Phelps Celebrates 50th Anniversary, Kicks off 10 million Dollar Capital Campaign
April 10, 2005
Keith F. Safian, President & CEO of Phelps Memorial Hospital Center will host a special 50th Anniversary President’s Reception on May 3, highlighted by the kick-off of the Hospital’s $10 million capital campaign to build a new Emergency Department (ED).
One hundred fifty people are expected to attend the affair at Tappan Hill. “I enjoy hosting an annual event that gives me an opportunity to thank our supporters for their time, enthusiasm, and great generosity,” said Mr. Safian. “This year, we will invite our friends and supporters to make an investment in Phelps’ future and help us achieve our goal of raising $10 million to build the region’s best Emergency Department.”
The fast-paced evening will include a multi-media photo collage depicting the hospital’s past, present, and future; a capital campaign kick-off champagne toast, and the pièce de résistance — a “virtual tour” video of the new emergency department – architectural renderings brought to life.
Phelps Memorial Hospital Center was created 50 years ago when community leaders, including the late John D. Rockefeller, III, merged the Tarrytown and Ossining Hospitals. A challenge grant from the Rockefeller Foundation coupled with a gift of land and funds from the James Foundation was instrumental in making the merger a reality.
Capital Investment
Construction of the new Emergency Department is scheduled to begin in 2005, with completion expected by the end of 2007. At 18,000 square feet, the new ED will be nearly three times larger than the present department. It will have 30 private rooms, with emphasis on patients’ physical and emotional comfort and will feature state-of-the-art medical technology.
New equipment and patient areas include: an Acute Treatment Pavilion; an Imaging Suite – CT Scan, Digital Imaging and Archiving, Digital X-ray system; Central Patient Station Monitoring; Central Nursing Station; a quiet room; and a medical library/resource room. Designated pediatric treatment rooms will be in the new PromptCare area, which will feature a cheerful playroom for patients and siblings. There will be a dedicated Decontamination Area with its own ventilation system. Waiting areas will be exclusively for family members, as patients will be brought directly to their room for registration, assessment, and treatment.
5 Years = $50 Million
Besides the new ED, the hospital plans to spend an additional $50 million in capital improvements over the next five years. Improvements and expansion plans call for: a 50 percent increase in the hospital’s parking capacity; expansion of the south wing of the hospital by 2,400 square feet; construction of a five-story, 100,000-square-foot Medical Services Building (the second one on campus), which will house the emergency training center, outpatient physical rehab services, Phelps’ Wound Healing Institute, the Donald R. Reed Speech & Hearing Center, and physicians’ offices.
Considering that sixteen years ago, Phelps was experiencing serious financial difficulties, the fact that the Hospital is undertaking such projects is astounding. In 1988, the hospital was awash in red ink. Today Phelps is one of the most financially stable hospitals in the state. The operating budget for 2004 of $124,815,000 generated an $8,426,000 surplus. These results are particularly noteworthy as more than half the hospitals in New York State have been losing money and in Westchester County, two hospitals closed due to poor financial performance. Realizing an annual surplus is extremely important, since it allows the hospital to continuously reinvest in new technology and make improvements to the quality of patient care services.
Phelps Memorial Hospital is a 235-bed community hospital with 450 physicians, representing 34 different medical specialties. Phelps is the Westchester Satellite for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a clinical affiliate of Mount Sinai Hospital, and the newest member of the New York Presbyterian Healthcare System.