Montefiore Wakefield Hospital celebrated 15 years of serving the community on Saturday, Aug. 12 with a ceremony, community health fair and back-to-school giveaway.
During the event, state and city officials recognized the hospital with proclamations for outstanding work and the staff’s enduring service. Maureen Scanlan, senior vice president and chief nurse executive at Montefiore Einstein, and Joan O’Brien, assistant vice president of nursing at Wakefield, were also honored for their dedication to the Bronx community.
Approximately 15 years ago, Montefiore Health System acquired the former Our Lady of Mercy, a community hospital. Since then, Montefiore Wakefield Hospital, which represents the North Division of Montefiore, has been transformed into a vibrant member of Montefiore’s academic medical center. Nearly 3,000 jobs have been saved, and today Montefiore employs more than 2,000 associates at this campus, providing top-quality care.
“Wakefield Campus celebrates 15 years serving our community and embracing hope,” said Regginald Jordan, vice president for clinical services, who oversees Montefiore Wakefield. “Together, we created a legacy of delivering the best quality healthcare, which touches and transforms lives. Here’s to the past, present, and a future filled with providing compassionate, world-class care to our patients and their families.”
In its 15-year history, Montefiore Wakefield Hospital has expanded its reach and impact by adding and enhancing services ranging from urology, neurology and outpatient psychiatry to orthopedics. Its outstanding orthopedics care resulted in the Joint Commission’s “Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Knee Replacement,” the only certification offered in collaboration with the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons for hip and knee replacement surgeries.
“This event is a celebration of what happens when communities, government, and institutions partner together for the greater good,” said state Senator Jamaal Bailey. Montefiore Wakefield Hospital has come a long way, and the future only looks brighter.”
In 2022, Montefiore Wakefield treated more than 15,000 individuals in its hospital, delivered more than 1,200 babies and cared for more than 50,000 people in its Emergency Department. That same year, Montefiore Wakefield Hospital earned the prestigious Magnet Designation for Nursing Excellence and high-quality patient care, the first and only hospital in the Bronx to earn this designation.
It has been named a baby-friendly birth facility from Baby-Friendly USA, a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund, which acknowledges the outstanding quality of breastfeeding and patient care outcomes.
“Fifteen years ago, Montefiore Wakefield Hospital stepped in and saved a vital source of jobs and employment for the community,” said state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. “Besides providing jobs, the hospital is a bedrock institution providing world-class care. I am pleased to see the hospital not only keeping accessible healthcare in the Wakefield community but thriving and growing.”
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