Highland Hospital Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for New Addition
$28M project includes six new operating rooms and a 26-bed observation unit
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Rochester, N.Y., October 26, 2015 — Highland Hospital celebrates a major milestone today, cutting the ribbon on a new two-story building addition on the south side of the hospital’s campus. The $28 million expansion will help to enhance patient care by updating hospital facilities.
Construction on this project began in July 2015 and the first patients will be treated in the new Operating Rooms (ORs) starting on November 1. This modernization project will also include renovation of some of the existing ORs and the Post Anesthesia Care Unit.
“Today’s ribbon cutting is physical proof of Highland Hospital and the University of Rochester’s commitment to this community.” said Joel Seligman, President and CEO, University of Rochester. “This addition will provide us with the opportunity to expand our services and provide even better care for the Rochester region.”
The new building addition has two floors and approximately 30,000 square feet of space for six new ORs and a 26-bed observation unit. The hospital’s current bed count of 261 will not change but several patient care areas will be able to be reconfigured to be single rooms thanks to the added space in the new observation unit.
University of Rochester President and CEO Joel Seligman, Mark Taubman, M.D., University of Rochester Medical Center CEO and Cindy Becker, Vice President and COO of Highland Hospital, participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony, along with the Highland Hospital Board, Highland Foundation Board, hospital personnel and local officials.
“This modernization of Highland’s facilities is a crucial part of our Master Facilities Plan,” said Steve Goldstein, President and CEO of Highland Hospital. “The new addition will help Highland continue to provide excellent care, both as a community hospital and as a regional referral center for patients across Western New York.”
The building addition answered a number of essential facility-improvement priorities for Highland, including expanding the hospital’s perioperative area and creating a dedicated space for observation patients. Having all observation patients located in the same area will also give the hospital space on inpatient units to convert some of the semi-private inpatient rooms to private rooms.
“The new south addition to Highland’s campus is a strategic investment in the future of this facility,” said Mark Taubman, M.D., CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center. “Larger ORs will better accommodate new technology and the new Observation Rooms will provide a restful space for our patients to heal.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to open this new addition after many years of hard work,” Cindy Becker, Vice President and COO of Highland Hospital. “This new part of our facility will further our mission to provide outstanding patient-and family centered care to everyone who comes through our doors.”
As part of this project and Highland’s commitment to the surrounding neighborhood, a group of neighbors and hospital representatives have been meeting regularly to discuss issues from this construction project that impact the neighborhood. Campus landscaping, parking, noise control and good communication have all been addressed during these meetings. The hospital also devoted a blog (https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/highland/construction-project) which has been updated weekly to let neighbors know about the project’s progress. “The South Wedge is a beautiful and thriving Rochester neighborhood. We are proud to be part of such a vibrant area and appreciate our neighbors who have worked with us through this process,” said Becker.
The new building was designed by HOLT Architects, P.C., which specializes in health care facilities. LeChase Construction, LLC was Highland’s construction partner for the project.