Support for Bike Lanes Sought to Increase Safety for Riders

July 12, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Environment, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Outreach, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

GO Bike Buffalo is helping to create a city where people of all ages can safely bike to work.
Through a push to create awareness of the need to establish safe streets for all users upon roadways, GO Bike is looking to increase safety on Buffalo’s streets through the Bicycle Lane Request Form. Unfortunately, most people choose not to ride their bicycles because they do not feel safe doing so. The initiative is a part of the Complete Streets campaign to promote health, safety, community, environmental sustainability, and quality of life for all, in every season.

GO Bike seeks to have parents in the City of Buffalo feel comfortable about allowing their children to bike to school and ensure fellow citizens have realistic alternatives to automobile transportation. By replacing drive-alone trips with alternative methods such as biking, individuals will not only improve their health, but the health of the environment and the health of the greater community will be improved as well.

Working with the City of Buffalo, Go Bike is looking to build safe and well-designed bicycle facilities throughout Buffalo. Join GO Bike by signing the Bicycle Lane Request Form in order for the demand and need for bike lane locations to be made known.

The goal is to reach 1,000 signatures by the end of July! For more information on how to increase safety on the streets for cyclists, visit the GO Bike Buffalo website, a GO Buffalo partner helping to increase alternative transportation options in Buffalo.

Help create a more bike-friendly city today!

Architecture Firms Design State of the Art Buildings for BNMC Member Institutions

June 14, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Construction, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, RenovationsLeave a Comment

After much anticipation about where the new University at Buffalo‘s (UB) School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences would be and the firm that would design it, it is evident that the new buildings being built on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) are setting the standard for creative submissions by many globally competitive design firms to design innovative facilities within the Buffalo-Niagara region.
UB’s announcement to have HOK design its $375 million medical school came after holding a second-round architectural ideas competition to decide which firm could present the best creative design for the project. Although the actual design has yet to be revealed, what can be said is that the plan will go down in the books as one of Buffalo’s most sustainable structures to be built. The HOK planning goal is to aim for a LEED Gold certification for the facility.

The medical school will be located on the corner of Main and High Streets and will either incorporate the NFTA Metro Rail Station into the design or be built alongside it. The groundbreaking is set to take place in the fall of 2013 with the goal of completing construction by 2016. The facility will bring 1,200 students, faculty and staff to the BNMC.

HOK model that won the architectural competition to design the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Continue reading “Architecture Firms Design State of the Art Buildings for BNMC Member Institutions”

BNMC Becomes a Tobacco-Free Zone

May 31, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Healthy Communities, News, WellnessLeave a Comment

As the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus continues to promote healthy lifestyles and sustainable environments, on July 4 the Medical Campus will officially be declared a tobacco-free zone across its 120 acre footprint which spans from Goodell Street to North Street and east-west from Michigan Avenue to Main Street. The tobacco-free adoption wp-contentlies to all of the BNMC’s employees, visitors, patients, vendors, contractors and will not be permitted on any of the BNMC properties.
Many of the member institutions such as the Buffalo Medical Group, Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the University at Buffalo have already declared that their sites are tobacco-free zones. Working with the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition, BNMC created a tobacco-free plan that included data from campus employees about their receptiveness for creating a tobacco-free campus. There was a great deal of support from many of the employees who took the survey since a major reason mentioned for choosing to work at one of the medical and research institutions was to help create healthier environments.

This adoption will affect more than 1 million patients and visitors, as well as the 12,000 employees and students. Secondhand smoke is a dangerous contributor to tobacco-related health issues. Residents that live near the BNMC will be influenced by this change as well, ceasing the litter that builds up on neighboring properties. To continue to show dedication to becoming a good neighbor promoting healthy communities, a detailed implementation strategy will be established in order to promote and enforce the initiative.

For information about tobacco cessation resources, please visit the NYS Department of Health Tobacco Control Program and the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition websites.

Read coverage about the adoption below:

City Hall Looks to Broaden New Tobacco Ban on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is Now Smoke Free

Medical Corridor Snuffs Out Smoking

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Going Tobacco-free

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus to Ban Smoking

Medical Campus Wants to Expand Smoking Ban

Smoking Banned at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Reduce the Risk Factors as You Walk on Wednesdays

May 22, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Healthy Communities, Homepage, WellnessLeave a Comment

Did you know that walking can help prevent many chronic and cardiovascular diseases? On the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus we are encouraging healthy lifestyles through our Healthy Communities, Wellness, and Transportation initiatives, all created with the goal of improving your quality of life in mind.

Begin your commitment to maintain a healthy lifestyle right where you live and/or work. Walking for 30-40 minutes each day can ultimately have a positive affect on your life expectancy. Join the Walking on Wednesdays group as they meet at Roswell Park Cancer Institute‘s Kaminski Park every Wednesday starting May 23 until September 26 from 12:10 – 12:50 p.m. Every week, there will be a different route and giveaways as the walks take place in rain or shine.

Need more motivation to begin walking while on the BNMC or walking in general? Check out all of the great benefits of walking every day as you add Walking on Wednesdays into your daily activity routines. Walking can:

Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol)
Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol)
Lower your blood pressure
Reduce your risk of or manage type 2 diabetes
Manage your weight
Improve your mood
Help you stay strong and fit
Burn up at least 100 calories of energy if you walk one mile (1.6km). Walking two miles (3.2km) a day, three times a week, can help reduce weight by one pound (0.5kg) every three weeks.
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease are also often risk factors for other chronic diseases. Many risk factors are related.
Reduce the risk for cardiovascular diseases associated with physical inactivity. Risks for cardiovascular disease associated with physical inactivity are similar to that of cigarette smoking.

For more information on how walking can increase your health, take a short 10 minute break to watch the video below by the University of Toronto’s Dr. Mike Evans, who is a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health for the university.

Last Beakers 'n Beer Event on the Spring Schedule Tonight

May 22, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Event, NetworkingLeave a Comment

Beakers ‘n Beer

This event is on 22 May 2012 5:00pm at Ulrichs Tavern

BNMC employees and members of the community, join us as we have a great time tonight at Beakers ‘n Beer. This evening’s event will also be the last networking event on the spring schedule! Come and celebrate 10 years of Beakers ‘n Beer with us at Ulrich’s! You’ll have the opportunity to network with fellow professionals and enjoy free food and drinks!

It’s not too late to RSVP. E-mail RSVP@bnmc-old.local. We look forward to seeing you there.

The Transformation of the New BNMC Employee Multi-Modal Transportation Structure on High Street

May 18, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Construction, Homepage, Parking, RenovationsLeave a Comment

The new BNMC Multi-Module Transportation Structure located at 134 High Street contains more than two thousand parking spaces. The first five levels are currently open and it has more and more cars stationed in it every day. When fully open next month at nine levels, employees are sure to find a safe place to park their vehicle away from the extreme elements of the scorching sun and heavy snow. The structure was built as a partnership between the University at Buffalo, Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the BNMC to meet demand created by the new developments on the campus.
Managed by BNMC Parking, LLC, the facility offers the safety of pass-only access. There are different ways to pay for employees. To fill out the wp-contentlication and learn about the different options, download the wp-contentlication.

Features include:

An enclosed waiting area on the first level coming out of the High Street entrance. The enclosed space is near the shuttle stop which takes passengers anywhere on the Medical Campus.
LED lighting for clear illumination of pathways throughout the entire structure.
A windshield cleaning station on the first level.
10 Electric Vehicle charging stations on the first level.
Soon-to-be-installed bike racks on the first level.
Emergency blue-light call stations on each floor.
Security cameras on each level.
Soon-to-be-installed solar trees on the top 9th level.

Take a look at the construction transformation that took place over the past several months.

Laying the foundation.

It’s up, standing strong and tall.

Now it’s time for the accessories.

BWI National Health Promotional Training Institute

March 25, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Innovation Center, WellnessLeave a Comment

BWI National Health Promotional Training Institute has been a national leader in providing comprehensive wellness management services, health education training programs, and wellness-team building events for corporations, schools and communities since 1994. With rising healthcare costs, now more than ever before, BWI recognizes the universal attention placed on a healthy workforce and personal health advocacy. BWI’s outcome-based health promotion services are aligned with national standards and performance metrics that are documented to create behavior change. BWI is committed to improving our nation’s health…one community at a time, one company at a time and one person at a time.
Wellness Institute initiatives include strategic planning services, as well as health promotion industry incubation and job creation activities.

Website: www.battleworks.com