Community Archives - Page 8 of 10

BNMC Launches Neighborhood Explorer Program

May 16, 2013 by BNMCin Allentown, Amenities, Attractions, Campus-wide, Community, Employees, Fruit Belt, Member Institution(s)5 Comments

Employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) have the opportunity to discover more places to shop, eat, receive great services and be entertained right in the neighborhoods surrounding their workplace. The vivacious neighborhoods found in Allentown, downtown Buffalo and the Fruit Belt all have some of the best places to enjoy a quick lunch break or night on the town. A part of the BNMC master plan, the work being done to support our neighbors is evidence of a commitment to ensure that the resources going into the BNMC do not result in a positive impact only within the boundaries of this 120-acre Medical Campus.
Through the Neighborhood Explorer Program, the more than 12,000 employees that work on the BNMC can now discover, engage and support local businesses as they receive discounts and incentives for their patronage. Employees can plan their next trip to the restaurant they always wanted to try or even stumble across a boutique that they have never heard of. It all starts with expanding the experience in the area beyond the context of the trip to and from work, especially for the employees that do not reside in the area and are not too familiar with all of the amenities that are available.

There are more than 50 businesses offering products and services to each employee that signs up to participate in this FREE program. All employees have to do is find out when and where they can pick up their wallet-sized Explorer Card, present their ID badge and check the list of participating businesses and begin using the card. It really is that simple. View a list of participating businesses here.

Businesses will have window clings that will help to identify themselves as a participating business offering BNMC employees a discount.

The BNMC and these neighborhoods have more in common than the close proximity to one another. Each of them promote growth, unity, a better quality of life for all and economic development – it’s a community. All employees can sign-up to receive the Explorer Card. If you are a BNMC employees and want to begin enjoying the benefits of the community that you work in or if you want to learn more, visit bnmc-old.local/explore/neighborhood-explorer-program where a schedule of sign-up locations will be posted.

BNMC employees, become an Explorer today! Sign-up to receive your Explorer Card here.

If you’re a local business interested in participating, contact Ekua Mends-Aidoo at 716.218.7806 or emends-aidoo@bnmc-old.local.

Alternative Energy Cruise Night

May 13, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Energy, Event, Sustainability, Transportation4 Comments

Buffalo Green Projects, LTD brings the Alternative Energy Cruise Night to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for the second time this Thursday, May 16 at the 589 Ellicott Street surface lot. All modes of green transportation are encouraged to participate in this fun event showcasing better ways to get around.
A community organization, Buffalo Green Projects, LTD focuses on green initiatives throughout the WNY region. Join Buffalo Green Projects as they welcome car dealers and individual owners as they put their alternative energy vehicles on display.

Not familiar with different types of green transportation options? Attend this event and learn about the difference between electric and hybrid vehicles, and other green transportation options. Check out the cars like the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and a Mercedes Benz that runs on vegetable oil amongst other cars that run on liquids like diesels and flex fuels. NFTA will bring one of the biggest multi-passenger vehicles that help many save money in the hybrid bus.

Ride your bike and park it at one of the bike racks available or drive your traditional gas car so you get out to enjoy music, food and see some of the coolest cars of the future that will most likely become commonplace.

Don’t miss this exciting, innovative and fun green event!

Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center Seeks Feedback for Feasibility Study

May 13, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Homepage, Member Institution(s)2 Comments

The largest non-profit hearing and speech center in the country is located here in Western New York on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. In its 60th year serving Western New Yorkers, the Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center (BHSC) is looking to expand its diagnosis and treatment services by conducting a feasibility study survey to help solidify need-areas for growth and sustainability through its upcoming strategic fundraising campaign.
The BHSC has a number of programs that enhance the quality of life for children, teens, adults, and the elderly dealing with various communication disorders. From speech-language impediments to hearing and learning difficulties, BHSC offers accredited and certified professional support for community members and the resources for continued growth. With over 350 staff made up speech pathologists, audiologists, occupational therapists physical therapists, early childhood educators and more, the environment created for learning and advancement is one that families with a loved one receiving treatment cherish.

To-date, the organization has served more than 100,000 individuals. To serve even more, there are four key initiatives that BHSC is looking to generate feedback and support for based on assessments from its leadership team are:

Building: $900,000 to retire the mortgage on the main facility at 50 East North Street freeing up operational support so it can be reinvested into the audiology clinic which serves more than 7,000 patients annually. The clinic is one of the only audiology providers in Western New York that accepts Medicaid which accounts for 44% of the patient base. The clinic is the only service provider that also simultaneously addresses multiple health and human service issues related to hearing and speech disorders in one centralized location.

3 Fund Endowments: $3.5 Million

*Language to Literacy™ Fund: $1,000,000 to establish a Language to Literacy™ Fund allowing the Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center to grow this very successful Language to Literacy™ program for children 3 to 18 years old. This intervention literacy program assists 365 students to increase an average of 1.3 grade levels in just 20 sessions.

*Social Communication™ Fund: $1,000,000 to establish a Social Communication™ Fund to serve more children 5 to 17 years old who struggle with conversational skills, self-regulating skills and important every-day problem-solving and cooperation skills. There are currently65 children per year served, but the goal is to serve at least 200 per year.

*Early Childhood Center Fund: $1,500,000 to establish the Early Childhood Center Fund to serve more children with autism spectrum disorder, various disabilities and behavior challenges. The center currently helps more than 250 children each day but looks to serve more. Rremaining at the forefront in treating these health conditions which have such a large impact on society today is challenging. BHSC has specially trained speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists provide services in nine school sites and throughout the community to over 2,400 children each year. Combined therapies come at a high cost and reimbursement rates rarely cover 100% of actual costs.

If you would like to support BHSC’s mission improve the quality of life for all with communication disorders by delivering cutting edge diagnosis and treatment of hearing and speech impairments and related special education services or to simply learn more about the feasibility study being conducted by The Steier Group, visit www.askbhsc.org. All surveys are encouraged to be in by Friday, May 24th. Click here to take the survey.

Learn more about BHSC below:

*May has been designated as National Better Hearing and Speech Month. BHSC is offering free hearing screenings to children and adults of all ages at all four clinic locations. Help raise awareness and understanding about communication disorders and the organizations that diagnose and treat them today.

American Cancer Society Seeks Participants for Cancer Prevention Study

May 6, 2013 by BNMCin Community, Employees, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Research, Wellness

To better understand ways to prevent cancer, the American Cancer Society is recruiting men and women across the US and Puerto Rico for a landmark new research study – Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). Enrollment is being made possible in partnership with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus on Wednesday, June 19th at Roswell Park’s Gaylord Cary Conference Room from 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Individuals may choose to participate if they are willing to make a long-term commitment to the study (which involves completing follow-up surveys periodically over the next 20-30 years), are between the ages of 30 and 65 years old and have never been diagnosed with cancer. For more information, visit www.cps3buffalo.org, call 1-888-604-5888 or e-mail mcps3@cancer.org.

May = National Bike Month

May 1, 2013 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Transportation, Wellness

A number of events are lined up to celebrate National Bike Month here in Buffalo. Created to promote bicycling as a way to have fun, exercise and get from one point to another, National Bike Month is sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. As a way to celebrate ways to preserve your health and the environment, enjoy the community at large and join a nationwide movement connecting bike-riders everywhere, this month is sure to offer frequent cyclists and those who just ride for fun the opportunity to help promote active and healthy lifestyles.
Join cyclists in your community by biking to work, school, destinations, and to various events in Buffalo to bring awareness to the importance of bicycle-friendly communities and the benefits that come with biking on a regular basis.

Events:

National Bike to School Day: Wednesday, May 8th

Bicycle Commuter Breakfast: Friday, May 17th 6:30 a.n. – 10 a.m. on the BNMC @ 929 Washington Street

National Bike to Work Day: Friday May 17th

National Bike to Work Week: Monday, May 13th – Friday, May 17th

Download the GObike Buffalo Bike Month events poster for an additional list of events around Buffalo. Visit GObike Buffalo for more information about creating sustainable transportation communities.

UB and St. John Baptist Panel Releases Report on Creation of Economic Opportunities for Residents

April 22, 2013 by BNMCin Community, Fruit Belt, Homepage, Outreach

UB and St. John Baptist panel releases report on creation of economic opportunities for residents of neighborhoods bordering Buffalo’s Medical Campus

UB to begin immediate implementation of panel’s recommendations

The Economic Opportunity Panel (EOP), wp-contentointed by the University at Buffalo (UB) and St. John Baptist Fruit Belt Community Development Corp. to assess how the opportunities created by the sale of the McCarley Gardens housing complex could be more accessible to the residents of McCarley Gardens and the city’s Fruit Belt, released its report today.

Last week, the panel presented its report to UB President Satish K. Tripathi and Minister Michael Chapman, consultant/CEO, St. John Baptist Fruit Belt Community Development Corp. A copy of the report is available here (http://tinyurl.com/UB-EOP-Report).

Created in 2011 as a contingency of the future sale of the McCarley Gardens housing project to UB, the EOP, in preparing its report, met with nearly 70 community and business leaders over the past year and a half. More broadly, the panel considered how UB’s growing presence on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), and the growth of the BNMC itself, could benefit neighboring communities.

An internal working group of UB and the church, the EOP consisted of six members with expertise in business services and procurement, job training and workforce development, minority hiring and business ventures, and leadership development.

While acknowledging that UB already meets or exceeds state-mandated targets for minority and women employment and business participation on all of its downtown Buffalo construction projects, the EOP report identified six ways the university could do more to “make economic opportunities more accessible to those in our community who have had too few such opportunities.”

The panel’s recommendations build upon the success of projects and initiatives already underway at UB to increase community access to jobs and business opportunities created by UB’s expansion in downtown Buffalo.

The panel recommended that UB:

Illuminate paths to good permanent jobs at the university by strengthening connections between residents and systems of education, job training, recruitment and placement that already exist.
Help minority- and women-owned firms – especially those based in the immediate neighborhood – form, grow and develop their businesses by securing business opportunities with UB for a wide range of routinely purchased goods and services, and other ways.
Engage residents of McCarley Gardens and adjacent communities in planning for UB’s downtown expansion, especially to protect and enhance the values of their properties and neighborhood as UB continues to invest.
Expand two-way communication between the university and the community that will be timely, transparent, participatory and operating at multiple levels.
Assign responsibility and create accountability for ongoing implementation of these recommendations to (1) a member of UB’s senior leadership and (2) to the UB 2020 Opportunities Advisory Council (OAC) or another wp-contentropriate entity, with a charge to facilitate the role of UB and its medical campus partners in promoting economic development in the community.
Facilitate collaborations in the implementation of these recommendations with UB partner institutions Kaleida Health and Roswell Park Cancer Institute, as well as Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc.

Tripathi and Chapman thanked the EOP for its work and said that steps will be taken to implement the panel’s recommendations. “The EOP’s report marks the beginning of a process of community engagement, not the end,” Tripathi said. “The university very much wp-contentreciates the panel’s efforts on behalf of UB, the church and the community.”

“We give thanks to God for this Biblically based social justice model,” Chapman said. “The EOP has done an excellent job and we congratulate and thank them for their service on the panel and for representation of St John Baptist Church and its affiliate corporations and community at large.”

Chapman continued, “Our project is a national model; it’s the most comprehensive collaborative economic urban workforce development model. It is our responsibility to turn the panel research into practical wp-contentlication. We expect to create employment opportunities and minority participation through SJBC Corporation and SJB Business Corporation for various positions in construction, automotive, welding, robotics, security, as well as administrative and health services.

“St John and its affiliate corporations have potentially $60 million in projects slated over the next seven years, which will provide training and employment opportunities to community residents in addition to what the University at Buffalo commits.”

Tripathi said UB will take immediate steps to implement the EOP recommendations. Specifically, the university will:

Create a “jobs portal” in UB’s Downtown Gateway building on Goodell Street, where community members can learn about and wp-contently for UB jobs. The university will work with BNMC partner institutions to expand this resource to include job opportunities at other BNMC institutions.
Partner with the BNMC to develop and provide career workshops, education and training opportunities for residents. These programs will be tied to new and existing programs within UB’s Economic Opportunity Center, local agencies and area colleges to prepare residents for employment.
Hire a director of supplier diversity and hold supplier workshops describing and clarifying ways local minority- and women-owned companies can do business with the university.
Work with BNMC partners to promote the use of MWBE (minority- and women-owned business enterprise) vendors in new and existing buildings.
Open and staff a UB community relations office in UB’s Downtown Gateway Building to serve as a “front door” to the university for residents. The university will create a “co-laboratory” space within the building where community members can interact with the university and hold meetings and public forums.
Continue to engage residents through regular community forums to discuss UB’s plans for growth on the BNMC and reuse of McCarley Gardens, and offer specific sessions on job opportunities, parking and transportation, health impacts and other topics of interest to the community.
Offer additional leadership training programs to residents who wish to be active in shaping the future of their community and their interactions with UB and BNMC.
Publish a monthly community newsletter and increase its availability throughout the neighborhood.
Assign responsibility for implementing EOP recommendations to a senior staff person at the university.

With the submittal of its report, the EOP will disband. The UB 2020 Opportunities Advisory Council will serve as a primary economic development liaison between the university, the community and BNMC partners. The council, established in 2010, will work with the university and community to ensure that the EOP’s recommendations are addressed, and will pursue additional ways UB and BNMC partner institutions can open up new economic opportunities to community residents.

Members of the UB 2020 Opportunities Advisory Council include chairperson June W. Hoeflich, member, UB Council; Michael Badger, pastor, Bethesda World Harvest International Church; Ravinder Bansal, chairman and CEO, AirSep Corp.; Robert Bragg, vice president, decision support and campus development, Kaleida Health; Deanna Alterio Brennen, president and CEO, Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce; Matt Enstice, executive director, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus; Thomas A. Fentner, senior vice president, human resources and administrative services, HealthNow New York Inc.; Vicki Garcia, vice president, human resources management, Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Laura Hubbard, vice president for finance and administration, UB.

Also, Anthony Johnson, CEO, Empire Genomics; Mary Lou Klee, director of corporate employment and corporate human resources, Kaleida Health; Michael Pietkiewicz, assistant vice president of government and community relations, UB; Michael Sexton, general counsel and chief institute operations officer, Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Brian C. Springer, executive vice president, Roswell Park Cancer Institute; and Paul E. Tesluk, Donald S. Carmichael Professor of Organization and Human Resources, UB School of Management.

Members of the EOP included Dennis Black, vice president for university life and services, UB; Colleen W. Cummings, former executive director, Buffalo Employment and Training Center; Hoeflich; Brenda W. McDuffie, president and CEO, Buffalo Urban League; Hon. James A.W. McLeod, Buffalo City Court judge; and Tesluk.

John DellaContrada (UB); dellacon@buffalo.edu; 716.645.4601

Play Streets® Comes to Buffalo

April 19, 2013 by BNMCin Community, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Wellness

Play Streets® was created to help prevent and combat childhood obesity by the Partnership for a Healthier America and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Just like in various cities across the country, Play Streets® will come to Buffalo beginning Sunday, May 5th.
Select streets will be closed to cars and opened to the community to walk, ride bikes, skate and participate in physical activities like dancing, jumping rope, hula-hooping and even climbing a rock wall!

Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Buffalo helped to shape the development of Play Streets® in Buffalo by providing concrete evidence of growing obesity trends and direct feedback from youth in our city regarding the impact of the environment on their health and well-being, as well as what they'd like to see to improve.

To continue collecting that important evidence, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partners are being summoned to assist with data collection at the Buffalo Play Streets® events.

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteer teams of 2-3 people are needed to engage youth and adult participants.
The volunteers will also need to make sure a survey is completed by the participants which should take no more than 10 minutes.

In order to reach the evaluation goal, 20 adult and 30 youth surveys need to be completed at each of the 5 events. People who complete a survey will receive an incentive, probably a frisbee. Of course, before and after the surveys have been completed, volunteers are free to hang out and enjoy all of the Play Streets® activities.

Volunteers are needed to help with set-up, clean-up and assisting event participants.If you'd like to volunteer or if you have any questions, please contact Henry Raess, Play Streets Coordinator by e-mail at henry@gobikebuffalo.org or by phone at 716.218-7161.

Events

People are encouraged to walk and bike to the events and throughout the events, where there are a number of activities to get you moving.

Sunday, May 5th, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Manhattan Avenue (north of East Amherst Street, behind Bennett High School)
Sunday, June 2nd – Hamlin Park
Sunday, July 7th – Seneca/Babcock
Sunday, August 4th – Allentown
Sunday, September 1st – West Side (Rees St./Buff State/Richardson Complex)

Want to know more? Play Streets features a number of fun activities, including dance workshops, zumba, line-dancing, yoga, bike repair workshops, bike rodeos, a climbing wall, sports and games. Information on nutrition, health and wellness will be available. Buffalo Play Streets partner BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York will have their Healthy Zone Cruiser at each event, providing jump ropes and hula hoops for kids to play with and information on healthcare. In addition, Massachusetts Avenue Project’s Growing Green mobile market will be at several Play Streets, providing information on gardening and urban farming, growing seasons, recipes for preparing and cooking various vegetables and selling their fresh, locally-grown produce.

For more information, go to www.gobikebuffalo.org/programs/play-streets.

National NAACP Director of Health Programs Comes to Buffalo

April 18, 2013 by BNMCin Community, Event, Healthy Communities, News, Wellness

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 18, 2013

Contact:
Kari Root Bonaro, BNMC, Inc.
716.218.7157, kbonaro@bnmc-old.local

MEDIA ALERT

National NAACP Director of Health Programs Comes to Buffalo

Shavon Arline-Bradley will talk about health equity, power and privilege

WHAT: “An Evening with Shavon Arline-Bradley, Director of Health Programs, NAACP” is a free event, open to the public, featuring a presentation by the nationally-renowned, dynamic speaker. The discussion will focus on empowering community members to advocate for healthier communities. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear about present and prevailing health disparities, socio-economic barriers and ways to combat each by using power, privilege and knowledge to help make decisions to increase individual and community health equity.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 24th at 6 p.m.

WHERE: WNED Studios – 140 Lower Terrace, Buffalo, NY 14202 (free parking available)

WHO: Shavon Arline-Bradley, MPH, Director of Health Programs, NAACP

Shavon Arline-Bradley is the national director of health programs for the NAACP where she is responsible for coordinating and planning the Association’s health agenda and program implementation efforts. Ms. Arline has over 11 years of public health experience in the areas of health disparities, federal and state government health program management, and community and stakeholder collaborative relationship building. The New Jersey native is a public health advocate and former track and field athlete. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology and Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ms. Arline is currently serving on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Childhood Obesity advisory board and was asked to serve on the expert advisory panel for the CDC’s Division of Physical Activity and Nutrition to address health disparities. Ms. Arline is also a member of the AIDSVu national advisory committee.

Ms. Arline is a sought after public speaker and has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Caribbean. She has been invited to national and regional conferences to present on disease prevention, exercise physiology, minority and women’s health issues as well as social justice. She also ministers to congregations as an advocate for faith based health, social justice initiatives and spiritual development.

Ms. Arline was awarded Young Leadership and Excellence honors and co-authored “The Queens Legacy” in 2009. She is a member of the Columbia (MD) Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and serves as the co-chair physical and mental health subcommittee of the national program planning and development committee. She is also a member of the Columbia (MD) chapter of the Links Inc. Shavon is also the former health committee chair for the Washington DC branch of the NAACP.

Prior to joining the NAACP, Ms. Arline served as the health programs coordinator of REACH 2010 at the Heart of New Orleans focusing on the heart health of over 1,300 African American women. At the Crater Health District (VA) she was the Community Health and Prevention Supervisor and public information officer and coordinated community health education and outreach programs, administrated grant funding and contractors, and served as the community liaison to the health district.

Ms. Arline served as Health Program Manager with the Black Women’s Health Imperative overseeing community outreach and program implementation for African American women and their families. She was also the Health and Wellness Manager for the National Recreation and Park Association in Ashburn, Virginia where she managed the Action Communities for Health Innovation and Environmental Change (ACHIEVE) program funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sponsored by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. and the Buffalo Branch of the NAACP

The event is free, but RSVP’s are requested. RSVP online at bnmc-old.local/events/health/or by phone at 716.854.2662.

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC, Inc.) is the umbrella organization created in 2001 by the anchor institutions located within the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The BNMC, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, the 55+ private sector companies on the Medical Campus, 12,000 employees, and the community; coordinates activities related to sustainable planning, development and enhancement of its 120-acre space; and works to create a distinct, innovative environment that provides opportunities for entrepreneurship and active and healthy living. The BNMC, Inc. also works with partners throughout the community to develop healthier, greener, and more economical solutions to meet the needs of our growing urban campus and the region as a whole. bnmc-old.local

###

NAACP Director of Health Programs Comes to Buffalo for Health Talk

April 15, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Event, Healthy Communities, Wellness

Partnering with the Buffalo Branch of NAACP, the BNMC will welcome Shavon Arline-Bradley, MPH, Director of Health Programs for the NAACP, to Buffalo. On Wednesday, April 24 at 6 p.m. at WNED Studios (140 Lower Terrace), Arline-Bradley will talk about power and privilege – and how to use both – in advocating for healthy communities.
Arline-Bradley received both her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and her Master Public Health degree in Community Health from Tulane University. Having participated in research examining minority health disparities, she has also led numerous community outreach initiatives to promote wellness and healthy communities. With 10 years of experience in public health, Arline-Bradley now focuses on promoting NAACP's national four-tiered wp-contentroach health agenda to improve the health and well being of communities of color. She is passionate about public health, healthy eating and physical activity and dedicated to providing local NAACP chapters with the resources they need to be successful.

Learn more about Arline-Bradley and NAACP health programs here.

RSVP to attend here. This free event is open to the public.

Light Smokers Benefit from Nicotine-Replacement Medications

April 10, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, Research

75% of smokers in Roswell Park-led study said offer of free cessation medication ‘very important’ to quit effort

Light daily smokers, those who smoke fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, have greater success quitting when provided stop-smoking medications and assisted by counselors. Those are the key conclusions of research conducted by scientists at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and the Medical University of South Carolina and published in the latest issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

While the number of light smokers is increasing, most studies have focused on the benefits of counseling and nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) for moderate and heavy smokers. This study found that light smokers who contacted a telephone quitline are typically interested in using NRT and achieve higher quit rates than those who were not offered NRT.

“While many studies have demonstrated the efficacy of nicotine medications for smoking cessation, very few have examined these questions in lighter smokers, as we have done,” says Martin Mahoney, PhD, MD, Associate Professor in the departments of Health Behavior and Medicine at RPCI and senior study author. “A unique strength of this study is the use of an experimental design implemented in a real world community setting of a state quitline.”

The study evaluated long-term quitting success among 1,365 adult tobacco users who smoked less than 10 cigarettes daily and who contacted the New York State Smokers’ Quitline for assistance between January and July 2010. All smokers received two calls from trained stop-smoking counselors, and about half of the smokers were provided with stop-smoking medications.

Nearly all the light smokers offered the free nicotine medications wanted the medications, and 75% of smokers rated the offer of a free supply of NRT as very important to their quit effort. The quit rates measured at seven months were 20% higher in the group offered the NRT (33%) compared with those who received only counseling (27.2%).

“These findings demonstrate that low-level daily smokers are interested in and benefit from using NRT when they make a quit attempt,” said Laurie Krupski, first author on the study and a Training and Development Coordinator in the Department of Health Behavior at RPCI.

“Smoking cessation is a highly cost-effective intervention because the health consequences of smoking are enormously expensive and compound over time. This study demonstrates that quitline counseling in combination with NRT is a good return on investment,” said K. Michael Cummings, PhD, MPH, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina.

This work was supported in part by the New York State Department of Health and by the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Center Support Grant to RPCI (P30CA016056).

The study, “Nicotine Replacement Therapy Distribution to Light Daily Smokers Calling a Quitline,” is available at http://goo.gl/dUiio.

Annie Deck-Miller, RPCI Senior Media Relations Manager; annie.deck-miller@roswellpark.org; 716.845.859

April = Donate Life Month

April 1, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Homepage, Member Institution(s)1 Comment

Unyts kicks off April, Donate Life Month, with a schedule of events to bring awareness to the importance of organ, eye and tissue donations.

On Friday, April 5, at 9, 9:30 and 10 p.m., Niagara Falls will light up in green to show support for the efforts that will come this month, helping to bring about more awareness.
On April 6, the Peace Bridge will commemorate Donate Life Month by exuding green and blue lights on the bridge.
In its second year, the Bucket List Bash will commence at Statler City on April 12. Much like The Bucket List movie, the event will celebrate life, the ambitions and goals yet to be accomplished, offering many the opportunity to enjoy an evening doing what they have always dreamed of. Learn more about these events here.
To show your Unyts pride, on April 19, dress in your most outrageous blue and green. As an alternative to dressing in blue and green, you and your colleagues can decorate your company’s office space. When you share your blue and green photos on the Unyts Facebook page, you can be entered for a chance to win a signed Hodgson Sabres jersey.

Every person registered as a donor has the opportunity to help save a life. Regardless of age, race, or medical history, anyone can become a donor. Every organ and tissue donation goes to the person with the most need, no matter their socio-economic status. With more than 115,000 people on the national waiting list to receive organ, eye and tissue transplants that may either enhance or save their lives, the call to register is important. The response, though, is what will make a difference. Unfortunately, with more than 300,000,000 million people living in the United States, the need for donors is still greater than the supply.

According to Unyts, nearly 800 people in Western New York are waiting for lifesaving organs. Every 10 minutes, 1 person is added to the national transplant list. Visit the Donate Life Registry website and become a donor today. During the month of April, each presenting donor can receive a FREE 6-inch or Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich from any Subway in Buffalo. For more information, click here.

You can help give the gift of life.

Business Sponsorships for GO BNMC Help Members Experience Surrounding Communities

February 11, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Homepage, Wellness3 Comments

Support from local businesses in the area have poured in for GO BNMC, an initiative encouraging employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) to make healthier and sustainable transportation choices.
GO BNMC offers its members opportunities to enjoy the benefits of using alternative transportation methods, giving away rewards and incentives. When employees on the BNMC choose to bike, carpool, walk, take public transit or any other alternative mode to work, they walk the healthier walk and help to mitigate the amount of pollution released into the environment on a daily basis.

Follow @GOBNMC on Twitter for more news and updates.

May’s Monthly Smart Commuting Raffle & Incentives:

1 Gift Certificates to Oliver’s Restaurant

Free 30 Day Metro Pass

GO BNMC Sponsors:

Oliver’s Restaurant offers a wonderful decor and American and Italian food of excellent quality. A premier dining location, Oliver’s re-opened in 1983. Offering a delicious selection of wp-contentetizers, courses, wines and desserts, Oliver’s couples wonderful service with an aura of sophistication.

Betty’s Restaurant is located at 370 Virginia Street. Opening in October, 2004, Betty’s quickly won the hearts and loyalty of Buffalonians with its cheerful, sunny dining room, its friendly and funky staff, and its moderately priced eclectic cuisine. Betty’s food is simple, fresh, and creative, drawing on American and international influences, resulting in food that is wholesome, interesting, and unpretentious.

Located at 41 Virginia Place in Allentown, Fat Bob’s Smokehouse offers great service and our award-winning barbecue food. Authentic smoked meats straight from Fat Bob’s custom built Texas smoker, as well as traditional sides, seafood, wp-contentetizers, and desserts please every customer’s wp-contentetite. Fat Bob’s specializes in authentic barbecue and ice-cold beer.

Located at 33 Virginia Place, Mothers Restaurant main menu features wp-contentetizers such as steamed mussels with red curry and coconut milk broth or spaghetti squash with prosciutto, fresh sage and asiago cheese. Mothers serves unique salads, entrées and specials that are even more intriguing. Specials included two very interesting soups—curried shrimp and broccoli or tomato, sausage, and fennel. Appetizers and salads included freshly shucked Malpeque oysters on the half shell with cocktail and mignonette sauces or a salad of lump crab, avocado.

Located at 32 Allen Street, Madonna’s presents Italy on the plate and Buffalo in the heart. Madonna’s brings the Italian style of simple cooking and perfect ingredients to a city that embodies the same. With Italian style and Buffalo hospitality, this restaurant n Allentown is a great place to enjoy Italian cuisine.

The Dipson Theatres Market Arcade Film & Art Center is located in Downtown Buffalo, across from Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Showing the latest movies and offering concession items to help enjoy a great movie-going experience, the Market Arcade theater includes a cafe area and friendly service.

Located at 3 Symphony Circle, The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra provides a resident, professional, major symphony orchestra of artistic excellence and integrity to enrich the quality of life in Western New York through the presentation of live symphonic music and other musical events which educate and entertain the broadest po
ssible audiences within and beyond the Western New York region.

Located within the Hotel @ The Lafayette at 391 Washington Street, the Pan-American Grill & Brewery is a restaurant brewery with seating for 300-plus and a new mezzanine-level bar evoking the rich history of the former Lafayette Tap Room.

Located at 777 Main Street, Kaydara Noodle Bar is a restaurant that serves Vietnamese, Lao, Thai, Chinese, Korean and Japanese cuisine, including a centrally located 360 degree bar or seating overlooking the open kitchen or in the far corner with windows looking onto Main Street. Customers can also dine on the elevated platform or up in the balcony overlooking the Main Floor. Kaydara’s menu items include noodle-based dishes prepared in-house with a distinctive southeast Asian flare offering vegan and vegetarian options.

Located at 175 Allen Street in Allentown, Quaker Bonnet Eatery is the perfect spot for a breakfast meeting, brunch with friends, or lunch before a concert at nearby Kleinhans. Exhibits by local artists dot the walls, and Quaker Bonnet is a great source of information about cultural events in Western New York. All menu items and specials are available to enjoy at home. Specialty sandwiches, salads, soups, fresh pasta and potato salads daily specials (including hot entrees) & desserts are always available.

Tops Friendly Markets is a local grocery chain store that has grown since its establishment in the early 1920s. Located within every Buffalo neighborhood and throughout the region, Tops provides fresh produce, meat, seafood, baked goods, a carry-out cafe, deli and pharmacy services.

Located at 888 Main Street, Coco by Le Metro offers a variety of menu items including delicious sandwiches, soups, salads and more. Coco serves breakfast featuring fresh croissants, sfogliatelle pastries, breakfast focaccia, and egg sandwiches served on their heavenly English muffins, as well as coffee, tea and juice. Lunch features a full menu of salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches, burgers and more. Dinner is served with a basic dinner menu and changing seasonal dinner entrées.

Roswell Park's Center for Personalized Medicine

January 31, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Health care, Member Institution(s), News, Research4 Comments

Roswell Park Cancer Institute‘s (RPCI) new 5,000-square-foot facility, the Center for Personalized Medicine (CPM), will provide individualized therapies for patients through genetic code sequencing (an analysis of genomes – the entire inherited genetic makeup of humans). Using state-of-the-art, next-generation technology, advanced research has led to the identification of unique genetic characteristics that will help determine effective and custom treatments for patients with certain diseases. Utilizing high-throughput screening for drug discovery, personal gene sequence machines and a 1,600-processor supercomputing cluster, the RPCI team will efficiently be able analyze individual genome data.
Located within RPCI’s Center for Genetics & Pharmacology, the Center will also act as a resource for scientists and medical providers to use for national clinical care wp-contentlication. In addition to having a mobile unit, the CPM is the first regional resource for next-generation gene sequencing to have met federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) requirements.

At the end of last year, RPCI was awarded a $5.1 million grant to begin the pilot phase of the genome project from Governor Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council, established to promote regional economic development. Since then, RPCI has garnered an additional $18.5 million in investments to support the project. From RPCI, $16 million has been invested in equipment and infrastructure, and Computer Task Group (CTG), a Buffalo-based national leader in healthcare IT, has committed to $2.5 million. As a local and nearby partner, CTG will provide its healthcare and bioinformatics expertise to deliver personalized medicine quickly and cost-effectively. The University at Buffalo, IMMCO Diagnostics and Western New York Urology Associates LLC are additional supporters of the project.

Candace Johnson, PhD, Deputy Director of the CPM stated that “We now have the ability to do robust, ‘next-generation’ gene sequencing on blood and tissue samples, with tremendous possibilities in terms of what we can learn diagnostically, prognostically, therapeutically.” Johnson also stated that personalized medicine is the future, not just for oncology patients but for treatments across all diseases.

The CPM is a prime example of the type of support that Cuomo’s Council looks to provide for organizations throughout the region to capitalize on resources and developments that will support the local economy by creating more jobs and economic growth. Recognizing the growth hwp-contentening on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and throughout the region, Cuomo stated that “Western New York has a thriving health and life sciences industry cluster, which the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council and Roswell Park Cancer Institute recognized. Through the Regional Council process, they created a custom-tailored plan to take advantage of this opportunity, which will rebuild the regional economy.”

RPCI’s President and CEO, Dr. Donald Trump captured the significance of the Center’s presence. He stated that “The doors are wide open in terms of the opportunities for entrepreneurship and technology transfer that will flow from [the Center].” The CPM team, partners and supporters increase RPCI’s menu of services, giving the institution the opportunity to contend with other small circle healthcare organizations providing similar medical services.

Immediately on the agenda, the CPM will undertake its first 3 sequencing projects, clinical research studies that will:

Predict on a case-by-case, personalized basis which of the two main types of standard chemotherapy, anthracycline-based or platinum-based, will be most effective in treating a woman’s breast cancer, and with fewest adverse side effects;

Develop, in collaboration with Western New York Urology Associates, a diagnostic test for superficial bladder cancer, the ninth most common cancer in the U.S. and the most expensive of all cancers in terms of cost to treat; and
Engage 600 healthy volunteers representing the ethnic, racial, socioeconomic and geographic diversity of the eight-county Western New York region in an initiative to identify the particular healthcare priorities of this community, aided by a mobile tissue-collection unit that will travel to disparate and underserved areas.
In addition, RPCI expects to use the resources of the CPM in planning individualized care for its lung, melanoma and leukemia patients in the near future.

Hauptman-Woodward to Open Doors for Science & Art Cabaret

January 24, 2013 by BNMCin Community, Event, Member Institution(s), News5 Comments

The Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI) will open its doors to the public on Jan. 30 for “Modularity,” the latest event in Buffalo’s Science & Art Cabaret series.
Each cabaret centers around a common theme, featuring short talks by scientists and artists on how that theme relates to their work. The next topic of conversation will be modularity, which refers to the way ideas and objects, from molecules to artwork with repeating patterns, can be broken down into standardized units.

“Modularity” will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at HWI at 700 Ellicott St., Buffalo. The event is free and open to the public.

The lineup:

A talk by University at Buffalo Professor of Physics Surajit Sen on sociophysics: modeling battles, terrorism and chimpanzee social behavior with simple rule-based dynamics, which rely in part on the methods of physics to describe dynamical problems beyond the traditional bounds of physics.
A presentation by HWI researcher Vivian Cody, a UB professor of structural biology, on the artful structural models of protein/enzymes and their functions.
A video interview with Western New York artist Katherine Sehr, whose work is notable for its intense modularity. As described in Artvoice in 2007, “Sehr’s drawings don’t look like drawings at all, but rather like prints of simple, paired squares of muted colors. Upon closer inspection, however, they reveal themselves to be something entirely different — large, frenetic, scribbled testaments to compulsive, repetitive motion.”
Bill Louden, who will present, “Piece for String Quartet and Chladni Pattern Generator.”

The event will give the public a chance to step inside HWI’s state-of-the-art research building, which opened in 2005. The sleek, modern facility features an innovative floor plan that supports HWI’s collaborative and open culture.

The Science & Art Cabaret series is organized by the UB College of Arts and Sciences, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center and Buffalo Museum of Science.

“Modularity” is the 13th cabaret held since 2009, and the third of the 2012-13 season. For information on the Science & Art Cabaret and past events, visit http://www.buffalo.edu/news/13376 and http://www.hallwalls.org/science-art.php.

Charlotte Hsu (UB); chsu22@buffalo.edu; 716-645-4655, 510-388-1831

Pharmacy Opens in Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

January 10, 2013 by BNMCin Allentown, Campus-wide, Community, Fruit Belt, Innovation Center, News2 Comments

For Immediate Release
Thursday, January 10, 2013

For more information:
Contact Kari Bonaro
kbonaro@bnmc-old.local, 716-218-7157

Pharmacy Opens in Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Mobile Pharmacy Solutions (Formerly VascuScript) Offers Prescription Delivery Services, In-Home Visits, and More in New Location

(BUFFALO, NY) – The Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. Innovation Center is pleased to welcome Mobile Pharmacy Solutions (MPS), a full service, brick and mortar pharmacy, locally owned and operated, as one of its newest tenants. MPS is located on the first floor of the building in 2,495 sq ft of brand new, state-of-the art space. Its hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

While also functioning as a community drug store, MPS implements home-based services for patients including in-home pharmacist consultations, free delivery and/or mailing of prescription and over-the-counter medications, advanced courtesy refills, medication therapy management, immunizations, and specialty compounded medications. When the pharmacy is physically closed, patients still have access to an on-call pharmacist through an automated system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. MPS employs 17 team members, including six pharmacists.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the Medical Campus community, and look forward to helping to meet the needs of the nearby Fruit Belt and Allentown community residents, as well as patients and employees on the Medical Campus and in the central business district,” said Dean P. Trzewieczynski, RPh., Chief Operating Officer of Mobile Pharmacy Solutions. “Working closely with our affiliates, we are able to offer unique services to our customers, beyond traditional retail pharmacies. The success of this model can be attributed to the ability of the care team to interface with other health care providers such as nurse practitioners, physicians, surgeons, physician assistants, therapists, etc. to provide a higher level of patient care.”

Formerly known as VascuScript while operating in Cheektowaga, Mobile Pharmacy Solutions is affiliated with Mobile HealthCare Connections, a collaboration of service providers delivering a wide range of innovative medical care, remote vital signs telemonitoring, in-home primary care and streamlined pharmacy services –all delivered directly to the patient’s home. The triage and clinical monitoring centers are staffed with fully trained nurses who analyze and evaluate remotely monitored patients. They provide coaching, patient support and notifications to primary caregivers in cases of readings outside established parameters.

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) is dedicated to the cultivation of a world-class medical campus for clinical care, research, education, and entrepreneurship on 120 acres in downtown Buffalo. It is home to the region’s top clinical, research, and medical education institutions, including: the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Olmsted Center for Sight, Kaleida Health, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo Medical Group, Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center, Unyts, and the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care. There are over 40 public and private companies on the BNMC. More than 12,000 people come to work at the Medical Campus every day, and BNMC institutions see over one million patients and visitors annually. The Campus has an annual economic impact of $1.5 billion on the region. The Medical Campus consists of more than 6 million square feet of research, clinical, and support space. bnmc-old.local

About the Thomas R. Beecher Innovation Center

The Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. Innovation Center, located at 640 Ellicott Street in downtown Buffalo, is a LEED-certified research and development space housing life sciences and biotech companies, as well as companies offering support services like IP attorneys, talent acquisition, sales, and marketing. This state-of-the art facility is designed to accommodate small to medium companies seeking office, wet lab and/or research space, on a month-to-month basis or via longer term leases, located in the heart of the thriving Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. There are currently 40 companies located in the building.

###

New Year, Better You – Healthy Living Opportunities on the BNMC

January 3, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Healthy Communities, Wellness4 Comments

Creating a healthier community is an important tenant of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus institutions. On the BNMC, there are many ways to promote healthy and active lifestyles. In 2013, we are once again encouraging overall wellness through our Lunch ‘n Learns series. These indoor wellness sessions are designed to inform and inspire employees to lead a healthier life.
Join wellness experts and fellow BNMC employees this spring to support living a healthier lifestyle at our Lunch ‘n Learns, every 3rd Wednesday from 12 noon – 1 p.m., January 16 until May 15.

New Center of Excellence Tenant's Research to Help Treat Muscular Dystrophy

December 20, 2012 by BNMCin Community, Homepage, Life Sciences Companies, Member Institution(s), News, Research4 Comments

Inspired by his grandson, JB’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy diagnosis, Jeff Harvey, Tonus Therapeutics co-founder and chief financial officer, along with Frederick Sachs, University at Buffalo (UB) Distinguished Professor, Thomas Suchyna, Research Assistant Professor, and Philip Gottlieb, Research Associate Professor, all from UB’s Department of Physiology and Biophysics, partnered to develop a therapy for muscular dystrophy. Establishing Tonus Therapeutics in 2009, the group began to work together based off of initial research Sachs and his team first came across nearly 10 years ago, studying the effect of venoms on mechanosensitive ion channels.
As one of several forms of muscular dystrophy, Duchenne is the most lethal, rapidly getting worse over time causing respiratory problems in addition to severe and increased limb-muscle weakness. The absence of the dystrophin protein is due to a defective gene commonly found in males. Dystrophin helps muscle cells maintain their shape structure. Without that protein, cell membranes tear apart more easily and cause the muscle to contract abnormally. According to Sachs, when this hwp-contentens, the body “starts digesting muscle from the inside out.”

A UB spin-off company, having made the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences (CoE) its home headquarters, Tonus Therapeutics will continue its quest to develop drugs that help distribute and control the transfer of mineral substances like calcium to cells through the tiny conduits known as mechanosensitive ion channels. These channels, which Sachs co-discovered in 1983, connect the inside of a cell with its outside. Normally, in healthy cells the channels are closed, but when a cell is stretched or contorted, the channels open and let calcium and other substances into the cell.

Using GsMTx4, a peptide that scientists at UB discovered in the venom of the Chilean rose tarantula, Tonus Therapeutics will use the FDA “orphan drug” designation to move forward with the development of a therapy for muscular dystrophy. The designation of GsMTx4 comes with recognition from the government agency that the peptide is a promising method of treatment for a rare disease like muscular dystrophy. Research shows that GsMTx4 is capable of staying in the body for a long time without breaking down. This means it could be possible to deliver low doses infrequently, reducing costs for patients. The company has gathered preliminary data showing that GsMTx4 is nontoxic in mice and did not disturb heart function in mice or ferrets or isolated human heart muscle.

In November, Tonus Therapeutics licensed UB patents relating to GsMTx4 through UB’s Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (UB STOR).

Harvey stated that “Being located in a hub of research activity in Buffalo, close to other entrepreneurs and biotech startups, is important to [Tonus Therapeutics].” He also stated that “The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is extremely important to us because it provides ready contact with experienced entrepreneurs and potential clinical and commercial partners, including those within the [CoE].”

The CoE, a part of the 400,000 sq. ft. Buffalo Life Sciences Complex, houses more than 100 scientists with biological, physical and computational expertise. The CoE’s efforts aims to leverage its research resources, helping to create new technological advantages for health care and life sciences industry sectors, partnering with and supporting biomedical, research and development companies like Tonus Therapeutics. Marnie LaVigne, UB associate vice president for economic development stated that “Tonus benefits from the technological and business resources available here, and their continued growth will be an asset to Western New York’s economy.”

Prior to their move into the CoE, the Tonus team benefited from other UB resources and partnerships. Harvey is a graduate of the UB School of Management’s High-Tech Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership program, and Tonus received funding through the UB Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology (UB CAT). The Children’s Guild Foundation and the John R. Oishei Foundation have provided additional funding.

Learn more about Tonus Therapeutics below:

Roswell Park Recognizes Staff, Community Supporters at 5th Annual Eva M. Noles Progra

December 13, 2012 by BNMCin Community, Event, Member Institution(s), News6 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 12, 2012
Contact: Annie Deck-Miller, Senior Media Relations Manager
716-845-8593; annie.deck-miller@roswellpark.org

Roswell Park Recognizes Staff, Community Supporters at 5th Annual Eva M. Noles Program
Scholarship awarded to RPCI employee in tribute to Buffalo’s first African-American nurse

BUFFALO, NY — DeMarco Ogletree, a cashier in the Nutrition & Food Service Department at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), earned the $2,000 Eva M. Noles Scholarship Friday, December 7 at the fifth annual Eva M. Noles Scholarship and Community Recognition Breakfast at RPCI. The annual program honors the legacy of Eva M. Noles, RN, Buffalo’s first African-American registered nurse and a longtime RPCI employee who served in many leadership roles at the Institute, including as Director of Nursing.

Ogletree joined the Roswell Park staff in the spring of 2012. He is presently pursuing degrees in both nursing and theology at Erie Community College and plans to continue his work in healthcare, helping to fight health disparities in the Buffalo area. “From his first days with us, DeMarco has committed himself wholeheartedly to the Roswell Park mission,” said David Scott, RPCI Director of Diversity and Inclusion. “He has contributed greatly as an employee, and now we have a great opportunity to reward that commitment — which embodies the work, spirit and legacy of Ms. Noles — and help him achieve his career goals by providing a scholarship toward his studies.”

Darius G. Pridgen, Pastor of True Bethel Baptist Church in Buffalo and Ellicott District Councilmember for the City of Buffalo, gave the keynote address at the program, during which several RPCI staff members and volunteers were recognized for their role in providing cancer education and preventive outreach to underserved communities throughout Western New York. Among those recognized were Georganne Alexander, a volunteer with the Buffalo/Niagara Witness Project; Ramon Luciano Jr., a volunteer with Minorities Allied for the Need to Understand Prostate Cancer (MAN UP); Carmen Sepulvedad, a volunteer with the Esperanza y Vida Project; and Gloria Quarles, a volunteer who serves on Roswell Park’s Community Advisory Steering Committee.

Staff and volunteers were also recognized for their contributions to Cruisin’ for a Cure, a prostate cancer education and screening event held at RPCI in September, and to the African American Roswell Employee Network, whose activities include year-round community outreach on behalf of RPCI.

The mission of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. RPCI, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or email askrpci@roswellpark.org.

Pharmacy Opens on the BNMC, Serves Entire Community

December 13, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Innovation Center, Wellness2 Comments

Mobile Pharmacy Solutions (MPS), located in the Innovation Center at 644 Ellicott Street, is a convenient pharmacy option on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for the entire community. The locally owned and operated pharmacy opened its doors the first week of December. True to its name, MPS operates using a distinct pharmacy care model offering over-the-counter prescription and free delivery services for Western New Yorkers right where they are. Customers can also receive prescriptions by mail. The full-service pharmacy functions as a normal drugstore and in addition to its mobile services, MPS also provides immunizations and medical therapy management. Order by phone, online, or in-person.
The pharmacy hours are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Prescriptions can be ordered by phone, online, or in-person. To speak with an MPS representative, call 716.247.5300.

MPS is dedicated to helping its customers receive the best pharmaceutical care that can be administered. Complimentary compounded medications (medications tailored to each patient’s treatment needs) are created in-house and its staff of pharmacists provide scheduled in-home and virtual consultations.

Clinics for influenza vaccinations and outpatient wellness will be conducted frequently and there are certified diabetic educators on staff. When the pharmacy is closed, patients have access to an on-call pharmacist 24/7 through an automated phone system.

Through the Courtesy Care program, refills are automatically filled using a pharmacy dispensing system. When your prescription is due, you don’t even have to worry about keeping up with expiring medication dates.

Other services include:

Adherence Services
Collaborative Consultative Services
Patient Management and Outcomes Programs
Diabetes Education and Management Program, CDE
Mobile Healthcare Connections Collaborator
Ancillary Services

Helping patients save time and the hassle of having to pick-up a prescription, MPS provides same- and next-day prescription delivery to your home or workplace. The convenient delivery service gives each individual the opportunity to focus on life’s daily to-dos as they rest assured that the pharmaceutical treatments recommended are en route.

New to MPS? Begin receiving your prescription services today and receive free glucose monitoring as a new patient. MPS accepts all Medicare part D plans and most commercial insurance plans as well. MPS has a total of 17 employees, including 6 pharmacists.

Visit www.mpswny.com to learn more.

GO Bike Buffalo Receives National $50,000 Grant from Play Streets®

November 15, 2012 by BNMCin Community, Environment, Healthy Communities, Homepage, News, Wellness7 Comments

GO Bike Buffalo has announced that they have received a $50,000 grant from Play Streets®, an initiative created to help prevent and combat childhood obesity by the Partnership for a Healthier America and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
As 1 out of 10 cities chosen to receive the award, Buffalo will continue on its journey to create a city where alternative modes of transportation, healthy communities, and the education of the future generations are a top priority.

In addition to GO Bike Buffalo, collaborators include BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, the City of Buffalo and the Common Council. The award will help to make the City of Buffalo a place where children can play in the streets safely as they are provided with more options the stay active and healthy.

The President and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, Alphonso O’Neil-White, stated that “BlueCross BlueShield sees Play Streets® as a transformative program that will improve the health of our region and inspire people to make healthy choices.”

For one year, Buffalo, including the other 9-city award recipients (Minneapolis, MN, Savannah, GA, Durham, NC, New Orleans, LA, Omaha, NE, York, PA, San Francisco, CA, Chicago, IL, and Caguas, PR) will host Play Streets® events that will result in closing designated streets to traffic making the play-friendly road open to the community. In addition to the funds, each awardee will receive technical assistance, and communications and marketing support from the Partnership for a Healthier America, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and local Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to help promote the events that will take place in each community.

GO Bike Buffalo’s efforts to create healthy, environmentally sustainable, community-friendly transportation options in the City of Buffalo have not gone unnoticed. The non-profit organization’s dedication to local initiatives like the Complete Streets, GO Buffalo, Buffalo Green Code, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, and more has made a substantial impact in the community.

Justin Booth, Executive Director of GO Bike Buffalo stated that “GO Bike Buffalo is proud to introduce Play Streets® to the City of Buffalo in partnership with the Health Kids, Healthy Communities initiative to create safe, accessible and healthier communities by opening our streets so individuals and families can come together to participate in fun, healthy activities.”

A major contributor of childhood obesity is inactivity. It is recommended that children take part in physical activities for at least 1 hour per day. According to the Project HOPE. Child Obesity Policy Brief: The Pervasive Effects Of Environments On Childhood Obesity, 1 out of every 5 children (15 million) in America do not have access to a playground. In that same policy brief, more than a third of the children in this country are said to have no access to recreation centers in their immediate communities. Play Streets® is an effective solution that offers a high-impact way to encourage more physical activity in neighborhoods that often lack open space.

The grant will help to promote walking and cycling this summer and will hopefully pave the way for continued and more frequent Play Streets® support in the future.

Visit gobikebuffa.org to stay up-to-date on the progress and events that emerge from the award.

November = Lung Cancer Awareness Month

November 6, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Environment, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, Wellness6 Comments

It is natural to think of family, food and the things one is most thankful for when November rolls around. Raising awareness for lung cancer during the month of November is important to think about as well. While only 1 out of every 10 smokers will get lung cancer, it is still the number 1 cancer killer of men and women in the country, killing nearly 150,000 people per year. It is the second-most diagnosed cancer in men and women as well.
Its cause: smoke inhalation. Smoking tobacco or any kind of drug is the highest risk factor for lung cancer. Secondhand smoke causes nearly 50,000 deaths of nonsmokers every year according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Lung cancer has increasingly become a disease that is not just associated with smokers. Other risk factors include exposure to radon, asbestos, polluted air, and an existing lung disease.

According to Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) Associate Professor of Oncology and Director of Collaborative Research in the Department of Medicine, Mary Reid, PhD, between 60% and 70% of patients with lung cancer are diagnosed too late, making surgery a non-option. As efforts increase to create more early screening options, the probability of prolonging life increases dramatically.

RPCI Lung Cancer Screening

Through its High-Risk Lung Cancer Program, RPCI offers lung cancer screening for those who meet the criteria below:

Previously treated lung, oral, throat and/or esophageal cancer
Smoking more than a pack of cigarettes a day for at least 20 years or the equivalent
Chronic lung disease, such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD)
Occupational-related asbestos disease
A family history of lung cancer in a first-degree relative
History of substantial secondhand smoke exposure

Tests used to detect lung cancer in its early stages are Bronchoscopy and Low-Dose Chest CT Scan (LDCT).

RPCI Lung Cancer Treatment

The Thoracic Lung Cancer Center at RPCI offers specialized comprehensive care for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. Lung cancer patients treated at the Thoracic Center receive the the latest and most efficient treatment and surgical procedures, including Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS). VATS is a minimally invasive surgery that enables the surgeon to remove tumors in openings no bigger than 1-inch in diameter using a small video camera.

Cessation Programs

The New York State Smokers’ Quitline is free and confidential. Services include telephone counseling, a starter kit of free nicotine replacement, medications for eligible smokers, access and referrals to local smoking cessation programs and more.

RPCI offers a smoking cessation program, Just Breathe, helping smokers to quit using customized plans, in addition to providing behavioral counseling, and pharmacotherapy.

Learn more about lung cancer on RPCI’s website.

RPCI’s Mary Reid, PhD

BNMC Partners and Fruit Belt Residents Embark on Leadership Empowerment Program

October 29, 2012 by BNMCin Community, Fruit Belt, Healthy Communities, Member Institution(s), News, Outreach7 Comments

Members of the Fruit Belt neighborhood will begin leadership training that will ignite change within their community. These leaders will participate in an eight week course in which they will identify and create change in pursuit of increasing their quality of life. Led by a coalition of BNMC Partners, such as the University at Buffalo (UB), with other BNMC member institutions; Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Kaleida Health, the training provided by the UB School of Management and Leadership Buffalo will teach the group how to identify the most prevalent issues, build a plan to address each issue, and measure their success.
A kick-off event for the training will occur Wednesday, November 7th (rescheduled from Tuesday, October 30th) starting at 5:00 p.m. at Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Gaylord Cary Meeting Room in the Research Studies Center on Carlton Street. Group participants will convene with Council member Darius Pridgen to meet the mentors, the leadership trainer, institution representatives and become acquainted with one another as they prepare to embark on the four-month long journey to impact their community.

The expert training will also prepare the group with strategies on how to take advantage of collaboration opportunities with BNMC member institutions. The group will work collaboratively with churches, businesses, and other organizations interested in building partnerships that address the social, cultural, and economic issues they wish to improve.

Following the training, the group will develop a project that will be implemented to have a positive effect on the neighborhood.

The BNMC and its partners are committed to serving as a catalyst for groups in the neighboring communities that want to identify and change issues facing their community. To learn more about the training and how to participate, contact Ekua Mends-Aidoo at 716.218.7806 for more information.

Training Schedule:

Class 1: Wednesday, Nov. 7th 5-7 p.m.

Class 2: Saturday, Nov. 17th 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Class 3: Thursday, Dec. 6th 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Class 4: Monday, Dec. 17th 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Class 5: Wednesday, Jan. 9th 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Class 6: Wednesday, Jan 23rd 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Class 7: Wednesday, Feb 6th 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Class 8: Wednesday, Feb 20th 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Thereafter, project implementation.

State-of-the-Art Bike Storage Shelter – Coming Soon!

October 29, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Environment, Transportation6 Comments

In an effort to continue to encourage employees to bike to work, the BNMC has partnered with GO Bike Buffalo on the construction and management of a state-of-the-art bike storage facility located on the corner of Ellicott and North Oak Streets. The facility will be completed by the end of the year and will open in Spring 2013.
Approximately 20 bicycle commuters will soon be able to securely access and lock their bikes inside the new facility without having to worry about theft, vandalism or inclement weather. Other amenities and maintenance items will also be made available. The creation of bicycle commuter storage facilities is a natural extension of our goal to promote the use of alternative transportation modes for a more active, sustainable and healthy BNMC.

Commuting by bike presents a fun way to exercise, improve your mental health and reduce stress. It also saves money! As a GO BNMC member, cyclists get rewarded for biking to work. Members receive a free GO Bike Buffalo membership, the opportunity to enter raffles and win prizes, and can participate in the Bicycle Commuter Tax Program. Help create a sustainable environment by reducing gas emissions as you choose to bike to work rather than drive.

Funding for the facility was made available by the Federal Transit Administration. Visit www.gobnmc-old.local to learn more to become a member of GO BNMC today. To sign-up to gain access to the storage shelter, contact us by e-mail at gobnmc@bnmc-old.local or by phone at 716.566.2316. Access will be given to cyclists on a first-come, first-serve basis.

'Know Your Stats' Promotes Prostate Cancer Screening for 2nd Year

October 15, 2012 by BNMCin Community, Event, Member Institution(s), WellnessLeave a Comment

Roswell Park, Buffalo Bills Team up on ‘Know Your Stats’ Awareness Campaign for Second YearAmerica’s first cancer center, Bills partner to host prostate cancer screening clinic at Ralph Wilson Stadium

One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, but with early detection, about 90 percent of these cancers will be cured. Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and the Buffalo Bills are encouraging men over 50, or those 40 and over with risk factors such as a family history of the disease, to get informed about prostate cancer and talk with their doctor about whether early detection is right for them.

For the second consecutive year, RPCI and the Bills are hosting the Prostate Cancer Early Diagnosis Outreach Clinic, a free prostate cancer education and screening event, in connection with the American Urological Association Foundation’s Know Your Stats about Prostate Cancer® campaign. RPCI doctors will be performing free screenings that will include prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests and digital rectal exams (DRE) for eligible men at the event on Tuesday, October 23rd from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ralph Wilson Stadium located at 1 Bills Drive in Orchard Park.

Special wp-contentearances will be made throughout the event by the Buffalo Jills, Buffalo Bills alumni and Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver David Nelson. Tours of Ralph Wilson Stadium will be offered for attendees, who will also be eligible to win raffle prizes.

Men planning to attend the clinic should call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or complete the online registration form at http://www.roswellpark.org/knowyourstats. From that site, visitors can also access ads featuring Bills wide receiver David Nelson, whose father is a prostate cancer survivor.