History

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History

Decades of Excellence

The story of Palisades Medical Center parallels the story of the Hudson River community.

Together, we have faced tremendous stresses and challenges, as well as enjoyed remarkable accomplishments and experienced great pride. Here is a brief timeline of our history:

September 10, 1978

A group of committed volunteers from the North Hudson-South Bergen community helped fulfill a longstanding dream. What had once been North Hudson Hospital was relocated to a new home on the North Bergen waterfront, the site of the new 202-bed facility that was named Palisades General Hospital. The founders did everything that needed to be done to ensure that the hospital's doors were open to serve our community. They worked around the clock to rally public support, purchase the land and design the layout of the hospital.

1980s — Establishing a Tradition of Excellence

• 1983: The CAT Scan Unit is introduced allowing 3-D images of organs inside the body.
• 1984: Palisades Child Care Center is created to guarantee parents peace of mind while their children receive the highest quality care in a warm, nurturing environment.
• 1985: New MRI technology offers much higher detail without moving the patient.

1990s — Expanding Programs and Services

• 1991: The Harborage opens, offering a 239-bed rehabilitation center and nursing home to patients as they recover from surgery, serious injury, or debilitating diseases or stroke.
• 1995: The Delivering for the Future Capital Campaign generates funding to completely renovate the Birthing Center at Palisades.
• 1999: Palisades General Hospital becomes a member of the prestigious New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System — and officially changes its name to Palisades Medical Center.
• 1999: The Palisades Medical Center Foundation is created to build a source of perpetual financial stability for Palisades Medical Center and the Harborage.

2000s — Bringing World Class Care to our Community

• 2001-2003: Rapidly expanding service offerings include the opening of the Columbia Presbyterian Breast Care Center, the Reconstructive Foot & Ankle Center, the Cardiac Catheterization Lab and the Neonatal Critical Care Unit.
• 2001-2005: Advanced technology enhancements include the PAC system for filmless x-rays, the Emergency Department's Vital Works System, and a 64-slice CT Scanner for diagnostic imaging.
• 2005: The Faith-Based Community Outreach Program, a unique non-denominational faith-based initiative, is introduced promoting health education, healthcare screenings, and health research in the culturally-diverse communities of Hudson and Bergen counties.
• 2006: Arthur E. Imperatore makes a $2 million bequest to support the Palisades Medical Center Foundation.
• 2007: A Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training program is created to teach leaders of various religions to minister to a spiritually diverse population.
• 2007: The Wound & Limb Healing Institute, the Maternal Fetal Medicine Department, and the Physical Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Center open to the public.
• 2008: Palisades became the first hospital in Hudson County to implement the new computerized Medication Administration Check (MAK) system to correctly match patients against their medication orders, create a record of when medicines are given and raise "red flags" when there are potential problems.
• 2008: Palisades officially opened a new Continence Center to treat women who experience problems with incontinence or with their urinary tracts or bladders.
• 2008: The Sleep-Wake Center at Palisades was one of the few centers in New Jersey to be accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). As the leading voice in the field of sleep medicine, the AASM sets standards and promotes excellence in health care, education and research.
• 2009: Palisades expanded its Pediatric Rehabilitation Program to support the special needs of children with disabilities and developmental delays, including children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Torticollis, and Genetic disorders.
• 2009: Palisades' Emergency Room is renovated with new technologies, a new patient-centered system and a new Rapid Evaluation Unit (REU) to provide immediate assessment to incoming patients and allow for faster triage and bedside registration.
• 2009: The Harborage at Palisades Medical Center received the highest rankings possible from both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).