VALHALLA, N.Y. (February 8, 2024) – The American Burn Association (ABA) has verified The Burn Center at Westchester Medical Center as an Adult and Pediatric Burn Center, after a rigorous and thorough review of Westchester Medical Center’s burn care program. With this verification, Westchester Medical Center is now home to the only verified burn care program in Westchester County, the Hudson Valley and eastern New York State north of New York City.
According to the ABA, there are almost 500,000 burn injuries requiring medical care each year with over 60 percent of those hospitalized with a burn injury receiving care at a verified burn center. Verified burn centers provide integrated, comprehensive burn care and The Burn Center at Westchester Medical Center has adult and pediatric medical and surgical specialists, nurses certified in burn care, social services, nutritional experts, and burn rehabilitation services.
This mark of distinction is an indicator that The Burn Center at Westchester Medical Center provides the highest-quality burn care patients from the time of injury through rehabilitation.
“This verification from the ABA reflects our commitment to providing the highest level of complex care. Our multidisciplinary team of experts works tirelessly to ensure that every patient receives the best possible treatment, and we are grateful for the support and collaboration of our emergency medical service colleagues who make our work possible. We look forward to continuing our mission with excellence and compassion,” Joseph Turkowski, MD, Medical Director, The Burn Center at Westchester Medical Center.
A Highly-Specialized Service
In 2023, The Burn Center at Westchester Medical Center had over 300 admissions, including adults and children, from the Hudson Valley, upstate New York and parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. Care at the Burn Center is complex and involves coordination with multiple specialties. The average length of stay for patients with burn injuries is almost two weeks — exemplifying the acuity and fragility of patients. Many patients also suffer comorbidities such as traumatic injuries and smoke inhalation.
An academic medical center already verified as a Level I Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center, the ABA Burn Center verification further solidifies Westchester Medical Center’s standing as the premier provider of care in the Hudson Valley and beyond.
National Burn Awareness Week
The ABA recognizes National Burn Awareness Week from February 4-10, 2024.
In line with this year’s theme, “Flammable Liquid Burns,” Westchester Medical Center encourages the public to be aware of burn risks and practice fire prevention by only using gasoline outdoors, keeping gasoline out of reach of children and starting charcoal grills with appropriately labeled charcoal starter fluid.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with nine hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I (adult and pediatric), Level II and Level III trauma centers, the region’s only acute care children’s hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth.