Proposed designs for a brand new Women and Children's Hospital were unveiled this morning during a meeting of Buffalo's Planning Board.
The hospital plans to relocate the entire facility to the corner of Ellicott and High streets in the Medical Corridor. Kaleida Health and hospital leaders say the 12-story, state-of-the art facility would be designed to provide better patient care and attract new doctors.
Kaleida's vice president of campus development Robert Bragg says the system still needs approval from the New York State Health Department and further city review, but he says plans are moving forward.
"We're still in the process of getting all the approvals, but from a target perspective, we [hope to] start getting shovels in the ground in the spring of next year," said Bragg. "That would keep us on target for a Decemeber 2015 [opening]."
Dr. Teresa Quattrin, a pediatrician-in-chief at Children's, she says the proposed plans would fix a recurring problem at the current aging facility.
"Right now, we have a situation where it is very cumbersome to actually circulate throughout Children's Hospital," said Quattrin. "This is something certainly that we have worked very diligently with the architects to correct."
The city Planning Board appeared to be pleased with the presentation. The hospital is required to return to the board for more review on July 31. The board has already adopted a final environmental impact statement for the hospital.