Vassar Brothers Medical Center

VASSAR BROTHERS MEDICAL CENTER (VBMC) IS A 349-BED FACILITY THAT HAS SERVED THE NEW YORK'S MID-HUDSON VALLEY SINCE 1887. THE MOST RECENT ADDITION TO THE CAMPUS IS A BEAUTIFUL PATIENT PAVILION, WHICH INCLUDES 263 PRIVATE PATIENT ROOMS, A 30-ROOM INTENSIVE CARE UNIT, 13 SURGICAL SUITES, A CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION SUITE AND A 66-ROOM EMERGENCY AND TRAUMA CENTER. VBMC IS PART OF NUVANCE HEALTH, WHICH IS A SIX-HOSPITAL SYSTEM, ON 7 CAMPUSES, WITH NUMEROUS OUTPATIENT FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE HUDSON VALLEY AND ACROSS WESTERN CONNECTICUT. THE NUVANCE HEALTH SYSTEM GIVES THE COMMUNITY ACCESS TO A VARIETY OF SERVICES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, BARIATRIC SURGERY AND MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS, BLOOD DRAW, CRITICAL CARE, DIABETES EDUCATION, EMERGENCY SERVICES, HEART AND VASCULAR, IMAGING AND RADIOLOGY, INFUSION THERAPY, NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSURGERY, ORTHOPEDIC CARE, PHYSICAL REHABILITATION, PRIMARY CARE, RHEUMATOLOGY, SLEEP DISORDERS, URGENT CARE, WOMEN'S HEALTH, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, CANCER CARE, DENTISTRY, DIGESTIVE HEALTH, ENDOCRINOLOGY, GENETIC COUNSELING, HOME HEALTH CARE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE, KIDNEY DISEASE AND NEPHROLOGY, OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE, PATIENT BLOOD MANAGEMENTS AND BLOODLESS MEDICINE, PEDIATRICS, PODIATRY, PULMONARY CARE, SENIOR CARE AND GERIATRIC MEDICINE, SURGICAL SERVICES, UROLOGY, WOUND CARE AND HYPERBARIC MEDICINE. VBMC HAS ESTABLISHED PRACTICES IN CARDIAC SERVICES, CANCER CARE AND WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S HEALTH SERVICES. AS A REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, VASSAR HOUSES THE AREA'S FIRST AND ONLY CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY CENTER BETWEEN WESTCHESTER AND ALBANY AND THE ONLY LEVEL III NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU) IN THE REGION FOR PREMATURE, UNDERWEIGHT, AND CRITICALLY ILL INFANTS. INNOVATIVE PROCEDURES AND SERVICES HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THE VBMC CAMPUS, INCLUDING ROBOTIC ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY, LIVER AND PANCREATIC SURGERY, INTERVENTIONAL NEURORADIOLOGY, SURGICAL ONCOLOGY AND TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT (TAVR), NEGATING THE NEED TO TRAVEL FOR THIS CARE. VBMC IS A LEVEL II TRAUMA CENTER WITH A TEAM OF DEDICATED, FELLOWSHIP-TRAINED TRAUMA AND CRITICAL CARE SURGEONS. THE HOSPITAL IS ALSO CERTIFIED AS A THROMBECTOMY-CAPABLE STROKE CENTER FROM THE JOINT COMMISSION, PROVIDING QUALITY STROKE CARE. VBMC'S PEDIATRIC UNIT CONTINUES ITS ALLIANCE WITH NEW YORK CHILDREN'S MEDICAL PROVIDERS SERVICES, P.C., AN AFFILIATE OF THE NATIONALLY RANKED HEALTH SYSTEM, CONNECTICUT CHILDREN'S. THE UNIT INCLUDES NINE PRIVATE ROOMS DECORATED IN A HUDSON VALLEY THEME. THROUGH THE ALLIANCE WITH NEW YORK CHILDREN'S MEDICAL PROVIDERS SERVICES, CHILDREN WHO NEED HOSPITALIZATION ARE CARED FOR BY PEDIATRIC HOSPITALISTS WITH YEARS OF SPECIALIZED TRAINING, IN ADDITION TO PEDIATRIC NURSES, RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS AND OTHERS. NEONATOLOGISTS FROM NEW YORK CHILDREN'S MEDICAL PROVIDER SERVICES, P.C., ALSO STAFF THE NICU. VBMC IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING QUALITY SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY AND HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE QUALITY HEALTHCARE THAT IT PROVIDES TO THE REGION. VBMC HAS ALSO BEEN RECOGNIZED AS BEST REGIONAL HOSPITAL FOR EXCELLENCE BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT FOR ITS HIGH PERFORMANCE IN COLON CANCER SURGERY, LUNG CANCER SURGERY, HEART FAILURE TREATMENT, HEART ATTACK, DIABETES TREATMENT, KIDNEY FAILURE TREATMENT, PULMONOLOGY AND LUNG SURGERY, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE, PNEUMONIA, TREATMENT OF LEUKEMIA, LYMPHOMA AND MYELOMA, AND IN STROKE. FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, HEALTHGRADES HAS LISTED VBMC AS AMERICA'S 50 BEST HOSPITALS. IN ADDITION, HEALTHGRADES HAS AWARDED VBMC WITH THE 100 BEST HOSPITALS FOR CARDIAC CARE, CORONARY INTERVENTION EXCELLENCE AWARD, CARDIAC CARE EXCELLENCE AWARD, GASTROINTESTINAL SURGERY EXCELLENCE AWARD, GASTROINTESTINAL CARE AWARD, AMERICA'S 100 BEST HOSPITALS FOR GASTROINTESTINAL SURGERY AWARD AND THE PULMONARY CARE EXCELLENCE AWARD. VBMC HAS BEEN NAMED TOP 5% IN THE NATION FOR CARDIOLOGY SERVICES, AND THE TOP 10% IN THE NATION FOR OVERALL CARDIAC SERVICES, CORONARY INTERVENTIONAL PROCEDURES, AND OVERALL PULMONARY SERVICES. VBMC HAS BEEN ACCREDITED AS A COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY CANCER PROGRAM BY THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS COMMISSION ON CANCER AND ACCREDITED BY THE NATIONAL ACCREDITATION PROGRAM FOR BREAST CENTERS (NAPBC). THE HOSPITAL HAS ALSO EARNED THE GET WITH THE GUIDELINES STROKE GOLD PLUS AWARD FROM THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION, AND THE THROMBECTOMY-CAPABLE STROKE CENTER CERTIFICATION FROM THE JOINT COMMISSION. THE SURGICAL REVIEW CORPORATION HAS DESIGNATED VBMC AS A ROBOTIC CENTER OF EXCELLENCE. VBMC IS A FIVE-STAR RECIPIENT FOR CORONARY INTERVENTIONAL PROCEDURES, TREATMENT OF HEART ATTACK (10 YEARS IN A ROW), TREATMENT OF HEART FAILURE (4 YEARS IN A ROW), AND TREATMENT OF PNEUMONIA (14 YEARS IN A ROW). Every three years, we align health priorities with the areas of greatest identified need and consider where our resources will generate the greatest impact. Our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our community is demonstrated through the activities outlined in our community health improvement plan. VASSAR BROTHERS MEDICAL CENTER identified the following two priorities that align with local health department and NYS Prevention Agenda priorities: * Prevent chronic diseases * Promote well-being and prevent mental and substance use disorders Workgroups developed goals, objectives, strategies, action steps, and success metrics for these priority areas. Below are key highlights showcasing the impact of our strategies in addressing health needs identified in the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and the 2023-2025 CHIP: Vassar Brothers Medical Center launched their Food as Medicine (F.A.M.) programs to connect food insecure patients meeting specific disease criteria such as uncontrolled hypertension with nutrition education, community resources and healthy food at no cost to the patient. After a period of program development, the program was implemented in April 2024 at VBMC. Vassar Brothers Medical Center launched its Community Health Day in 2022, focusing on vaccinations, screenings, and referrals for unhoused and uninsured individuals. Attendance grew from 215 in 2022 to 350 in 2024 as the event expanded to include diabetes education, smoking cessation counseling, fresh produce distribution, and free winter clothing. In 2024, over 200 mammography appointments were scheduled. The Community Care Team (CCT) at Vassar Brothers Medical Center was featured in the Healthcare Association of NYS (HANYS) 2024 publication, Connecting with Communities: Community Health Initiatives Across New York State. The publication recognizes member hospitals and healthcare systems for engaging community stakeholders to help improve the health of their communities. The initiatives described in this publication are directly linked to the priorities of the New York State Prevention Agenda. The Prevention Agenda aims to make New York the healthiest state for people of all ages; serving as a blueprint for local community health improvement. The CCT's High Risk Navigators at Vassar Brothers Medical Center assisted with getting clients newly housed, and made client connections to physical health providers, mental health providers, and substance use providers. In FY24, Nuvance Health CCTs carried a collective caseload of 217 clients. The CCTs helped 49 homeless individuals into housing and facilitated 67 client connections to physical healthcare providers, 70 connections to behavioral healthcare providers, and 75 connections to substance use providers. Thirteen clients were connected to employment services. Since their inception, ED utilization by Nuvance CCT clients has decreased by 79%. Mental Health First Aid classes, a national evidence-based program designed to teach skills for recognizing and responding to signs of mental illness and substance use, have been expanded from Connecticut to include New York hospitals. This training is now available across all hospital communities in both New York and Connecticut, ensuring broader access to this vital resource. Other CHIP activities included transportation assistance, the Get Fit fitness program, Health Related Social Needs screenings, distribution of Narcan and Fentanyl test strips, and diaper distribution programs. Community education sessions that focused on healthy lifestyle behaviors, stroke prevention, cancer screenings and prevention, smoking cessation counseling, chronic disease self-management and stress management were offered throughout the community, often in partnership with community-based organizations, senior centers and schools. Participation in National Drug Take-Back Days across the health system, resulted in the collection of over 1,500 pounds of medication and over 800 pounds of sharps for safe disposal. Over the last year, staff have also contributed time and expertise to many community organizations and task forces throughout the communities.