“Lobby of the Future” Debuts at White Plains Hospital
Walking through a hospital lobby is not usually a calming, sensory experience. But White Plains Hospital is out to change that, according to its executives, who unveiled its new “lobby of the future” at a press event yesterday. The lobby’s attractive, modern construction and design aims to send the message that patients, families, and visitors will receive technologically advanced care at White Plains Hospital. Its 25-foot-high glass walls, noise-quieting tiles, and plentiful artwork help to offset the stresses that often go along with a hospital visit. The lobby also hosts the Everyday Healthy Café—conceived by the Hospital in conjunction with Peter Herrero, the founder and president of the New York Hospitality Group—which offers hospital visitors locally sourced fruits and vegetables, organic choices, freshly squeezed vegetable juices, and wrap sandwiches. “As an organization dedicated to health, a hospital building must first be a calming, positive space that plays an active role in helping patients heal,” said White Plains Hospital President & CEO Susan Fox, who was joined by Board Chairman Laurence Smith, and Montefiore Health System President & CEO Steven Safyer, M.D. “This new facility was created with an architectural and interior design philosophy that started with a feeling of hospitality to provide a comfortable environment for patients and families.”
From left to right: Former Chairman of the White Plains Hospital Board of Directors J. Michael Divney; former WPH President and C.E.O. Jon B. Schandler; Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett; WPH Chairman of the Board of Directors Larry Smith; White Plains Hospital President and C.E.O. Susan Fox; Montefiore Health System President and C.E.O. Steven Safyer, M.D.; White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach; Montefiore Health System Executive Vice President and C.O.O. Philip Ozuah, M.D., Ph.D.
The new lobby is one of the first finished components of the Hospital’s capital improvement project, which will be completed this year. The Hospital will have a new, six-story patient tower, new operating rooms with the latest surgical equipment, 24 new private patient rooms and new labor and delivery suites. Furthermore, the Hospital will add a second cardiac catheterization lab for heart care and will double the size of its cancer center. “The lobby is not just an entrance to a new building, but the gateway to a new era for White Plains Hospital,” Ms. Fox explained. “This is a major step in the redesign of our campus to better serve our community, bringing in more advanced services and an even greater focus on providing our patients with an exceptional experience.”