albany ny healthcare
Albany is not only a center of government, but also for healthcare. Even though
Albany has only about 100,000 inhabitants, it sports three state-of-the-art hospitals.
Because of her age, Albany has a long and distinguished history of humane healthcare,
ranging from early religious charity wards to modern emergency and cardiac centers
– Albany has been involved in it all. Currently, the residents of Albany,
and the surrounding areas, have their choice of three hospitals: St. Peter’s
Hospital, Albany Medical Center, and Albany Memorial Hospital. All three hospitals
have different strengths, creating a diverse and deep well from which to fulfill
all your healthcare needs.
Albany Memorial Hospital opened its doors in 1868, starting out as the Albany
City Free Dispensary. In the early years, the hospital offered healthcare to
those in the surrounding community who could not afford the care, illustrating
Albany’s long tradition of helping those less fortunate. Over the next
eight decades, the hospital grew to encompass five locations throughout Albany,
but gradually the hospital chose to centralize its operations, shutting down
the branches one-by-one. But, over the past two decades, the hospital has again
begun to expand its operations, and by 1998, consisted of Albany Memorial Hospital,
Samaritan Hospital and The Eddy, making the hospital’s reach extensive.
Focusing on a variety of services, including emergency services, critical care,
ambulatory surgery, and diabetes care, Albany Memorial Hospital has become a
top notch hospital. To punctuate Albany Memorial Hospital’s hard work,
the intensive care unit was nationally ranked in the top 100 when judged by
length of stay, cost to the patient, and a superior critical outcome.
Founded in 1869 by the Religious Sisters of Mercy as St. Peter’s Hospital,
St. Peter’s Health Care Services offers a myriad of medical opportunities.
From the first breaths of the newborn in the Birthing Center, to the last days
of care in Hospice, St. Peter's Health Care Services is dedicated to providing
the most advanced, individualized and compassionate care anywhere. Structuring
itself as a cradle-to-grave resource, St. Peter’s Health Care Services
has a laundry list of services. If you have to bring a loved one in for care,
Becky’s House offers a place for the family of patients to stay, complete
with a kitchen and washer-dryer. St. Peter’s offers an addiction recovery
center, ambulatory care center, cardiac center and a kidney stone center, just
to name a few of the nearly two dozen service centers.
Albany Medical Center was founded in 1839, and is the only academic health science
center in the 25 counties of eastern New York and western New England. The Medical
Center incorporates the 631-bed Albany Medical Center Hospital, which is attached
to Albany Medical College, as well as the Albany Medical Center Faculty Group
Practice – all told, Albany Medical Center is a medical jewel, providing
excellence in education, research and care for the 2.8 million residents within
the referral area. Two of the most unique aspects of the Albany Medical Center
are its Children’s Hospital and Albany Medical College.
Within Albany Medical Center is a large, specialized unit which specializes
in child care. The Child’s Hospital has 125 beds, with 110 physicians
in 34 sub-specialties, 300 nurses, therapists and child care specialists, all
waiting to serve the area’s children. The Children’s Hospital serves
tens of thousands a year, including 5,000 inpatient admission and 60,000 outpatient
visits. The Children’s Hospital has the regions only pediatric cancer
program and round-the-clock pediatric emergency center, treating thousands of
children in emergency situations every year.
Albany Medical College is one of the nation’s oldest private medical schools,
founded in 1839 with an initial enrollment of 57 medical students. Currently,
Albany Medical College is part of Union University, which consists of Union
College, Albany Law School, Albany College of Pharmacy and Dudley Observatory.
Each institution has its own governing board and programs. Since 1982, Albany
Medical College has been incorporated with Albany Medical Hospital, forming
a lasting and rich partnership. In addition to the partnership between Albany
Medical College and Albany Medical Hospital, the five-floor Schaffer Library
of Health Sciences was also built, sporting a catalogue consisting of over 150,000
volumes and more that 2,700 journal titles.
Albany Medical Center also is home to many awarding winning nurses, doctors,
and administrators, in addition to having the opportunity to be a pioneer in
many areas of medicine. Be it administration ( The Business Review named Albany
Medical Center one of the Capital Region’s best places to work ), surgery
( the first artificial spinal disc surgery was done at Albany Medical Center
), or research ( cardiovascular researchers at Albany Medical College helped
discover a compound used in breast cancer treatment ) Albany Medical Center
is a world class medical facility.
Between St. Peter’s Health Care Services, Albany Memorial Hospital, and
Albany Medical Center, Albany is home to a limitless array of medical services.
From the walk-in clinics of Albany Memorial Hospital, to the cradle-to-grave
care offered by St. Peter’s Health Care Services, to the top-tier educational
Albany Medical Center – Albany is home all forms of healthcare.
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