The Grand Opening of the New Golisano Children's Hospital
The Heart of Our Hospital
The Power of a Parent's Perspective
Who better to help design the new Golisano Children's Hospital than those who’ve used it? Our new, 245,000-square-foot hospital is built from the ground up with the input of our families. Every inch of space – rooms, hallways, and common areas alike – is designed to provide comfort and confidence so that children and families can focus on what matters most.
Explore Our New Hospital
SIZE
Eight-story, 245,000 square-foot hospital adjacent to the current Strong Memorial Hospital lobby.
ROOMS
Each private room offers more space for parents to stay with their children.
NICU
Provides increased privacy and more much-needed space for families and life-saving equipment.
COST
Cost to build a dream hospital from the ground up.
Babies born in our region start their lives in the Gosnell Family NICU.
PICU Admissions
The largest intensive care service for children in western New York.
Pediatric Surgeries
Performed at the hospital each year.
Emergency Care
Pediatric emergency evaluations performed each year.
Of donors gave $25 or less, and many of the donors are children.
Has been given by 8,500 individuals and community groups.
States plus the District of Columbia and two Canadian Provinces are homes of our donors.
A History of Dedication to Children
1921
The University of Rochester Medical Center was founded with support from: George Eastman, the Rockefeller Foundation and the daughters of Henry Alvah Strong.
1926
January 4, 1926: Strong Memorial Hospital opens to patients as a 250-bed teaching hospital. Since the hospital was moved to its current location, the original lobby area now serves as a reading room in the Miner Library. The Department of Pediatrics is established in July of 1926.
1954
Student nurses known for their "dove gray" uniforms, tend to newborn babies in the NICU.
1970
Golisano Children’s Hospital neonatologists were the first to test lung surfactant on premature infants, dramatically improving their survival rates. Lung surfactant is a drug that jump-starts normal lung function in premature infants. Surfactants are now standard practice in Neonatal ICUs around the world.
1975
February 5, 1975: The new Strong Memorial Hospital opens as 380 patients are transferred from the 50-year-old hospital to the new facility, many of them children. Dr. William L. Bradford, who helped develop the triple vaccination that protects children against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, proudly aids in the transfer.
1977
A research team led by Drs. David H. Smith, Porter Anderson, and Richard Insel develops the Hib (Hemophilus influenzae, type b) vaccine, which virtually eradicates deaths related to meningitis infections in preschoolers. The same approach creates a vaccine for pneumococcal bacteria, which causes meningitis, ear infections and pneumonia. The Hib vaccine becomes part of routine childhood immunizations in 1990.
1996
The Children's and Adolescent Ambulatory Health Care Center opens in the Strong Memorial Hospital's $83 million Ambulatory Care Facility.
2001
New Pediatric Emergency Department opens, with the rest of the ED, providing state-of-the-art care for more than 27,000 children each year. Children 18 and under who are acutely ill or injured receive specialized care in a reassuring, child-focused environment.
2002
Strong Children's Hospital is named “Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong” in honor of B. Thomas Golisano, local entrepreneur and philanthropist, who donates $14 million to the children's hospital. The founder of Paychex, Inc., Mr. Golisano’s cumulative giving makes him the University’s most generous living donor.
2005
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Ronald McDonald House open. At 20,000 square feet, the new PICU/PCCC is more than double the size of the previous pediatric ICU, and is expanded from 12 to 22 patient rooms.
2006
New Pediatric Surgical Suite opens dramatically improving pre- and post-operative care for children.
2008
Pediatric Treatment Center reopens. The renovation adds seven more private rooms to the center bringing the total to 10 private spaces.
2011
Pediatric Sleep Medicine Services moves and expands. The center’s handicap-accessible clinical exam rooms double as nighttime sleep lab rooms, giving children a sense of familiarity when they return for an overnight sleep study.
2012
Groundbreaking for new Golisano Children’s Hospital. With a new gift of $20M from B. Thomas Golisano, the Medical Center announces plans to build a new $145 million children’s hospital dedicated to the care of sick and injured youngsters.
2013
Parents help design new Golisano Children’s Hospital
Watch the video!
Present
Finally, after 90 years in the making, the new Golisano Children's Hospital opens.
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With Support from Our Community
Golisano Children’s Hospital and our community have joined together to give every child the best possible chance to enjoy a healthy, happy life. Our new, dedicated children’s hospital will provide the setting and the expertise so that children will not have to leave our community for care.
Making Miracles Happen
When children need hospital care, they still need to play, to exercise their imagination, and to be surrounded by family to help them heal. Welcome to the new Golisano Children’s Hospital where all of this is possible.
As we open our doors, we thank the thousands of you who have given so generously. If you have not yet had the chance to help the more than 85,000 children and their families in the Finger Lakes region and across the nation who need us every year, or if you would like to get involved again, we hope we can count on you. There is still time to join the effort! In the next phase, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Cardiac Care Center and Pediatric Operating Suite will move into the new hospital. Simply follow the links below to discover how you can make a difference in the life of a child:
Our New Location
Ninety years after Strong Memorial Hospital first opened its doors, we now have a pediatric hospital built for and by families.
Main Entrance and Drop-off
Our new location can be found at:
150 Crittenden Blvd.
Rochester, NY 14642
Emergency Department
The Pediatric Emergency Department has not moved. It can still be accessed via:
601 Elmwood Ave.
Rochester, NY 14642
The Care We Provide
Golisano Children’s Hospital employs more than 200 pediatric specialists and provides a spectrum of care that spans more than 40 specialty areas, serving the more than 85,000 children and their families each year. It serves as the referral center for all seriously ill or injured children from the 17-county Finger Lakes region and beyond. Our missions are to provide comprehensive care for children and their families, educate future pediatricians and pediatric specialists, and perform progressive research that will lead to the medical breakthroughs of tomorrow.