By Nancy Cardillo
Women, children and families from Western New York and beyond starting this month will see increased access to enhanced medical services, including newer, innovative technology, more beds and closer proximity to other medical facilities, when Kaleida Health’s John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital opens on Ellicott Street.
This highly anticipated, $267 million physician-led project will be the newest addition to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, a 120-acre, nine-million-square-foot vibrant urban community comprised of hospitals, private sector companies and social innovators.
Funding for the new Oishei Children’s Hospital consisted of $20 million from the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation; $3.8 million from Kaleida; $35 million from New York state; a $44 million equipment loan; a $120 million federally insured construction loan, and $45.7 million in philanthropy and community donations. The John R. Oishei Foundation contributed $10 million to the project; the hospital is named for its founder.
“The funds we contributed to this project are not so much a grant from The Oishei Foundation as they are a gift, one that honors the legacy of Mr. Oishei and his contributions to the Western New York community,” said Robert D. Gioia, president of The John R. Oishei Foundation. “It was a unanimous foundation decision to support this. We were delighted to be involved in a project that will put Buffalo on the map medically while, at the same time, pay homage to a man who was devoted to this community his entire life.”
