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FEMA Grants Northern Westchester Hospital $5.4 Million

MOUNT KISCO, N. Y. -- Officials at Northern Westchester Hospital recently got word that the facility is due for a $5.4 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to upgrade the hospital's electrical power system.

The $5.4 million grant from FEMA is the largest grant in the hospital's history.

The $5.4 million grant from FEMA is the largest grant in the hospital's history.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Hospital officials say it is the largest grant they've ever received. It will go toward upgrading the Mount Kisco hospital's emergency electrical infrastructure system to a Type 1-Essential Electrical System. 

The hospital lost its primary Consolidated-Edison power for 70 hours during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, requiring the use of backup generators. Changing to the Type 1-EES system will significantly strenghthen the hospital’s emergency power systems, hospital officials said. 

“Northern Westchester Hospital is the principle medical/surgical center for 350,000 people. In the event of a disaster, NWH serves as a refuge and resource for the community and must remain accessible," said Joel Seligman, president and chief executive officer of Northern Westchester Hospital. 

With this funding from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the hospital will completely modernize its electrical system, creating three separate power branches that will help it withstand the impact of future storms as well as two increased-capacity generators. 

The total project cost is $7,227,511; FEMA will cover 75 percent of the cost, at $5,420,633. The remaining $1.8 million will come from operating revenue. 

As a not-for-profit organization, any operating revenue is reinvested into the hospital.

The FEMA grant was supported by U.S. Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, who urged FEMA to provide this critical funding.

The hospital is a 245-bed facility with a medical staff of almost 700 physicians providing inpatient, outpatient and emergency care. A member of the North Shore-LIJ health system, the facility serves Northern Westchester, Putnam and Southern Dutchess counties in New York. 

For more details, visit the health system's website.

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