From left, Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino; Michael D. Israel, president and CEO of WMCHealth, and Mitchell Hochberg, chairman of the Westchester County Health Care Corporation Board of Directors.

VALHALLA, NY—The largest healthcare capital project in decades at the Westchester Medical Center achieved a significant milestone earlier this week when Westchester County and Westchester Medical Center Health Network officials joined the construction trades in celebrating the 'topping off” of a major expansion project on the Grasslands campus.

Work continues on the $230-million new Ambulatory Care Pavilion adjacent to the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Back in March 2016, the Westchester Local Development Corp. approved a total of $284 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance the project, as well as $44 million for other capital projects. The LDC amended its bylaws to expand the nonprofit status authorization to public benefit corporations like WMCHealth. Medical center officials say the construction project is on schedule and should be completed next year.

The eight-story steel and glass facility will include an Advanced Imaging Center, Ambulatory Surgery Center and Heart and Vascular Institute, in addition to a 20,000-square-foot expansion of private rooms for the medical center and 75,000 additional square feet for physicians' offices.

Michael D. Israel, president and CEO of WMCHealth, said, “Today is an exciting day for WMCHealth and for our communities as we celebrate the significant progress that has been made to date on this one-of-a-kind-facility and look forward to the care, innovative technologies and possibilities for the future that will live within its walls.”

“The Ambulatory Care Pavilion will enhance the quality of life for patients in Westchester while creating hundreds of jobs and generating a boost for the local economy—truly a winning combination,” Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino said. “The county was able to assist in the opening of this state-of-the-art facility through low-cost financing provided by our Local Development Corporation at no risk to the taxpayers.”

The expansion is the largest healthcare construction project since the construction of the WMCHealth main tower in 1977 and the 250,000-square-foot Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in 2004, both also located on the Grasslands campus.

Medical center officials estimate that to date 20,000 man hours have been logged to complete the work on the pavilion's foundations; 5,045 tons of concrete have been poured and 160 tons of steel reinforcements have been installed in the concrete foundations. Upon completion, the construction of the new facility is expected to generate 225 prevailing wage construction jobs as well as 180 new full-time jobs when operational.

Instant Insights /

$230M Health Care Project Celebrates Construction Milestone

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