Erie County Medical Center

Organization

The Erie County Medical Center Corporation, as it is known when filing financial reports to the New York State Comptroller and the New York State Authorities Budget Office, is guided by a 19-member board of directors, 4 of whom are non-voting. There are eight voting members who are appointed by the New York State Governor and there are seven voting members who are appointed by the Erie County Executive. The management team is headed by CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr. In 2017, it had operating expenses of $636.03 million, an outstanding debt of $272.51 million, and a staffing level of 4,023 people.

History

Erie County Medical Center (then known as Buffalo City Hospital) was formed in 1912 when the nearby Municipal Hospital on East Ferry Street had become overcrowded due to outbreaks in scarlet fever and tuberculosis and opened in 1918. In 1921, ECMC opened its first medical library, and, in 1922, a social services department. The hospital would be named for Dr. Edward J. Meyer, its first chairman, in 1939. The current hospital facility would be opened in 1978 and was renamed Erie County Medical Center. In 1989, it would open its burn treatment center.

Care and services

ECMC is designated as Western New York's designated trauma and HIV/AIDS treatment center. which is the regional burn center for Western New York. Buffalo Public Schools' P.S. 84 (Health Care Center for Children @ ECMC), the designated school in the district for students with severe disabilities/illnesses, is housed at ECMC.

In 2024, the hospital opened its new trauma recovery center called Buffalo Rising Against Violence or BRAVE.

Cafeteria and patient menu controversies

On January 19, 2015, the Buffalo Evening News indicated that a report by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine criticized ECMC for "serving some of the least-healthy food options of any public hospital in the country. The hospital received the fourth-lowest score, out of 200 hospitals reviewed, because it is home to three fast-food restaurants and because its cardiac patient menu has some items that aren’t heart-friendly." In 2019, ECMC replaced the previous food provider, Morrison Healthcare, with Metz Culinary Management. In 2021, ECMC pursued legal action in an attempt to terminate a lease with Benderson Development, and remove the fast-food restaurants from their lobby, in order to replace them with healthier options.

References

References

1. "ECMC Board Webpage".
2. "ECMC Org Website".
3. "NYSABO 2018 Report".
4. [http://www.ecmc.edu/about/history Evolution to the Erie County Medical Center Corporation (ECMCC). (n.d.)] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-11-25 .)
5. "The Roger W. Seibel, MD, Burn Treatment Center".
6. Goshgarian, Mark. (2024-09-17). "ECMC cuts the ribbon on BRAVE, its new trauma recovery center". [[Spectrum News]].
7. [http://www.buffalonews.com/business/report-raps-ecmc-for-tim-hortons-mighty-taco-other-unhealthy-food-options-20150119 Report raps ECMC for Tim Hortons, Mighty Taco other unhealthy food options] {{Webarchive. link. (2015-08-08 , [[Buffalo Evening News]] by Stephen T. Watson on January 19, 2015)
8. (10 January 2019). "New vendor contract affects 172 food service workers at ECMC". Buffalo Business First.
9. Lakamp, Patrick. (23 February 2021). "In a battle over the hospital lobby, ECMC says Benderson pushes profits over health". Buffalo News.