Critical Care Unit
The modern, high-tech critical care environment at Phelps includes an 12-private-room Critical Care Unit and a 20-bed Intermediate Care Telemetry Unit, all staffed by specially trained nurses.
Critical Care Unit Continues Tradition
Named for Beloved Physician — Unit is Family and Patient Centered
The Arnold Salop, MD Critical Care Unit at Phelps Memorial Hospital Center opened in December 2003, adding tremendously to the hospital's treatment options and continuing the legacy of its namesake.
The unit is in keeping with Phelps' long-standing history of addressing the needs of critically ill patients and their families. Costing nearly $2 million, it consists of 12 private rooms and a state-of-the-art nurses' monitoring station.
Computer Access: Each room is equipped with a private bathroom, phone jack, and computer accessibility. Special beds help to prevent skin disorders and pulmonary complications, two ailments that often occur in patients who are critically ill. The physicians' consultation area provides a private meeting area for doctors and family members. In addition to a family waiting area, the unit also has two sleeping chaises, so a family member can rest at a patient's bedside if necessary.
"Patient care remains our primary concern, and we have spared no expense on the medical hardware. At the same time, we recognize the important role that family members play in the healing process," said Keith Safian, President and CEO of the 235-bed Community Hospital. "That is why we committed substantial resources to ensure that both patients and their loved ones feel welcomed and comfortable.
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| A private bathroom |
and the latest technology in each room. |
Critical Care a Phelps Tradition — Dr. Salop's Indelible Mark
In 1964 Phelps opened its Intensive Care Unit, one of the first in Westchester County. Four years later, the Cardiac Care Unit was activated. The opening of these units was part of a national trend in medicine, which recognized that critically ill patients could not be adequately cared for in the normal acute care hospital room. Instead, these patients required the immediate availability of highly skilled nurses serving under the continuous supervision of physicians, as well as a variety of complicated and costly life-support services and equipment.
In the late 60s and early 70s, Dr. Arnold Salop, who joined the Phelps medical staff in 1963, saw the pressing need for a modern critical care facility and took steps to create a unit. As the committee chairman, he was instrumental in the unit's design, fund raising efforts and all other aspects of making the unit come to fruition.
During his nearly 40-year association with Phelps, Dr. Salop, who passed away in 2000, left an indelible mark on many phases of the hospital's development. He wrote Phelps' first Formulary, was one of the first physicians appointed the Board of Directors, led the Board's Development Committee, and co-chaired the Capital Campaign. Dr. Salop headed the Cardiovascular Laboratory and served as Director of Medicine, Director of Medical Affairs and President of the Medical Staff of the Hospital.
Although a number of Phelps' departments benefited from Dr. Salop's expertise, his concern for the Critical Care Unit remained steadfast. "Dr. Salop's interest in Critical Care never waned," recalls Keith Safian, President & CEO. "He made sure that the unit's nursing staff received continuing education and that the unit's equipment remained state-of-the-art. When the time came, he pushed for an entirely new unit."
Ossining Resident
Takes up call to Build Unit — Helps Raise more than $800,000
David Swope, a lifelong resident of Ossining, whose family has been associated with Phelps since its beginning in the 1950s, chaired the funding effort for the Critical Care Unit. "Arnie was associated with the hospital for nearly forty years - virtually since its inception," said Swope, who joined the Phelps Board in early 1999. "It seems fitting that his many contributions to Phelps be acknowledged by rebuilding the Critical Care Unit in his honor."
Swope initiated the CCU effort by making a leadership gift and identifying an anonymous donor to match community contributions, which totaled more than $800,000. "Serving on the Board allowed me to realize that a community hospital derives its strength from community support," he said. "That support is even more crucial now, because government and insurance reimbursements continue to decline."
Although Salop did not live to see the completion of the unit, his legacy lives on. When the history of Phelps is written, Dr. Salop will be in nearly every chapter. He was associated with the hospital virtually since its inception, making pioneering contributions at every step of the way.