Progress Continues on New Oishei Children’s Hospital

Fundraising, clinical and operational planning plus community support highlights recent progress for the physician-led plan to build a new children’s hospital on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Kaleida Health has been invited by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to submit its formal application for financing to build the new Oishei Children’s Hospital.

The capital campaign to assist in building the new hospital continues to proceed as planned. Nearly $38 million of the $42-million capital campaign has been raised. In addition to this, $2.5 million has been raised to create endowments for some of the hospital’s family support programs including Stones Buddies (for chronically ill children), as well as a neonatal intensive care unit family resources endowment. Kaleida Health and Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo have also begun an expanded fundraising effort to support the hematology/oncology program with initial gifts totaling $1.25 million.

The future hospital site is essentially shovel ready. The City of Buffalo and its related entities have approved the environmental impact statement and given official site plan approval to build the new hospital. Kaleida Health has obtained city approval for “air rights” or the easement above Ellicott Street for the bridge connecting Buffalo General Medical Center with the new hospital. In addition to this, Ellicott Street (between High and Goodrich Streets) has been repaved by the City of Buffalo and switched to two-way traffic to help facilitate movement around the campus.

Ciminelli Real Estate’s $100-million Conventus project held its “topping off” event recently, signaling the completion of structural steel and the move to shell the building. Conventus, at Main and High Streets, will house the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo ambulatory services, as well as many of the practice plans from UBMD.

In an effort to make patient care more effective and efficient, Kaleida Health is building the new Oishei Children’s Hospital on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. It will be an integral part of the campus, linking with Buffalo General Medical Center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Gates Vascular Institute, the new University at Buffalo Medical School and more.

This project will right-size and consolidate services in a 12-floor, 185-bed, free-standing, modern facility. The new hospital will ensure pediatric and maternal services remain available for patients in the western New York region. The vision for the new hospital is to be recognized as the innovator, the highest quality, highest value provider and partner and the regional referral center for women and children’s health care for Kaleida Health, Western New York and beyond.

Scheduled to break ground in 2014, the new hospital will provide a comprehensive range of specialized pediatric care (including trauma) and pediatric surgical services, as well as a Women’s Pavilion with related services. Services include labor and delivery, the regional perinatal center and the women’s health center, that provide prenatal, gynecological care and C-section operating rooms, all located on the same floor.

Photo source: Kaleida Health