Hospital - Warwick

Bon Secours Community Hospital - Port Jervis