As the thermometer hit 96 degrees, visitors to the Montefiore Wakefield Community Health Fair on July 20, were glad to see plenty of bottled water, cooling fans, and an invitation by hospital officials like Toni Hayes to rest inside the air-conditioned lobby.  “Be sure to stay hydrated,” Hayes reminded visitors.

The oppressive heat, however, did not keep elected officials and hospital administration from celebrating Montefiore’s 10th anniversary managing the Wakefield campus.  The hospital located at East 233rd Street near the Bronx River Parkway was formerly known as Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center. Montefiore officially took over the former hospital on July 23, 2008, with officials celebrating the ten-year on the cusp of its 11-year anniversary.

More than 15 tents were erected around the entrance of the hospital promoting information on everything from tips ranging from handwashing with a portable hygiene sink to awareness on prostate cancer screening.

The celebratory spirit not only included the hospital’s outreach to the local community but also news of a workforce expansion.

By the end of this year Montefiore expects to add 200 jobs to the Wakefield campus.

Dr. Peter P. Semczuk, senior vice president and executive director of Montefiore’s Moses and Wakefield campuses, noted the jobs will be full time, creating “a positive impact on the local community.”

Dr. Semczuk sees the growth as not only a commitment to improving medical and health services but also show that Montefiore is economically invested in the local community.

“We [the Montefiore Hospital system] are the second largest private employer in New York state and know the impact that good jobs can have on a community,” Dr. Semczuk added.

During the early 2000s, Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center went through a period of uncertainty because of underfunding.  With more than 500 physicians, 2,500 employees, and periodic reports of imminent closing, the bankrupt hospital was taken over by Montefiore and incorporated into their expanding state-wide system.

At the time, it was estimated that more than 150,000 neighborhood residents would have been immediately impacted had the medical center’s closing.

Karl Stricker, 77, a Woodlawn resident remembers those days well.  “The talk in the neighborhood was always about where would we go for medical care if they closed Our Lady of Mercy,” Stricker, once a member of the former hospital’s advisory committee, said.

Stricker not only remembers the concerns as a local resident, but also has insights into those days because of his volunteer work on the advisory committee at Our Lady of Mercy.  “We just couldn’t figure out how the money was, or wasn’t being spent back then,” said Stricker.

For the past 10 years Stricker has served in the same capacity for the Montefiore Wakefield campus and is satisfied about the way things have turned out at the medical center.  “In the end, it was a good thing that Montefiore took over,” Stricker said.

The hospital has since received recognition for some of its medical services.  For example, the hospital recently received the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification for Total Hips & Knee Replacement.  Only 10 hospitals have received this designation in the state.

The stark turnaround in the medical center’s reputation was punctuated at the event by proclamations from Councilman Andy King, state Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey, and Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie.

Keeping the sweltering heat in mind, the elected officials kept their remarks short as they presented framed proclamations from the city, State Senate and Assembly to hospital administrators.

Bailey emphasized the importance of Montefiore Wakefield to the community by saying it’s the hospital he goes to for medical attention. And King remembered coming to this location during his childhood when it was known as “Misericordia” (Spanish for “mercy”) from 1958 to 1985.

“This hospital has been a part of my childhood memories and I’m happy to be a part of this milestone,” King said.