Burke Rehabilitation Hospital Unveils New Patient Welcome Center

Pictured (L-R): Former United States Congresswoman Nita Lowey, New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital Board of Trustees Chairman John McCarthy, Burke President and CEO Jeffrey Menkes, White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, Montefiore Medicine President and CEO Dr. Philip Ozuah, Marsal family members Megan Marsal, Bryan Marsal, and Kathleen Marsal, New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, and VP of Burke Auxiliary Maria Garcia (photo credit: Barry Mason)

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of its Alice B. Harmon Patient Welcome Center on the main campus, 785 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY. The ceremony took place on June 28, 2021. The $2.4 million facility was funded through a generous philanthropic donation from the Marsal family, as well as a donation from the Burke Auxiliary and a grant from the federal government through the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act).

Attending the event was Dr. Philip Ozuah, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Montefiore Medicine, in addition to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and White Plains Mayor Tom Roach. Burke’s President and CEO Jeffrey Menkes and Board Chairman John McCarthy, among several other representatives from Burke and the Montefiore Health System, also were present.

The Patient Welcome Center will be the entry point for individuals admitted for in-patient rehabilitation at Burke. Patients, who typically arrive on the Burke campus via ambulance from an acute care hospital, will now be admitted via a dedicated, spacious, light-filled facility that ensures safe social distancing to protect, prevent and respond to the ongoing pandemic and other infectious diseases. The Center is designed to streamline the admissions process in a private and comfortable setting. As patients arrive, they will seamlessly transfer to their hospital rooms where they will be greeted by their care team and begin treatment. Located in a garden-like setting, the Center provides a serene and uplifting beginning to the rehabilitation journey.

“We are thrilled to provide meaningful support to this most worthwhile addition to Burke’s storied campus,” said a spokesperson for the Marsal family. “The Alice B. Harmon Patient Welcome Center will enhance an already outstanding care experience provided to patients and their families who are rehabilitating serious injuries and medical conditions.”

The creation of the Patient Welcome Center has been a cherished goal of Burke and its Patient Experience team for several years. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, ensuring a safe, socially distanced entry into the hospital became paramount.

According to Mr. Menkes, “The Alice B. Harmon Patient Welcome Center builds upon our vision of patient and family care by emphasizing safety, comfort, dignity and support. From the moment of admission to Burke, patients receive personalized care provided by the highest caliber team of rehabilitation specialists to help them make the fullest possible recovery.”

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital is a not-for-profit, acute rehabilitation hospital in White Plains, NY. Founded in 1915 through an endowment from philanthropist John Masterson Burke, it is the only hospital in Westchester County dedicated solely to adult rehabilitation medicine. Burke is a member of the Montefiore Health System, Inc. The hospital offers both inpatient and outpatient programs for those who have experienced a disabling illness, traumatic injury or surgery. For additional information, please visit burke.org.