Oishei Foundation awards challenge grant to Falls Memorial for new Golisano Center

memorial medical center niagara falls

The John R. Oishei Foundation has awarded a $250,000 challenge grant to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center in support of Memorial’s new Golisano Center for Community Health.

The grant is conditioned on the Memorial Medical Center Foundation raising a matching amount.

The Golisano Center will provide comprehensive integrated health care services to adults with special needs and their families. A range of services and programs will include primary care, mental health, Health Home care management, housing assistance, community outreach, health insurance enrollment, child advocacy, wellness education and training.

“The Golisano Center for Community Health represents a new way to provide health care services by breaking down barriers to care, preventing individuals from falling through the cracks and helping them live with dignity,” said Memorial Medical Center President and CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo. “We are extremely grateful to The John R. Oishei Foundation for supporting this vision.”

“Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center’s continued work toward community health, especially for underserved and at-risk populations, has improved the delivery of care and the health of the residents of Niagara Falls, and The Oishei Foundation is pleased to continue to provide support,” said Robert D. Gioia, president of the Foundation.

The new center will collaborate with a number of local institutions to achieve its goals.  Rivershore, Inc., an agency affiliated with People, Inc. which serves individuals living with disabilities, will house offices and self-advocacy services in the facility. Niagara University and others will work with Memorial in the center’s Learning Hub and Population Health Innovation Center to provide workforce development and training opportunities in emerging health fields such as care coordination, healthcare navigation and care management. The YMCA Buffalo Niagara will provide wellness education and fitness training.

The John R. Oishei Foundation strives to be a catalyst for change to enhance economic vitality and the quality of life for the Buffalo Niagara region. The Foundation was established in 1940 by John R. Oishei, founder of Trico Products Corporation.

The Golisano Center will be connected by a pedestrian walkway to Memorial’s ER1 Emergency Department and Heart Center of Niagara.  Construction on the two-story 23,000 square-foot building will begin in March and be completed by year end.

 

Leave a Reply