Longtime physician and former Emergency Department Director at Hudson Valley Hospital Center, John A. McGurty Jr., was honored today with the dedication of a new hospital conference room in his name.

Dr. McGurty, who served as HVHC's Director of Emergency Medicine from 1996-2003, has served tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan and as a U.S. Navy reservist and Medical Corps Captain. He has also served as Navy flight surgeon and is due to return overseas later this month for a third military deployment. 

About 100 people were on hand for today's dedication ceremony in the hospital lobby to unveil the plaque that will be placed outside the hospital's new Dr. John A. McGurty, Jr. Conference room.

Those on hand included Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi, Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster, members of the U.S. Marine Corps, New York State and City of Peekskill Police as well as hospital staff and physicians. 

"I am both surprised and extraordinarily humbled to have been selected for this honor," said Dr. McGurdy.  "I am also very grateful to our local community for allowing me to serve them and for my fellow physicians,nurses and employees at Hudson Valley Hospital Center for their years of loyal service."

McGurty has been a doctor  for hundreds of people in the Peekskill/Cortlandt region. He also served as personal physician to former Goveror George Pataki. 

Hudson Valley Hospital Center President John Federspiel said, "We are very proud of his service to the community and more importantly his service to his country."

The new  conference room tribute was sponsored by Emergency Medical Associates, the physicians group which cares for hospital emergency room patients at HVHC.