The Hospital’s exceptional care for older adults has also recently been recognized through designation as a NICHE Exemplar Hospital and an Age-Friendly Health System.
White Plains, N.Y. (March 4, 2024) – White Plains Hospital announced today that its Emergency Department has received Geriatric Emergency Department accreditation (Level 2 – Silver) by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), recognizing the Hospital’s commitment to providing older adults with the highest quality of care.
To earn this three-year accreditation, White Plains Hospital was evaluated on a set of requirements designed to specifically address the needs of older adults at all touchpoints, from the physical environment, equipment and supplies to clinician education in geriatric emergency medicine. The Hospital also demonstrated improvements to patient outcomes following the implementation of 10 senior-specific care protocols by an interdisciplinary team.
White Plains Hospital’s Emergency Department is the busiest in Westchester County, seeing more than 80,000 patients annually, more than one in three of whom are over the age of 65. The number of Americans over 65 is projected to reach more than 80 million by 2040, according to the Administration on Aging.
“Being recognized as an accredited Senior-Friendly Emergency Department is a wonderful testament to the care we provide,” said Dr. Dean Straff, Director of Emergency Medicine at White Plains Hospital. “Elderly patients are often the most vulnerable, and this recognition reflects our dedication to this population by providing the necessary expertise, equipment and providers in place to ensure the very best outcomes.”
This accreditation comes on the heels of two other awards the Hospital has received for its care of older patients: It recently earned Exemplar status from NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders), the premier program indicating a hospital's commitment to excellence in the care of patients 65 years and older. This marks the 12th consecutive time that the Hospital has been so recognized.
In addition, the Hospital was recognized in November 2023 as an Age-Friendly Health System — Committed to Care Excellence by The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), for showing exemplary efforts to enhance care for all older adults that it serves. White Plains Hospital is committed to the philosophy that proper treatment for an older population includes taking a multidisciplinary approach while establishing and maintaining a plan for continuity of care.
###
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. White Plains Hospital has outpatient medical facilities across Westchester, including multispecialty practices in Armonk, Hawthorne, Larchmont, New Rochelle, Rye Brook, Somers, Yonkers and Yorktown Heights; and Scarsdale Medical Group locations in Harrison and Scarsdale.
The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and in 2023, White Plains Hospital received another 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) — the highest distinction offered by that federal agency for the second consecutive year. In addition, the Hospital received its third Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a distinction held by only two percent of hospitals in the country. White Plains Hospital has consistently received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades®, and in 2023 was awarded an “A” Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group for the 10th consecutive time.