Business First: Buffalo hospitals work to complete $100M-plus in construction projects

By Tracey Drury –  Reporter, Buffalo Business First

June 8, 2023

While Catholic Health’s new hospital project in Lockport is the largest and most visible construction projection under way, hospitals across Western New York are working on several other large projects – with more coming down the pike if state funding becomes available.

Here’s a roundup of projects now underway in Erie and Niagara counties at the region’s largest health systems:

Lockport Memorial Campus of Mount St. Mary’s Hospital

• Health system: Catholic Health
• Address: Town of Lockport off South Transit Road between Shimer and Ruhlmann roads
• Dollar value: $65 million
• Description: The 60,000-square-foot hospital includes a 10-bed hospital with emergency department, plus surgery center and shell space for additional patient rooms later. The project also includes an 8,000-square-foot medical office building on the campus.
• Timeline: Opening slated for fall 2023

Ambulatory surgery center

• Health system: Kaleida Health
• Address: 111 Maplemere Drive, Amherst
• Dollar value: $25 million
• Description: Construction under way for 38,000-square-foot multi-specialty ambulatory surgery and treatment center with seven operating rooms and seven procedure rooms, sponsored by Kaleida affiliate KH Venture Services LLC, UBMD and physician members.
• Timeline: Patients expected to be seen beginning summer 2024

Scott Bieler Amherst Center

• Health system: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Address: 203 Park Club Lane, Amherst
• Dollar value: $23 million
• Description: The 26,000-square-foot center will offer diagnostic and treatment services as well as subspecialty care services and clinical trials, serving as a Northtowns suburban hub for cancer patients.
• Timeline: Opening this summer

John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital

• Health system: Kaleida Health
• Address: 818 Ellicott St., Buffalo
• Dollar value: $6.7M
• Description: The 12-bed antepartum unit for high-risk pregnancies is under development in an 11,000-square-foot space on the seventh floor currently used for pharmacy and pediatric outpatient services such as infusion and dialysis. Those services will move to the second floor.
• Timeline: Completion projected for September 2023

Buffalo General Medical Center

• Health system: Kaleida Health
• Address: 100 High St., Buffalo
• Dollar value: $5.2 million
• Description: Renovations under way in second phase of medical rehab unit project on fifth floor of the hospital's south unit to complete a 34-bed unit with six additional beds transferring over from DeGraff Medical Park.
• Timeline: Completion projected for July

Community Outreach & Engagement Building

• Health system: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Address: 907 Michigan Ave., Buffalo
• Dollar value: $4.7 million
• Description: The 3,100-square-foot center will host community-based services, screenings and educational programs while providing conference and meeting room space and an outdoor plaza for support groups, block clubs and social support organizations.
• Timeline: Opening this summer

LIFE center

• Health system: Catholic Health
• Address: Porter Avenue in Buffalo on the D’Youville University campus
• Dollar value: $2 million
• Description: Alternate care site expansion of the Living Independently for Elders (LIFE) programs in Lackawanna and Cheektowaga to provide day center services to seniors on the West Side of Buffalo and surrounding communities.
• Timeline: Construction is expected to begin in fourth quarter 2023 and be completed by third quarter 2024.

• • •

The following projects are still awaiting funding and final state approvals

ECMC main hospital

• Health system: Erie County Medical Center Corp.
• Address: 462 Grider St., Buffalo
• Dollar value: $15 million
• Description: Trauma operating suite expansion would add OR suites for major surgeries and trauma care to better accommodate advanced robotics and neurosurgery equipment.
• Health system: Funding request is pending through State Department of Health Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program
• Timeline: Undetermined

ECMC hospital emergency department

• Health system: Erie County Medical Center Corp.
• Address: 462 Grider St., Buffalo
• Dollar value: $13.5 million
• Description: Upgrades to comprehensive psychiatric emergency program and emergency department observation expansion to provide patient care bays for evaluation and diagnostic testing; plus helipad expansion project.
• Status: Funding request pending through State Department of Health Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program
• Timeline: Undetermined

HighPointe on Michigan

• Health system: Kaleida Health
• Address: 1031 Michigan Ave., Buffalo
• Dollar value: $1.1 million
• Description: The expansion at HighPointe on Michigan would double the number of beds for adults in its ventilator unit from 10 to 20 while increasing the number of pediatric ventilator beds from 7 to 10.
• Timeline: Undetermined

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