Why Westchester Medical Center Matters to the Hudson Valley

On a Monday afternoon last month, a van carrying seven children from the Legadel School in Chestnut Ridge crashed on the Palisades Interstate Parkway. The children were between five and ten years old. One was critically injured, and the others were treated for their injuries. Thank G-d.

Every one of them was taken to Westchester Medical Center.

There wasn’t really a question about where they would go. WMC is the only Level I trauma center in the Hudson Valley. If you live in Rockland, Orange or Westchester and something truly serious happens, that’s the hospital people depend on.

It’s worth remembering that as a major funding decision affecting WMCHealth continues to sit in Washington.

WMCHealth applied for additional Medicaid reimbursement through the State Directed Payment program. The application was submitted on time and, according to WMCHealth, meets the federal requirements. These payments exist in part to help hospitals like WMC that treat large numbers of Medicaid patients and provide services that the rest of the region simply can’t replace.

CMS still hasn’t decided on New York’s application.

This isn’t just a fight over a random line in a government budget. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars for a hospital system that has to staff an emergency department, maintain a Level I trauma center and provide specialty care for patients from across the entire Hudson Valley.

When this funding and the money is held up month after month, eventually something has to give. Hiring gets harder. Programs get looked at. Departments have to figure out what they can do without. This is a very dangerous position to put a hospital like WMC in.

The other frustrating part is that New York isn’t alone in having sought this funding. Florida, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Ohio had programs approved. New York is still waiting.

Our wonderful Congressman Mike Lawler can help here, as he always is there for all of us and our communities.

Congressman Lawler has been an effective advocate for this region and has built strong relationships in Washington, including with CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. We are asking him to use these relationships and push CMS for a decision that benefits all of us.

Not special treatment. Not a different set of rules for New York.

Just a decision. Just like it was granted in other states.

New York submitted its application on time. CMS should act on it.

Those seven children from Legadel got to Westchester Medical Center when they needed it. Thankfully, the hospital was there for them.

The next family that gets a phone call like that, is going to need Westchester Medical Center for them too. We all do.

Esther W

NY-17 voter