AG report: 3 WMCHealth hospitals put ‘vulnerable patients at risk’
An investigation found that Westchester Medical Center, Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital and Health Alliance Hospital put vulnerable patients at risk by discharging them without adequate evaluation.
New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a settlement Monday with Westchester County Health Care Corporation and HealthAlliance, Inc, collectively known as WMCHealth.
An investigation found that Westchester Medical Center, Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital and Health Alliance Hospital put vulnerable patients at risk by discharging them without adequate evaluation. It also revealed that they also improperly left in-patient psychiatric beds closed for years.
Under the settlement, WMCHealth agreed to “restore inpatient psychiatric beds that were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and implement extensive reforms to better serve emergency room patients experiencing mental health and substance use challenges.”
“For too long, vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing mental health or substance use crises have been met with inadequate care when they went to an emergency room for help,” said James in prepared remarks. “Mental health care is medical care, and mental health crises must be treated as the emergencies they are.”
WMC Health released a statement saying they're committed to meeting the needs of patients across the communities they serve.
