Performed by internationally renowned surgeons from Montefiore Health System, White Plains Hospital now offers comprehensive cardiac care to patients across the Hudson Valley
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (November 22, 2021) — Today White Plains Hospital (WPH) announced that its first ever open-heart surgery was successfully performed, signaling another transformational moment for the hospital and the launch of its cardiac surgery program. The coronary artery bypass surgery was performed by Robert E. Michler, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief, and Chairman of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and William A. Jakobleff, Jr. MD, Associate Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The procedure was performed in the hospital’s newest state-of-the-art operating room dedicated to cardiac surgery.
“We are addressing a critical need in this region through our partnership with Montefiore to provide comprehensive care for cardiac patients in the Hudson Valley,” said Susan Fox, President and CEO of White Plains Hospital. “Until now, most Westchester patients in need of open-heart surgery chose to leave the county for care. This milestone is the latest example of how White Plains Hospital is continuing to provide advanced medical care for our community with a focus on excellence, close to home.”
White Plains Hospital is just the second hospital in Westchester County with the ability to perform open-heart procedures, providing this essential life-saving service for patients throughout the Hudson Valley.
“This is a very demanding specialty, which requires excellence at every step of the patient experience, from ICU care to anesthesia care to the outpatient experience,” said Dr. Robert Michler. “I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this program, and to work with the leadership and the physicians at White Plains Hospital.”
Expert cardiac surgeons, all of whom also practice at Montefiore Einstein’s heart program which earned 3-stars – the highest ranking possible from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons – have brought their world-class pedigree to Westchester to perform a wide range of cardiac procedures, such as aortic aneurism surgery, aortic valve surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery and mitral valve repair and replacement.
Dr. Michler added that White Plains Hospital’s cardiac surgery team will work closely with a network of cardiologists and specialists throughout Westchester County and the Hudson Valley to provide seamless access to the program.
White Plains Hospital’s first cardiac surgery patient was referred by Dr. Richard Charney of Montefiore New Rochelle Cardiology. The procedure took place on Wednesday, November 10 and the patient was successfully discharged home four days later. Patient Reinaldo Ortiz was able to walk out of the Hospital on November 14 surrounded by his care team. To support the cardiac surgery program, White Plains Hospital has continued to transform its operating rooms, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and inpatient rooms designed specifically for cardiac patients.
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Robert E. Michler, MD, Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is an internationally renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and researcher, and a leader in several specialties, including complex cardiac surgery, heart transplantation, valve repair surgery, ventricular reconstruction for congestive heart failure and minimally invasive cardiac surgery. He was one of the first to perform minimally invasive and robotic surgery in heart patients.
William A. Jakobleff, Jr. MD, has a longstanding history of partnership and collaboration with the Cardiac Surgery team at Montefiore Medical Center. He completed both his Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center before joining the faculty, where he has practiced for the past 10 years. He is an accomplished Associate Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
About White Plains Hospital
White Plains Hospital is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System, serving as its tertiary hub of advanced care in the Hudson Valley. The Hospital is a 292-bed not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of providing exceptional acute and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. Centers of Excellence include the Center for Cancer Care, The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center and The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center. The Hospital’s Flanzer Emergency Department is the busiest in Westchester County, with more than 64,000 patient visits a year. White Plains Hospital performs lifesaving emergency and elective angioplasty in its Joan and Alan Herfort, MD, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Marie Promuto Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. White Plains Hospital has outpatient medical facilities across Westchester, including multispecialty practices in Armonk, New Rochelle, Somers and Yorktown Heights; and Scarsdale Medical Group locations in Harrison and Scarsdale.
The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and earned its recognition as a Top Performer for Key Quality Measures® in 2015 and 2013. The Hospital received Magnet® designation in 2012 and 2016 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Hospital earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), one of 16 hospitals in the nation, and the Hospital's Bariatric Surgical Center is accredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). White Plains Hospital has also received full accreditation for its breast cancer program from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) and The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) recognized White Plains Hospital as a top 10% performing hospital for achieving meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2019. In 2021, White Plains Hospital received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades® for the sixth time and was the only Hospital in Westchester to be awarded with an A Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group for the 5th consecutive time.
https://www.wphospital.org/about/affiliations-accreditations-awards