Category: News

Oishei Children’s Hospital Now Open!

by BNMCin Buffalo, Campus-wide, Children, Children's Hospital, Community, Employees, Health care, Infrastructure, Kaleida, Member Institution(s), News

New Oishei Children’s Hospital Now Open!

After years of planning, the big day has finally arrived. Kaleida Health opened its $270M Oishei Children’s Hospital on Friday, Nov. 10th. A multi-year effort led by a number of stakeholders has given birth (so to speak!) to a remarkable new facility, one of only 43 freestanding Children’s hospitals in the country. Learn more about this exciting new development to the BNMC at www.childrensismoving.org.

Recent News Coverage

How the New Oishei Children’s Hospital came to be – The Buffalo News

Oishei Children’s Hospital: As moving day nears, a range of emotions sets in – Buffalo Business First

Take a look inside Buffalo’s new Children’s Hospital – The Buffalo News 

Playful Signage is the right message at Oishei Children’s Hospital – Buffalo Rising

New Oishei Children’s Hospital built with a family focus – WBFO

New John Oishei Children’s Hospital is almost ready – WKBW

 

Oishei Children’s Hospital: As moving day nears, a range of emotions sets in

by BNMCin Buffalo, Campus-wide, Children, Children's Hospital, Development, Employees, Health care, Infrastructure, Kaleida, Member Institution(s), News

Oishei Children’s Hospital: As moving day nears, a range of emotions sets in

By  –  Reporter, Buffalo Business First

With less than two days to go until the massive move of patients and equipment begins from Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo to the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, leaders say they’re feeling great, if a bit weary.

Emotions at the hospital have ranged from excitement and optimism to sadness as employees and patient families who have worked at the old hospital prepare for its shutdown after decades of memories.

“I’ve been talking with people, seeing how they’re doing and if they’re ready,” said Jody Lomeo, Kaleida Health CEO, who has been rounding at the old site with staff and workers over the past few weeks. “(Monday) was the first time I sensed the emotion of it all, I think because it’s the last week on that campus and the reality of the move is setting in.”

With 185 beds, the $270 million hospital is one of just 43 stand-alone children’s hospitals in the nation and the only one in New York. It will be connected to Buffalo General Medical Center on one side, and to the Conventus medical office building on the other, with ongoing connections to the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

With the five-year development coming to a close, anticipation for the opening is palpable, Lomeo said.

“The reality of the new building, the beauty and allure of the new building, is everywhere. Everyone loves the new building, and just what it represents, but I think the really interesting thing is the walk down memory lane that they’re all doing — and rightfully so,” he said. “That walk takes them to their personal side and who they’ve worked with, who they’ve healed every day. They’ve maybe parked in the same spot, walked the same route, ate in the same spot. And it’s where they’ve had holidays with their co-workers versus with their families at home because that’s just the reality of the world we live in.”

Beginning at 7:01 a.m. on Friday, the carefully rehearsed move will begin, with 150-180 patients expected to be transferred individually by ambulance from the old site on Bryant Street to the new hospital on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. A fleet of 15 ambulances from American Medical Response(AMR) will circle between the two sites over a period that’s expected to last nearly 24 hours.

An army of 1,000 volunteers will play a role in the move throughout the day, including serving as assigned ambassadors with patients, directing traffic in the parking ramp and serving water and food to all involved during move day.

The old hospital will stop accepting patients Friday morning, then will shut down department by department, floor by floor. Simultaneously, patients will begin to be accepted at the new hospital through the emergency room. Similarly, though the day will begin with double staffing, the employees will shift from one hospital to the next as patients are moved over.

“I’ve been using the example of a teeter-totter,” Lomeo said. “At the Bryant Street campus, we will have a full campus at 7 a.m., which will start to go down, and Oishei will continue to go up. Sometime after midnight, we expect we’ll shut the lights off on Bryant Street and say goodbye, and everyone will be in full go-mode at Oishei.”

THE ROUTE

CHILDREN’S MOVE

MAP COURTESY: GOOGLE/KALEIDA HEALTH

Patient Route WCHOB -> OCH

Bryant St, Right on Delaware Ave, Left on North St, Right on Ellicott St.

Ambulance OCH -> WCHOB

Ellicott St, Left on Ellicott St, Left on North St, Right on Delaware Ave, Left on Bryant St.

Intended to cross with Patient Transport in order to provide support if needed

Equipment WCHOB -> OCH

Bryant St, Right on Oakland Pl, Left on Summer St, Right on Ellicott St.

Truck Return OCH -> WCHOB

Ellicott St, Left on Goodrich St, Right on Main St, Left on Bryant St.

Families/Shuttle WCHOB -> OCH

Hodge St, Right on Elmwood Ave, Right on W Utica St, Right on Michigan Ave, Right on North St , Left on Ellicott St.

 Part of Normal Ambulance Route

Clean Energy Microgrids for Hospitals Make Electricity More Reliable

by BNMCin BNMC Team, Campus-wide, Energy, Innovation, Member Institution(s), News, Technology

Clean Energy Microgrids for Hospitals Make Electricity More Reliable

November 6, 2017 By

Microgrid Knowledge

This is the second post in a Microgrid Knowledge series and focuses on why clean energy microgrids for health care and hospitals make sense.

In most businesses, costs are a paramount concern. Hospitals are not most businesses.

At a hospital, loss of electricity can lead to loss of life. So for hospitals, reliable electricity has a very high value. That makes hospitals prime candidates for the installation of clean energy microgrids.

That was brought home in 2013 after the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon. Area hospitals were pushed to their limits, and that changed the perspective of many administrators. One area hospital was contemplating the installation of a CHP plant as part of a new facility. Typically, the decision to move forward with such a project would be heavily weighted on the economic benefit. But after the attack, this particular hospital “saw things in a whole different light,” says Michael Bakas, senior vice president at Ameresco. Economics were no longer the primary driving force. Instead, the first concern was the ability to act as a last line of def ense for the city in a crisis. The hospital could not lose its power; it had to be able to “island” or operate independently from the surrounding grid should disaster strike.

Unfortunately, that is a lesson that has been driven home several times in recent years—whether it is the Boston terrorist attack, the record flooding in Houston from Hurricane Harvey, the devastation in Florida from Hurricane Irma, the destruction of Puerto Rico’s grid from Hurricane Maria, or the near shut-down of New York City from Hurricane Sandy. Hospital administrators have had ample chance to gain firsthand experience of the importance of uninterrupted electrical service.

Hospitals are one of society’s pillar organizations turning to clean energy #microgridsCLICK TO TWEET

Existing safety regulations already require hospitals to have some form of backup generation, such as diesel generators. But when Sandy slammed into New York City in 2012, backup generators and other electrical systems failed at Bellevue Hospital, New York University’s Langone Medical Center, and at Coney Island Hospital, resulting in the evacuation of hundreds of patients during the storm. More recently, Hurricane Maria left hospitals in Puerto Rico unable to operate on patients, and undertake other critical procedures, because generators ran out of diesel fuel.

Backup generators may fulfill regulatory requirements, but they do not always perform when they are needed. In the 2003 Northeast blackout, half of New York City’s 58 hospitals suffered failures in their back-up power generators, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Part of the problem is that backup generators sit idle most of the time. Despite regular testing, they can fail when needed. Hospital microgrids, on the other hand, include some form of generation that operates on a regular basis, avoiding surprises when an emergency does hit.

Heat and power from one fuel

Hospitals that use a lot of steam, hot water, air conditioning and heat often benefit from CHP, which allows them to get two forms of energy from one clean fuel. CHP plants use the waste heat created in power generation, a byproduct typically discarded. This makes CHP a highly efficient form of energy.

Those were among the motivations when the New York State Research and Development Authority instituted the NY Prize, a program to aid the implementation of microgrids for critical facilities in the state. More than half of the 11 communities that were finalists in the $40 million program included hospitals in their projects.

The Town of Huntington on Long Island, one of the award recipients, is building a microgrid at Huntington Hospital with a 2.8-MW fuel cell and a battery storage facility that will enable the microgrid to island from the grid. The Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus, another NY Prize recipient, is strengthening its existing backup generators with a new CHP system, solar panels and battery storage to enable islanding.

Environmental and monetary benefits of hospital microgrids

clean energy microgrids

Because of their software intelligence, microgrids are able to manage a hospital’s energy resources, so that the cleanest generation is used first.

While resilience and reliability may be compelling reasons, they are not the only motivation behind hospitals’ adoption of clean energy microgrids. According to a 2013 survey conducted by Johnson & Johnson, nearly 90 percent of hospitals reported that they were incorporating sustainability into their planning process. Because of their software intelligence, microgrids are able to manage a hospital’s energy resources, so that the cleanest generation is used first.

Being a good citizen is part of the rationale, but the falling prices for solar panels and battery storage makes choosing a microgrid a wise economic decision, as well.

That is particularly true as hospitals face growing budgetary concerns. Hospitals are heavy energy users, making them particularly vulnerable to rising energy costs. Even though hospitals account for less than 1 percent of all U.S. commercial buildings, they account for 5.5 percent of commercial building energy usage.

In addition to providing resiliency and reliability, an intelligent hospital microgrid can monitor grid electricity prices throughout the day and switch to its own lower cost energy when grid prices spike. By shaving the top off those energy peaks, a hospital can also lower its demand charges because those charges are based on peak usage.

Taking the first step in installing a microgrid could impose a hefty financial burden on a cash strwp-contented hospital, but the rising popularity of microgrids has spurred financial innovations that can ease that burden.

By signing a power purchase agreement with a microgrid developer, for instance, a hospital pays only for the energy it uses from the microgrid and shares any savings while the developer handles installation and operation and maintenance.

Hospitals are just one of society’s pillar organizations turning to clean energy microgrids. Higher education is another. We explain why in the next post.

Over the next few weeks, the Microgrid Knowledge series on clean energy microgrids will cover the following topics:

  • Why Choose a Clean Energy Microgrid?

  • Clean Energy Microgrids for Colleges and Universities

  • Clean Energy Microgrids for the Military

  • Clean Energy Microgrids for the Commercial and Industrial Sector

  • Parris Island Microgrid Case Study

Download the full report, “The Rise of Clean Energy Microgrids: Why microgrids make sense for hospitals, higher education, military & government and businesses,”  downloadable free of charge courtesy of Ameresco.

How the new Oishei Children’s Hospital came to be

by BNMCin Buffalo, Campus-wide, Children's Hospital, Community, Employees, Kaleida, Member Institution(s), News

How the new Oishei Children’s Hospital came to be

By Henry L. Davis | Published | Updated

The new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital that will open this week on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus exemplifies state-of-the-art pediatric care.

The hospital tower offers the latest in medical technology and thoughtful design. A connected outpatient center replaces dated facilities that were costly to maintain and no longer met patients’ expectations.

The new hospital, together with a new University at Buffalo medical school under construction along Main Street, will solve a big piece of the puzzle on a medical campus trying to attract life sciences companies to start or move here.

It all looks like a major no-brainer. But it wasn’t always so.

The initial attempt nearly 18 years ago to move Women and Children’s Hospital from Bryant Street set off the fiercest of community battles. At one point, in 2002, thousands of people, including sports stars Jim Kelly and Pat LaFontaine, crowded Niagara Square in support of a campaign to “Save Our Children’s Hospital” and keep it where it was founded in 1892.

The unpredictable and stormy path that led to the $270 million building on Ellicott Street that will officially open Friday easily could have gone in a different direction.

It took time, but the end result was worth waiting for,” Dr. Steven Lana said.

Lana, a pediatrician, was one of a host of physicians active in the campaign that arose against the original plans to move Women and Children’s.

There were many other influential people along for the project’s meandering journey to completion. Kaleida Health administrators and board members, union leaders and a governor, physicians and patients, as well as shifting attitudes of the neighbors around Bryant, played a part.

Here is the story about how the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital came to be.

First proposal

The idea of building a new hospital downtown next to Buffalo General Medical Center surfaced publicly in early 1999, a little more than a year after Kaleida Health formed from the merger of Buffalo General, DeGraff Memorial, Millard Fillmore Gates Circle, Millard Fillmore Suburban, and Women & Children’s hospitals,

The late John Friedlander, then chief executive officer of Kaleida Health, sought to reorganize services, and to pursue an idea he and others advocated for consolidating hospitals on a medical campus downtown. Among other plans, he proposed expanding Millard Fillmore Suburban and turning Millard Fillmore Gates Circle into a center for geriatric care and rehab after hospitalizations.

There were other arguments for moving from Bryant Street.

Although parts of the pediatric hospital were in good shape, such as the Variety Tower and pediatric intensive-care unit, sections devoted to outpatient services were badly behind the times with a confusing layout, aging facilities, and a lack of modern amenities for patients and doctors. Obstetrician-gynecologists wanted a hospital where they could deliver babies and have access to medical specialists for adult women, especially if women ran into trouble during labor. Kaleida Health, facing financial trouble, also needed to cut costs.

The ideas caught people by surprise.

At the time, Kaleida Health was preoccupied with bringing together a group of hospitals with distinctly different medical cultures and staff loyalties. The Medical Campus remained a vision, with an uncertain future, and not the bustling district it is today. Meanwhile, Women & Children’s was a beloved and integral part of the Elmwood Village with a passionate constituency.

“Elmwood was different at that time, not like it is today. Businesses felt they were going to be badly hurt without the hospital there,” said Sarah J.M. Kolberg, former chief of staff to Sam Hoyt, who as an assemblyman at the time who played a key role in the debate.

Pediatricians resisted the proposal, particularly because Kaleida Health didn’t seem to have the financing muscle to build a facility they could support and didn’t have a detailed plan they could see. In an unprecedented initiative, nearly every pediatrician in the Buffalo area in 2000 signed a statement calling for Women & Children’s Hospital to stay put until a compelling architectural plan was devised with their input.

“I don’t think there was a pediatrician who would have argued with the concept of having a brand-new children’s hospital,” Lana said, “but it just wasn’t credible that we could move the facility we had at Bryant to another location. There was no land, there was no plan, there was no finance.

“What person would say, ‘Yep, let’s do it because you said so.’ We were aghast at the possibility that the crown jewel of the newly minted Kaleida Health would be imploded and cannibalized without a better alternative on the drawing board.”

Faced with opposition from pediatricians, staff, residents and business owners, as well as inadequate funding, Kaleida Health announced in late 2001 that it was indefinitely postponing a move into a new hospital downtown. The hospital system also noted that it was working with a national hospital consulting firm to help set its course for the future.

Opponents of the proposed move cheered, but not for long.

New plan to move Children’s

In early 2002, Kaleida Health unveiled a new proposal to move Women & Children’s into one of its adult hospitals, either Buffalo General or the former Millard Fillmore Gates Circle, and build an attached outpatient center.

There was a sense of urgency that drastic action was needed to stem the financial hemorrhaging and preserve the hospital system. Officials said Kaleida Health had lost nearly $53 million the year before, most of it at Buffalo General, but also at Women & Children’s. An immobilized hospital system of that size put the quality of health care in the community at risk, hospital officials warned.

Pediatric specialists threatened to leave. Other critics tore into the idea,  saying there was a special environment in a free-standing children’s hospital that would be lost. They warned that such a move would leave Western New York with a civic mistake on a par with building the UB campus in a suburb instead of the city, or the expressway that cut through Delaware Park.

“To the doctors, Children’s was their baby, and Kaleida was trying to take it away,” said Kolberg, the chief of staff for Hoyt.

A campaign against the proposal snowballed. Opponents talked and planned constantly by phone and in meetings – in the Saturn Club, at the former Ambrosia Restaurant on Elmwood and at an Elmwood storefront Hoyt secured as headquarters for the “Women and Children First” coalition. An army of passionate parents, whose children were born or treated at the hospital, readily enlisted for the battle. Many politicians joined in, too, as did an assortment of local celebrities.

As spring wp-contentroached in 2002, the campaign reached a critical mass when thousands of supporters gathered in Niagara Square in a rally to keep Women & Children’s on Bryant Street. It was moms against managers. Kaleida Health found itself overwhelmed by a public relations disaster.

Changing course

A few weeks before the rally, Kaleida Health had brought in a new CEO, William McGuire, who made it clear that his priority was repairing the rift with the pediatricians. And a little more than a week after the rally, Kaleida Health changed course.

McGuire said it didn’t make sense to move forward without buy-in from doctors and staff. The hospital system shelved plans to move Women & Children’s and promised a collaborative examination of a physician plan to stay on Bryant Street. This included a new outpatient center on Hodge Street across the road from main pediatric campus, a facility needed to address the major shift in care away from long hospitalizations.

The saga was far from over. It wasn’t clear the physicians’ plan was viable. Doctors also were talking about making the hospital independent of Kaleida Health. How were they going to reach consensus, especially if Women & Children’s was financially weak?

Things reached a climax in late March 2002 in an 11-hour meeting in New York City that brought 14 representatives from all the sides together. Dennis Rivera, then president of the powerful Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, which represented the 1,600 workers at Women & Children’s, served as mediator at his offices in Times Square. His role was key.

Rivera and McGuire knew and respected each other from McGuire’s days as a hospital chief executive in New York City. SEIU was the nation’s largest health care labor group, giving Rivera great influence with former Gov. George Pataki, whose assistance would be needed.

An agreement was  reached that united doctors, staff, and Kaleida Health’s board of directors and management in a commitment to preserve the facility’s free-standing status. It also elicited a promise from Pataki to pursue money to help build a new outpatient center and fund other improvements.

The two-page memorandum of understanding was short on details, a sore point with many people back in Buffalo. Instead, McGuire and Rivera advocated a document more focused on building a relationship among distrustful factions who had been at war, said George Kennedy, then secretary-treasurer of Local 1199 Upstate SEIU.

“I’ve been involved in hundreds of negotiations, and this was one of the most exquisite solutions I’ve ever seen — for its simplicity, for the way they focused everyone on seeing how their interests might coincide,” he said. ”

Soon after reaching agreement, Pataki outlined the plan in front of a cheering crowd at Women’s and Children’s.

A major part of the deal was  Pataki’s  promise to help Kaleida Health resolve a legal claim for $30.8 million from the federal government related to the merger that created the hospital system. Two-thirds of the money was supposed to go toward a new outpatient center.

In a settlement that wasn’t reached until 2005, Kaleida Health received about half that amount, although the state also offered financial help.

Bryant Neighbors object to outpatient

Planning for the outpatient facility at the old children’s hospital on Bryant moved forward, this time in what participants described as a bottom-up, grassroots process that involved Kaleida Health, its doctors and labor.

They presented a proposal in 2007 that included the new center and other renovations, such as a surface parking lot. It might have looked great on paper, but nearby homeowners raised concerns about the project harming the character of a neighborhood lined with Victorian homes, and some filed  lawsuits to stop it.

It’s a generalization, but physicians and others felt as though the same people who once mobilized to keep the hospital on Bryant only wanted it if the hospital never changed.

“A portion of the neighborhood wanted the old children’s hospital, not an expansion, but that was not viable,”  Lana said.

“It was annoying,” said Kennedy, the local union leader. “We had done everything to plant the flag on Bryant. I know it wasn’t really the same people probably. But it was frustrating.”

Faced with neighborhood opposition, a physicians committee began to look at construction of the outpatient center on the downtown medical campus, and in 2010 urged Kaleida Health to locate it in a new medical office building, Conventus, along Main Street. It would be the first step toward the eventual move of the entire hospital.

Changed conditions made the decision to leave Bryant Street easier.

Kaleida Health’s management, then headed by CEO James Kaskie, was continuing McGuire’s philosophy and working collaboratively with the doctors and staff. The hospital system’s finances had improved. It had purchased land for a pediatric hospital and shown it could take on big projects with construction of the Gates Vascular Institute. Further incentive was UB’s move to build a new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on the medical campus. All of which coincided with a renewed interest in downtown development.

“It was no longer build a children’s hospital, and the people will come. It was like all the pieces were fitting together. Kaleida Health did it the right way, and for the right reasons,”  Kennedy said. “And it turned out to be a better idea than anyone had when all this started.”

The Future of Medicine Book Inspired by the Jacobs Institute

by BNMCin Buffalo, Employees, Futurist, Innovation, Jacobs Institute, Kaleida, News, Research, Technology, University at Buffalo

Western New York may seem an unlikely place to invent the future of medicine. But in fact, Western New York—and the many communities like us around the country—are where the real battle over the future will take place.

While we are not home to the biggest pharmaceutical companies, nor are we the home of famous biotech and healthcare unicorns, we are where their creations are inevitably headed. Silicon Valley may be their pilot market, but places like Western New York are their proving ground. As you’ll see in Trickle-Up Innovation (p. 28), breakthroughs can—and, increasingly, will—hwp-contenten everywhere. But no matter where an innovation originates, until it works on Main Street, under our constraints, the future of medicine hasn’t really arrived.

Our challenges in Western New York are typical of so many other places around the country. With 2 million people, we are plenty big—so we’re no small challenge. Few in our community have the wealth reserves to pay for super-premium care; the vast majority have to accept what their insurance alone can cover. The health of our population shows the wear and tear of long winters, lives spent working on our feet and a steady diet of hearty but not heart-healthy comfort food. We’re aging, and presenting the typical signs that go hand in hand with aging—higher rates of stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

L. Nelson “Nick” Hopkins, MD, FACS Founder & Chief Scientific Officer The Jacobs Institute

Those of us who take care of this com- munity feel deeply invested. We care not just for our patients, but for the greater community and the healthcare system itself, across all providers. We’ve built the Jacobs Institute on the premise that fostering innovation is the most important thing we can do to ensure improved quality of care for current and future generations. We commissioned this report to rally and prepare local medical communities for the impending future. Our hope is that this report brings the stakeholders in our community and yours to the table to form long-term strategic innovation plans.

The report accurately describes the current state of affairs in major cities, and it wp-contentlies here. Providers are swamped with new mandated reporting requirements and are competing at too many levels, from primary care through specializations, rather than focusing on what they do best in the market, and getting ever better and more efficient at it. Our brands lack clarity, so patients feel confused and uninformed. All this accomplishes is slowly leaking market share to outsiders. Today, it’s patients choosing to get care down in Pittsburgh—or at Walmart. Soon, as the report warns, it’ll be national and global health brands reaching out to our patient population with virtual care. The same way Amazon has run roughshod over retailers’ business models, it—or Google, or Apple—could suddenly turn healthcare on its head by digitizing medicine at scale.

As mighty a challenge as it was to gaze into the years ahead and envision med- icine’s future, the even harder work will be done here, locally. It’s somewhat like solving a Rubik’s Cube—you understand what it’s supposed to get to, but it’s a puzzle to get there, one twist at a time. As you read this report, we encourage you to ponder how the future depicted creates new opportunities and might shape our strategic development plans for the years ahead.

Download the Report

Episode 44: Power Is With The States

by BNMCin Buffalo, Coding, Community, Government Affairs, Homepage, Innovation, Investment Opportunities, News, podcast

Talking Cities Episode 44: Power is with the States

Matt talks with New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul about how humble beginnings with her very socially-conscious family pulled her toward public service at a very young age; her start in politics working with legendary Buffalonian Tim Russert and longtime Senator of New York Daniel Patrick Moynahan; her enthusiasm around Buffalo’s burgeoning tech scene as seen on the BNMC; and her pride in her role to support Governor Cuomo’s laser focus on bringing back upstate New York by turning upside the typical economic development model.

Lt. Gov. Hochul has been an elected official at the town, county, state, and federal levels, providing her with an extraordinarily unique perspective of how government can truly work for the people. She view her ability to find common issues to “cross the aisle” as a hallmark of her success in Washington. She notes the importance of collaboration among women of different parties to enact great positive change.

She is chairing the NYS Women’s Suffrage Commission and speaks passionately about encouraging everyone, especially women, to step up and take risks to do great things.

Listen now!

 

BNMC Partners with Lyft

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Environment, GO BNMC, Healthy Communities, Innovation, News, Outreach, Sustainability, Technology, Transportation

The BNMC is pleased to announce our partnership with Lyft to provide mobility solutions for employees who work on the Medical Campus, including services such as our guaranteed ride home program for employees using alternative transportation. Haven’t used Lyft before? Try it for free with promo code BNMC2017.
The code is only valid for new users and is worth one free ride, up to $10. The coupon will expire 21 days after it’s added to a Lyft account.

While we’re on promo codes, the Reddy Bike fleet will be downsizing for the winter in the next couple of weeks, so if you haven’t had a chance to sign up for your annual pass, there’s still time! Use promo code GOBNMC2017 for a free membership.

Curiosity Driven Innovation

by BNMCin BNMC Team, Employees, Innovation, Innovation Center, News, podcast, Technology, Topcoder

Matt talks with Sam Marrazzo, the BNMC’s new Chief Innovation Officer. Sam talks about why he sees himself as a connector of technology, people, and places. He also touches on how being stationed on the U.S.S. Independence kicked off his career in technology; the importance of strong university alignment to drive innovation within cities; his longtime partnership with Topcoder; and why we should all “run to math”.

Dozens of new medical clinics, practices now open on medical campus

by BNMCin Employees, News

Dozens of new medical clinics, practices now open on medical campus

By   –  Reporter, Buffalo Business First

Two moves were completed this week that will bring hundreds of new employees, physicians and patients over to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Both UBMD and Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo completed moves into the Conventus medical office building, a pre-cursor to the opening Nov. 10 of the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital next door.

For UBMD, the move brings eight physician practices over to the UBMD Outpatient Center at Conventus with another four to make the move in the near future. The offices will occupy 54,000 square feet in the building, with 90 patient care rooms. In all, 108 physicians will practice from the site, supported by 140 support staff.

Since the first practices moved into the 1001 Main St. space in March and May, UBMD has had 15,470 patient visits at its Conventus offices. A grand opening celebration was held Thursday at the site.

The practices that make up the outpatient center include: dermatology, family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics and sports medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery and urology.

Also this week: Monday marked the opening of 20 more outpatient clinics from Children’s Hospital on Bryant Street to the Oishei Children’s Outpatient Center. The moves follow the opening of several other outpatient clinics in January and April.

Included in this round are the following clinics: anesthesiology, audiology, autism spectrum disorders, ear, nose and throat, healthy weight, intestinal rehabilitation, neuro-oncology, neurofibromatosis, occupational/physical therapy, orthopedics, pediatric surgery, the Perinatal Center of WNY, plastic surgery, rheumatology, the Robert Warner Rehabilitation Center, speech, sports medicine, urology, vascular anomalies and cardiology.

Two final outpatient clinics will make the move later this month and in early November: the hematology/oncology and neurosurgery outpatient clinics, respectively.

The remainder of the hospital’s inpatient services and emergency department will move to the new $170 million hospital on Veteran’s Day during a marathon, 24-hour move.

BNMC STEM Video Challenge Powered by AT&T

by BNMCin Buffalo, Campus-wide, Children, Coding, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Innovation Center, News, Outreach, Students, Technology, Youth And Education

STEM Video Challenge for Students in grades 5 – 12!

How will advances in technology lead to a better future for Western New York?

This video challenge, powered by AT&T, is an opportunity for students in grades 5-12 to create a video to show how they predict technology will lead to a better future for Western New Yorkers. It can be anything you can imagine, as long as it’s improving the future of our community. Utilize technology (mobile devices, drones, animation, special effects) to make your video as impactful as possible – just make sure it’s wp-contentropriate for all ages and less than 60 seconds long.

Ideas include technology that:

  • Improves the health of our community;
  • Advances our school systems;
  • Provides better connectivity among neighbors;
  • Improves transportation options;
  • Any technology advancements that you think will create a better Western New York.

Eligibility

  • Must be in grades 5-12 and under 18 years of age
  • Middle school contest is for students in grades 5-8
  • High school contest is for students in grades 9 – 12
  • Entries accepted in both the individual and group categories
  • Must be a resident of Erie & Niagara County

Timeline

  • September 11, 2017 – Challenge Opens
  • October 6, 2017 – Deadline for video submission
  • October 17, 2017 – Finalists announced
  • October 24, 2017 – winners announced

Prizes

  • Individual winners in middle & high school (1st, 2nd & 3rd places)
  • Group winners in middle and high school (1st, 2nd & 3rd places)
  • Cash prizes of up to $500 for all finalists.

Competition Guidelines:

There will be two categories of video competition: Individual and Group for both middle & high school

  • There is no limit to the number of members of a group in the group video category, however all participants must be supervised by their school teacher, principal, or club leader
  • Video should be wp-contentrox. 45 seconds in length, no more than 60.  Any video exceeding 60 seconds will be disqualified.
  • Students should use the video to showcase their creativity.  There are no restrictions on video content however video should not contain any nudity, vulgarity, or other offensive language or images.

Criteria for Judging

  • The video must explore how technology advancements will improve the Western New York in the future. The video must demonstrate an idea and its impact. For example, the video may look at how autonomous vehicles may reduce the need for the number of parking spaces currently available in the city, and offer ideas for what that space could be used for instead.
  • Videos will be evaluated based on the following areas:
    • Creativity
    • Originality
    • Technical skills used to create & edit video (meaning, how difficult was it to make)
    • Clear message that sticks to the theme
  • Videos will be judged by a panel of judges to be announced soon.
  • Email accompanying the video should include:
    • Student’s name/s
    • Parent or legal guardian names
    • Supervising teacher/adult name
    • School name and contact information including address, phone number and email address
    • Grade level of student/s
    • Each entry must be the original work of the student(s).

By submitting a video, each student confirms that he/she has received all relevant and wp-contentropriate permissions from all individuals who wp-contentear in the video, and their parent/ guardian, and that he/she has obtained all necessary permissions to use all material such as images, text, voice, music, and any other content.

Video Submission Requirements:

Complete the submission form and upload your video. This wp-contentlication is required for all submissions. Please fill out the form with a parent, legal guardian or school representative – they will need to accept the terms and conditions.

  • Must be in grades 5-12 and under 18 years of age.
  • Open to youth in grades 5-12 in Erie or Niagara Counties.
  • Middle School contest is students in grades 5-8; High School contest for students in grades 9-12
  • Entries accepted in both individual and group categories

The deadline for submissions is on or before October 6, 2017

Finalists will be announced October 17, 2017 and winners will be announced on October 24th at the TCO Finals at the BNMC. 

See press release to learn more!

 

BNMC to Host Algorithm Competition for Students and Professionals to Build Skills in Data Science, Other Tech Fields

by BNMCin Children, Coding, Community, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, News, Students, Technology, Topcoder

BNMC to Host Algorithm Competition for Students and Professionals to Build Skills in Data Science, Other Tech Fields

Coders of all levels encouraged to participate in the online competition during the 2017 Topcoder Open in Buffalo

 

Buffalo, N.Y., September 11, 2017 – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) is seeking participants for the Algorithm Competition powered by Topcoder, for aspiring and professional coders that will be held in conjunction with the 2017 Topcoder Open (TCO) hosted by the BNMC in October. TCO is a prestigious programming, design, and data science competition that attracts some of the world’s most talented design and technology experts.  The event is sponsored by Google, Booz Allen, Praxair, University at Buffalo, and Superior Group.

The Algorithm Competition is a Single Round Match (SRM) virtual coding competition aimed at aspiring and current coders with a focus on college and graduate students. The online competition will begin on October 10th at 6 PM. Participants will compete to solve the same problems in the time allotted. Participants will be awarded points for submitting solutions that successfully compile, and points are based on the total time elapsed from the time the problem was opened until the time it was submitted.  Participants can also challenge the functionality of their opponents’ code submissions, which can result in earning or losing points, and automated system tests are wp-contentlied to all code submissions.

The top 10 scorers will win an all-access, VIP badge for the Topcoder Finals that will be held in dig at the Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus on October 20-24 in addition to other prizes. Interested participants can learn more about the competition through blog posts, tutorials and other member guides prior to the competition. Also planned is a live chat with the Algorithm Competition Manager on September 21 at 11 am. Details can be found at http://topcodr.co/BNMCAlgoTourney.

Mike Morris, CEO of Topcoder added, “Ever since Topcoder was founded in 2001, part of our core mission has been to provide opportunities for individuals of all ages and skill levels to learn and improve their technical skills. Hundreds of thousands of students from around the world have joined Topcoder to get hands-on experience with the technologies that drive our digital world – and to help them prepare for the STEM jobs of tomorrow.”

According to Matt Enstice, President & CEO, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc., “Hosting the Topcoder Open in Buffalo is only one part of a larger strategy to build interest and capabilities in the tech sector throughout Western New York.  We are actively pursuing new ways to develop and promote the advancement of technology on the Medical Campus and coding is central to this focus. The Algorithm competition is designed to give aspiring coders an idea of what Topcoder is all about while encouraging more young people to get involved in tech fields and the coding field in particular. This competitions is just one of many events and activities that will be part of the Topcoder Open event this fall.”

TCO was launched in 2001 and is now recognized as the world’s premier competition for the most talented minds. Many of the world’s most respected tech companies keep a close watch on the competition and often hire top performers immediately. Past winners have gone on to successful careers at Google, Facebook, Blizzard Entertainment and Cisco. Buffalo was chosen as the 2017 site due to its leading edge hospitals and health care providers, world renowned research and banking institutions, socially innovative private companies as well as its concentration of colleges and universities, most notably the University at Buffalo, home to the academic supercomputing center and significant science and engineering programs.

 

About Topcoder and the Topcoder Open

Topcoder is a workforce marketplace with 1.1 million developers, designers, and data scientists around the world. For more than a decade Topcoder has helped customers ranging from startups to Fortune100 companies accelerate innovation, solve challenging problems, and tap into hard to find skills. Enterprises distribute work to our global network through the Topcoder Marketplace, where individuals with the right skills participate in competitions to win money, build skills, and earn recognition. Topcoder Open is the flagship event of the community. The best performers qualify to enter the Topcoder Open finals through accumulating points on the platform and in regional competitions around the world. Previous finals have been held in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. Learn more at www.topcoder.com.

 

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.    

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. www.bnmc-old.local.

 

For more information, contact:

Susan Kirkpatrick, BNMC, skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

716.866.8002(m)

 

 

 

 

Mwp-contenting the path of Children’s Hospital big move

by BNMCin Children, Children's Hospital, Community, Development, Employees, Health care, Infrastructure, Kaleida, Member Institution(s), News

Mwp-contenting the path of Children’s Hospital big move

Reporter
Buffalo Business First

Fewer than 100 days remain until Kaleida Health begins a strategic 24-hour move of patients, equipment and families into the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital. That will officially shut down operations at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

Though the journey is just 1.2 miles, planners have worked for 18 months to plan the move down to the last detail. In all, more than 400 individuals participated in the planning process via 28 activation teams, 17 task forces and four steering committees.

The ultimate goal is to safely move every patient, including babies just a few hours old.

The day of the move, the plan calls for staff and physicians to operate two fully functioning hospitals in tandem while systematically transferring patients one at a time via ambulance through city streets.

Among those involved in the move will be hundreds of volunteers, as well as three main players, each of whom gave Business First some behind-the-scenes knowledge of what it will take to move the hospital.

The administrator

Children’s Hospital President Allegra Jaros has been involved since the start five years ago, overseeing construction for the last three years on Oishei Children’s Hospital, a $270 million, 12-story hospital with 183 beds. Also involved are physicians, nurses, staff, volunteers, patient families and community members who are determined to make sure nothing is overlooked.

Jaros will manage staffing needs for the big day: Children’s professional staff, physicians and employees at all levels as well as others throughout the Kaleida Health system. That includes people who participated in moves from Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital to Buffalo General Medical Center, and from Deaconess Center to HighPointe on Michigan.

Jaros also recruited clinical team members who helped with moves of other children’s hospitals and adult hospitals.

“We brought them in at a time when we utilized their knowledge base along with a consulting company to ensure that 18 months ago, we were thinking ahead of time of all the expenses and needs to safely move our patients,” she said.

In all, moving Children’s is expected to cost upward of $7.5 million, with more than half the costs tied to labor and training ahead of time and the day of the move. Jaros will play a supporting role and will travel between command centers at each site, assess any barriers that might arise and then help team leaders figure out what to do.

“We’re planning our drills with oddities, like what if this type of thing hwp-contentens or this person or patient arrives at the door,” she said. “I haven’t had that crazy dream yet. We have such a great, talented team of care providers, so as long as we stay focused on the patients, we will knock it out of the park.”

The planner

Cassandra Church is one of the people Jaros is counting on.

Church is clinical project manager and president of Clinical Project Consulting LLC, a company she started last year to help move hospitals. A neonatal intensive care nurse, she brings experience from helping to move two Washington, D.C.-area hospitals over the past decade: Children’s National Medical Center and Inova Fairfax Hospital’s children’s division.

Church was a NICU nurse when Children’s National moved that unit from an open-bay design to a private-room model. At Inova Fairfax, she was senior director for nursing and oversaw all pediatric services when the entire 226-bed children’s hospital moved to a new building on the campus.

The Buffalo move is the first time she will rely on ambulances versus walking patients in hospital beds through tunnels and internal passageways. Though the move via ambulance might sound scary or risky to outsiders, Church said Children’s Hospital moves hundreds of patients every year to and from hospitals both in and out of town including Pittsburgh, Cleveland and New York City.

“We move them in, we push them out and from a neonatal perspective, we will often do back transfers once infants are stabilized and a little closer to going home,” she said.

She has run a series of mock moves involving representatives of every unit in the hospital.

One recent event used colored gift bags to represent patients, patterned balloons as their mode of transport (isolette incubator, crib, etc.), Duplo bricks for medicine, candy bars to represent nutritional requirements and rubber gloves for infectious disease/isolation garb.

As the prep teams “left” the old hospital, they had to remember to scan the patient’s bar-coded bracelet before handing off the bag/patient to a paramedic to be transported, then checked in at the new hospital.

The exercise led to suggestions for items that might make the process easier. For example, instead of transporting the most serious cases all at once, the schedule calls for starting with patients who aren’t as sick, then moving one who is a bit sicker, then the most serious before starting over again. That will result in what Church calls an “acuity bell curve” so caregivers aren’t overloaded.

The mock move also generated some serious questions: What hwp-contentens if a patient codes on that 1.2-mile trip? Should the ambulance turn back?

A paramedic in the room shouted out, “No. You go faster.”

“You never turn back,” Church said. “Once you’re going forward, it’s all forward momentum. You never turn back.”

After participating in two other hospital moves, move coordinator Cassandra Church brought some do’s and don’ts with her:

Focus on hands-on training. At Children’s National, she said staff were prepared only with classroom training and a tour of the new facility. The move at Inova Fairfax involved more hands-on training with practice for timed patient moves. That’s the wp-contentroach Church implemented here.

“When you look at the adult learner, we learn by doing; we don’t learn by looking at a PowerPoint. So we made all our training scenario-based,” she said.

Know your technology. The monitors to be used at Oishei Children’s might be the same as the ones she used at other hospitals. Still, it’s important to ask questions and to practice when integrating technology. Church found out the hard way that flashing colored alarm lights outside patient rooms at Inova Fairfax also had speakers, which led to a very noisy unit for a few hours.

“Give yourself time to test,” she said. “Here, we were ahead of the game in the install. We already have monitors in, computers in and the nurse call system. So we’ve given ourselves more time to test and make sure there aren’t any surprises.”

Don’t rush things. Church said that during the mock moves and other training, no one should try to get ahead of themselves. Each part of the move for each patient is timed for a reason. It’s OK to fall behind a bit. Delays are expected since no one can predict how stable each patient will be at their assigned move time. But getting ahead of schedule will only cause problems for other parts of the move.

 – Tracey Drury

The (people) mover

Leading the ambulance crew is Scott Karaszewski, a 20-year paramedic and chief EMS officer at American Medical Response, the region’s largest ground provider of emergency services. He and his colleagues provided transport during the Millard Gates and Deaconess moves and have other experience moving patients between hospitals.

For move day, the company will schedule at least 30 prople to staff 15 ambulances, including two new specialized ambulances that provide pediatric transport and neonatal care.

Though the move will be more fast-paced and continuous than a typical shift, AMR is accustomed to moving critical-care patients. Having nurses and other pediatric staff of Children’s Hospital along for the ride will absolutely ease the process.

Karaszewski said participating in the pre-planning with Church and others was the best preparation.

“We have a good partnership there and it’s nice that we can all bounce ideas off each other,” he said. “Come November, it’s going to be like a Swiss watch.”

Practice for the move goes to the next level at the end of this month with ambulances taking the route. Next will be a mock move in September with volunteers standing in as patients.

Like Church, Karaszewski won’t admit to any fears or reservations about the move.

“We have planned for every possible scenario, so we are as ready as we can be,” he said. “In EMS and medicine, we can adapt and overcome as long as nothing’s wrong with the new building, but we’ll know that well in advance. Otherwise, we’re well-prepared for anything that could head our way except a Mother Nature event, and even then we could work around that.”

Who are the volunteers?

More than 400 individuals have stepped forward to participate in the process, with teams of students from St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute and Buffalo Seminary going through a pre-check of every single room in the new hospital to make sure that outlets work and nothing is missing.

On moving day, individuals who are regular volunteers at the existing hospital will become ambassadors, assigned to families and responsible for keeping them up to speed on the time and logistics surrounding their child’s move from one hospital to the other. They’ll also greet the family at the new site and escort them from the parking ramp.

Dozens of other volunteers will serve food and beverages for patient families, physicians and staff all day.

What about security?

Just a few of the new hospital’s entrances will be open on day one, and everything will have controlled entry with badge swipes. Extra security will be posted at each level of the new hospital to limit access to patient families.

Employees will be encouraged to bring the minimum items they’ll need for the day, carrying just their car keys, phone and wallet versus purses and bags. And families whose children are long-term patients will be encouraged to take toys and personal items home in the days leading up to the move, then bring them back to the new hospital once the patient is settled.

A 1.2-MILE ROUTE

HOW MUCH TO MOVE A HOSPITAL?

Hospital planners say the typical cost to move a hospital is 2 percent to 3 percent of overall project costs, but how do those costs break down? Not surprisingly, the biggest costs are labor expenses before the move and the day of the move.

 

Some of world’s best computer programmers will come to Buffalo for Topcoder finals

by BNMCin Business Development, Conference, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Innovation Center, Networking, News

Some of world’s best computer programmers will come to Buffalo for Topcoder finals

Reporter
Buffalo Business First

Some of the world’s top technologists will get to see what Buffalo has to offer during a four-day competition in October.

The Topcoder Open 2017 will be held at the Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center from Oct. 20 to 24, featuring more than 85 competitors from 25 countries facing off in areas such as data science, programming and design.

Topcoder is a San Francisco-based company that hosts biweekly competitions that lead to regional matches and ultimately to an annual finale, which is what will be held this year in Buffalo.

Buffalo Medical Campus Inc. officials said Topcoder officials were attracted to the region’s technology assets, including the biomedical Jacobs Institute, National Grid ‘microgrid’ project on the medical campus and University at Buffalo Center for Computational Research.

“A lot of the big industries in Buffalo are going to need designers, software engineers and coders to make sure they’re continuing to grow and prosper,” said Matt Enstice, president and CEO of BNMC Inc. “This conference will help put Buffalo on the map and show ex-pats that we’re doing this stuff in Buffalo too, so why don’t you come on back.”

The Topcoder conference was recruited to Buffalo with the help of Sam Marrazzo, chief information officer at Superior Talent Resources Inc. and a longtime Topcoder participant. He said the Topcoder finale prizes are prestigious ones – and often lead to exciting job offers – so the field converging on Buffalo will be looking to win.

That level of competition will create a definite buzz in the Buffalo tech community, Marrazzo said.

“This is something that needs to hwp-contenten for Buffalo to become known as a technology hub,” he said.

Sean Heidinger, who is the curator of the d!g space that will be transformed for the event, traveled to China to observe one of the regional Topcodercompetitions. He said there will be a series of ancillary events, including an Oct. 24 forum led by women in the Buffalo technology world and visits from some of the competitors to technology programs in local high schools.

“I’m anticipating a world-class event,” Heidinger said. “The campus is going to be ready and we’re very excited.”

Dan Miner covers startups, education, manufacturing and public companies.

Hospital food that’s fresh from the farm

by BNMCin Community, Employees, Healthy Communities, Member Institution(s), News, Roswell Park, Wellness

Hospital food that’s fresh from the farm

By Karen Robinson | Published 

Much of the fresh produce is grown in Eden Valley and on other farms across Buffalo Niagara and Ontario.

It’s a similar scene at other area medical facilities – from Kaleida Health’s Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo to Buffalo General Medical Center and HighPointe on Michigan Avenue. Lettuce and corn are delivered to Catholic Health hospitals, where a rooftop garden at Kenmore Mercy Hospital provides grape tomatoes, herbs and edible nasturtiums.

Hospitals have long focused on preparing and serving healthier food to patients. What’s new is the uptick in homegrown, locally sourced produce – akin to the “Farm to Table” push in schools and restaurants.

And it’s been a particular focus on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, where the nonprofit that coordinates hospitals and other organizations on campus launched a “Farm to Hospital” initiative to explore how to bring more fresh produce into campus health care facilities.

“It’s certainly an industry trend that is growing,” said Christina Dibble, Roswell Park director of food and nutrition services. “I think that the program is only going to grow and become more robust. This is what people are looking for. There is a focus on the food being healthier, a focus of supporting your local vendors.”

The “Farm to Hospital” push to make fresh, local and sustainable food a focus at facilities on the Medical Campus is in its infancy. But momentum is building.

Driver Paul Wisniewski, of Boulevard Produce, delivers boxes of produce at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. (John Hickey/Buffalo News)

At Roswell Park, menu offerings at the cancer center’s Sunflower Cafe and cafeteria have integrated more fresh vegetables and fruit. Ratatouille earned itself a spot on the cafeteria menu recently, and homegrown asparagus was an early summer constant.

“We thought this was a perfect opportunity to bring this to the Medical Campus. We thought hospitals would be the next logical step,” said Jonathan McNeice, director of healthy communities for Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc. “I think it’s encouraging that Buffalo is being a leader on this. We’re excited this is taking root in Buffalo.”

The timing is ripe in the health care arena, but many say it will take time to implement it on a broad scale on a campus where facilities have varying means of buying food.

As a one-year, $25,000 U.S. Food & Drug Administration planning grant winds down, BNMC Inc. hopes to secure a $350,000 grant that would substantially boost the initiative. The money would be used to help hospitals add training and new equipment, as well as to tap national experts to help the initiative campuswide.

“We don’t expect this to be a quick transformation. We came into this not looking for quick wins,” McNeice said of the effort that began in 2015.

‘Embedded in our culture’

If BNMC receives the grant, McNeice said it would be “full speed ahead.” “We’re all in this together, trying to figure it out,” McNeice said.
Organizations on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus have been closely watching the University of Vermont Medical Center.

In Burlington, Vt., the university’s medical center is a model of sustainable health care food service in the country. Its decadelong effort won it acclaim in the “Oscars” of food service with the 2016 Silver Plate Award from the International Food Service Manufacturers’ Association.

With six eating facilities in its complex, it was recognized for top health care food service in the United States.

“It’s embedded in our culture,” said Diane Imrie, UVM Medical Center’s director of nutritional services. “We’ve just changed our culture in that sustainability is a decision point in anything we do, and we have a very strong farm partnership network.”

Fried foods no longer are served. Patients order what they want, when they want. The center’s Harvest Cafe for visitors and workers serves fresh, organic items, as well as local beef, chicken and turkey that is mostly raised without non-therapeutic antibiotics.

“We still use some frozen corn and peas, but it was grown locally,” Imrie said. “It’s our commitment to our community. You could be an employee today, and a patient, tomorrow.”

A garden atrium that serves as a healing space for patients features items from suppliers to UVM’s sustainable food program. The atrium has direct access to the hospital’s rooftop garden, where raised garden beds feature fruit trees and herbs. Produce from the rooftop garden is used in recipes served at the cafe.

Roswell Park’s Dibble was impressed when she toured the University of Vermont Medical Center last fall with a team from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. “We definitely walked away re-energized,” Dibble said.

Imrie chatted with the Buffalo contingent on the rooftop garden.

“A program like this does not hwp-contenten overnight,” Imrie said. “It just takes some passion, and some focus and some commitment. And celebrate the small successes.”

Getting to know the farmers

The biggest take-away for the Buffalo team was the direct link with farmers.

“They spoke with the farmers weekly and took staff out there every year for visits. They started taking pride in sourcing locally,” McNeice said. “It also allowed them to purchase more efficiently and at a better price point because they knew who had an extra crop at a certain time, and were just a phone call away. They were also very flexible in designing their menu, knowing if a farmer had extra of a certain crop.”
McNeice said the “University of Vermont set the bar high.”

“They weren’t 100 percent purists. … It’s all part of their culture,” he said. “They wanted their staff to get engaged and get their hands dirty in growing food. It was a great experience.”

In July, 21 percent of produce used at Roswell Park came from local farms. By summer’s end, that number is expected to hit 30 percent.

A “Chef’s Choice” daily special rotation menu recently began for inpatients.

“This is a starting point,” said Linda Leising, Roswell Park’s senior clinical dietitian. “We’re hoping to transition it to the room service menu, though it can be somewhat of a challenge to do locally grown vegetables year round. The Chef’s Choice is the ideal launch for us to use locally sourced produce.”

Added labor costs

The effort is not without challenges. Patients have dietary restrictions. Fresh produce can require more labor-intensive preparation and can be more costly, including the expense of additional equipment.

Dibble said the medical center has to take cleaning and prep time into its food service planning.

“Last year, we brought cases of local corn in and somebody had to husk it. In order to do that, we had to schedule somebody for a couple of hours,” Dibble said.

While bringing in fresh produce does have added expenses for equipment, staff training preparation, Dibble said “it’s been totally worth it in terms of the nutritional benefits and the positive feedback from our patients, visitors and employees.”

For instance, Dibble said, lettuce can be bought cleaned, in a bag, ready to go. If you implement all fresh lettuce, it must be washed, cut and chopped.

“We have a lot of accommodations in place, and you want the right equipment to steam that produce so you can retain the nutrients as opposed to just boiling it where all the good stuff just vapors away,” Dibble said.

Changing how medical institutions buy their produce, however, can take time to change because of procurement contracts.

It’s easier for a medical center such as Roswell Park to get started because its food service is “self-operated,” McNeice said. Other facilities contract with outside companies.

“Sodexo is very excited to work with McNeice and BNMC to drive this program so that it replicates what we do in other major markets,” said Todd Zimmerman, a health care district manager with Sodexo, with whom Kaleida contracts.

In the end, it boils down to balance, McNeice said.

“Wouldn’t it be great,” he wondered, “if neighborhoods like Allentown and Masten came to the Medical Campus to eat?”

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus to Host Topcoder Open 2017 in October

by BNMCin Business Development, Campus-wide, Conference, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Innovation Center, News

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus to Host Topcoder Open 2017 in October

International Crowdsourcing Competition Attracts World’s Most Advanced Designers, Developers and Data Scientists and Companies Wanting to Recruit Them

 

Buffalo, N.Y., August 23, 2017 – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) announced today that it will be the host of the 2017 Topcoder Open (TCO), the prestigious programming, design, and data science competition that attracts some of the world’s most talented design and technology experts. The event, which was launched in 2001, will take place at dig, the coworking space at BNMC’s Innovation Center October 20-24. Topcoder, the leading workforce marketplace with 1.1 million developers, designers, and data scientists around the world, chose BNMC to host this year’s competition as the city of Buffalo has recently emerged as a center for innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly in life sciences.

The World’s Premier Crowdsourcing Competition

Topcoder Open has been recognized as the world’s premier competition for the most talented technical minds; many of the world’s most respected tech companies keep a close watch on the competition and often hire top performers immediately. Past winners have gone on to successful careers at Google, Facebook, Blizzard Entertainment and Cisco.

Topcoder Community members from around the world compete online and accumulate points in Development and Design Tracks, and in online elimination-style rounds for the Data Science tracks. Those that qualify to compete in the TCO finals earn prizes and an all-expenses-paid trip to Buffalo to compete live, network, and meet other competitors in person. More than 85 participants from 25 countries are expected to travel to Buffalo to compete.

In addition to the main competition, Topcoder and BNMC are hosting a series of complementary events, including a student video competition, a STEM career event with local high schools, and others to be announced.

Buffalo Hosts Both TCO and Leading-Edge Technology Innovation

Buffalo was chosen as the 2017 TCO site due to its leading-edge hospitals and health care providers, world-renowned research and banking institutions, and socially innovative private companies as well as its concentration of colleges and universities, most notably the University at Buffalo, with its significant computer science and engineering department and one of the world’s leading academic supercomputing center. Organizers also cited BNMC’s focus on disruptive new technologies and scientific advancements driven by thought-leaders in clinical care, research, education and business.

Matt Enstice, President and CEO of BNMC commented, “We continue to see the intersection of technology and health care and we know it is critical to the future of medicine and to the further development of life sciences, materials informatics and biotechnology companies to stay ahead of new advances. We are actively pursuing new ways to develop and promote the advancement of technology on the Medical Campus and coding is central to this focus. We look forward to hosting this dynamic event and collaborating with the TCO team in the future.”

Howard Zemsky, President, CEO & Commissioner of Empire State Development  said, “Buffalo’s selection as host to a global coding competition tells the world that New York State is home to top tech companies and talent, and to respected higher educational institutions that prepare graduates for competitive, well-paying jobs in the tech industry.”

About Topcoder and the Topcoder Open

Topcoder is a workforce marketplace with 1.1 million developers, designers, and data scientists around the world. For more than a decade Topcoder has helped customers ranging from startups to Fortune100 companies accelerate innovation, solve challenging problems, and tap into hard to find skills. Enterprises distribute work to our global network through the Topcoder Marketplace, where individuals with the right skills participate in competitions to win money, build skills, and earn recognition. Topcoder Open is the flagship event of the community. The best performers qualify to enter the Topcoder Open finals through acculumating points on the platform and in regional competitions around the world. Previous finals have been held in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. Learn more at www.topcoder.com.

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.           

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. www.bnmc-old.local.

 

For more information, contact:

Susan Kirkpatrick, BNMC, skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

716.866.8002(m)

 

 

 

 

Buffalo rated #2 for ‘booming’ start-up environment

by BNMCin Buffalo, Entrepreneurs, Innovation, Innovation Center, Member Institution(s), News

Buffalo rated #2 for ‘booming’ start-up environment

By  &  • JUL 10, 2017

 

Buffalo is becoming a hotbed for business entrepreneurs. The city is ranked number two on Entrepreneur Magazine’s list of booming communities for start-ups.

On a list of eight cities, Buffalo trailed only behind San Diego, receiving high marks for “a healthy environment of investment and innovation.” The magazine gives credit to Buffalo’s revitalization and investments in existing infrastructure for financial services, biotech, sports science and education, as well as “great incubators” like 43North – the group that organizes an annual business competition.

43North Director of Marketing Peter Burakowski said Buffalo should celebrate this achievement.

“Our community should be proud of the momentum we’re having right now; which is greater than we have seen in more than a generation. Now is the time to keep the foot on the pedal, and keep our entrepreneurial ecosystem heading in the right direction.”

Being on Entrepreneur’s list could bring numerous business opportunities to Buffalo. Burakowski agrees that the city has momentum when it comes to attracting start-ups and luring companies that have room to grow.

43 North Director of Marketing Peter Burakowski
CREDIT 43 NORTH

“It’s important to shape perceptions of Buffalo as a city on the rise for entrepreneurship. That helps us attract more great entrepreneurs to our community. That also helps us get on the radar of investors who can refer good companies to our community, but also put their money into startups that are settling their roots here in Western New York,” said Burakowski.

The city is developing from its strengths and its long history in advanced manufacturing. Many of the city’s assets, such as the growing medical campus, allow for the development of biomedical start-ups. Buffalo can attract millennials who are looking to get involved in certain start-up businesses.

“This is really looking at the jobs of tomorrow,” Burakowski said. “We want to keep millennials here, keep the next generation that follows here, and attract young talent here. We want to start now, and bring the jobs of the future here to Buffalo.”

Many people in the city – mainly the large college population – have a great deal of opportunities to get in on the ground floor of new companies. Burakowski hopes many of the start-up businesses that are beginning in Buffalo could blossom into the large employers of tomorrow.

“Whether it’s helping SWAT teams be able to see a live shooter situation with 360 degree video, or trying to develop a target cancer therapy so people can fight cancer with less side-effects, these are big ideas with brilliant people working on them.”

Rounding out the list of eight are Richmond, VA; Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC; New Orleans, LA; Cincinnati, OH; Nashville, TN; and Baltimore, MD.

BNMC Launches New Innovation Center Website

by BNMCin Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Innovation Center, Member Institution(s), News

We are excited to announce the new Innovation Center website, a resource for companies and entrepreneurs looking to grow their business alongside startups, social impact organizations, tech innovators, and major health care, research & education institutions all co-located on the Medical Campus.
The Medical Campus is already home to disruptive new technologies and scientific advancements driven by thought leaders in clinical care, research, education and business. Learn more about how to access Campus-wide resources, including workspace, networking events, programming, and more on our site. Feedback is welcome! We look forward to connecting with you.

NFTA and BNMC Collaborate to Extend Bus Routes Directly to the Medical Campus

by BNMCin Community, Employees, GO BNMC, Member Institution(s), News, Sustainability, Transportation

NFTA and BNMC Collaborate to Extend Bus Routes Directly to the Medical Campus

Added stops provide convenience for Medical Campus employees, visitors and patients

 

Buffalo, N.Y. June 15, 2017 – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) have announced the extension of two current bus routes that will drop and pick up riders directly on the Medical Campus Mondays through Fridays. Some trips for routes #14 Abbott and the #16 South Park, both traveling to and from South Buffalo, Lackawanna, Blasdell and Hamburg, will be extended to Carlton and Ellicott streets in the heart the Medical Campus beginning on June 19th. Both routes currently end at Mohawk and Ellicott Streets in downtown Buffalo.

The extended routes will allow riders from south of the city to access the Medical Campus without transferring to another bus, making the ride more convenient and direct. It will also allow those on and around the Medical Campus to directly access Solar City, ECC South, McKinley Mall and other points south of downtown. Park and ride lots at the beginning of both routes at McKinley Mall and at Erie Community College also offer access and convenience to the Medical Campus for residents in the Southtowns.

According to William Smith, Director of Access for the BNMC, Inc., “By partnering with the NFTA, we are finding new ways to provide more access to the Medical Campus without adding more cars to the neighborhood. This access, coupled with the Corporate Pass Program offered through the NFTA, will help to make the commute to the Medical Campus more convenient, affordable and healthy for all.”

The Corporate Pass Program offers Medical Campus employees, a discounted monthly transit pass for $55, a savings of $20 from NFTA monthly passes.  Employees can save even more because the passes are purchased with pre-tax dollar earnings.

Buffalo Common Council President and Ellicott District Common Council Member Darius G. Pridgen commented, “Since transportation can often be an impediment to jobs, we are delighted that commuters will have a more direct and convenient way to access jobs on the Medical Campus as well as to opportunities at Solar City and other employers south of the city.  These types of changes can have a big impact of residents’ lives.”

“The NFTA is thrilled to partner with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus,” said Kimberley A. Minkel, NFTA Executive Director.  “We are tremendously proud to be able to support the BNMC by providing this enhanced bus service that will serve employees, patients and visitors of BNMC.”

Through its GOBNMC program, the BNMC works with several transportation partners to develop strategies and programs designed to address the rapid growth of the Medical Campus community and to provide alternative transportation options including transit, bicycling, walking, car share and other programs. For more information regarding these programs go to www.GOBNMC.ORG. The NFTA is proud to provide 8 routes at the BNMC.

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.           

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. www.bnmc-old.local.

 

For more information, contact:

Susan Kirkpatrick, BNMC Inc. skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

716.866.8002(m)

Join Our Bike Trains and Bike to Work Breakfast with Your Neighbors on May 19th!

by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Employees, GO BNMC, Healthy Communities, Networking, News, Outreach, Transportation

In an effort to encourage more people to try biking as a commuting option and to participate in Bike to Work Day on May 19, local commuters will have the opportunity to join “Bike Trains” to ride to work on the Medical Campus with a group instead of on their own.
The BNMC, in collaboration with GObike Buffalo, have designated four meeting locations for interested bicyclists to meet and ride a designated route with experienced riders in time to join the Bike to Work Day breakfast to be held on the Medical Campus on Friday, May 19th.

Where are the trains starting from?

  • MLK Park at 7:45 am with Henry Raess, GObike Buffalo Event Manager
  • LaSalle Station at 8:00 am with Bill Smith, Director of Access for Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus
  • City Hall at 8:15 am with Justin Booth, Director of GObike Buffalo
  • Ferry and Richmond Avenue at 8:15 am with Jen White, Executive of Reddy Bikeshare

How do I participate?

Sign up at bit.ly/2paStPz and meet your group between 7:30 am and 8:30 am on the morning of May 19.

 What if I don’t have a bike?

Riders can bring their own bikes or take advantage of the Reddy Bikes that will be available at each meet up location.

I’ve never commuted by bike, is that okay?

The bike trains are intended to encourage less experienced riders to try commuting by bike with others and to create a sense of camaraderie on Bike to Work Day.

What hwp-contentens at the breakfast?

The Bike to Work Day celebration will include a light breakfast, bike portraits, and short celebration at the pocket park located at Ellicott Street and North Oak Street on the Medical Campus beginning at 7:00 AM. GObike Buffalo will provide free minor bike repairs and adjustments for riders on site. Bike storage is available across the street at North Oak and Ellicott or at the many bike racks throughout Campus.  Medical Campus employees are also eligible for free Reddy Bike share memberships and can sign up by emailing gobnmc@bnmc-old.local.

Bike to Work Day is just one of many Bike Month events and activities to celebrate and encourage biking.  A full list of activities can be found at www.gobikebuffalo.org.

New ER will be ‘clean slate’ for Children’s Hospital trauma team

by BNMCin Health care, Infrastructure, Kaleida, Member Institution(s), News, Renovations

New ER will be ‘clean slate’ for Children’s Hospital trauma team

By Karen Robinson
The Buffalo News

Dr. Kathryn D. Bass is a master at staying calm and juggling the big stuff.

As medical director of trauma for Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, her focus is on the mission ahead – moving the Emergency Department and other related services to the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in November.

On a simplistic level, it’s akin to moving to a larger home. And that’s a good thing for Bass, who oversees coordination of surgery, the helipad and Emergency Department.

The current space for pediatric emergency services will double at the new facility on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. On the rooftop of the new Oishei facility is a new helipad, ready and waiting to be used.

“We’ve really outgrown our space,” Bass said.

[Related: Children’s Hospital devising plan to move tiniest, most critical patients]

Bass spoke recently with The Buffalo News for an ongoing series of interviews with key Children’s Hospital staff ahead of the November move from the Bryant Street hospital to the new site on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Q: How will the new trauma and emergency service area be different from the existing hospital?

A: We had an opportunity with the new hospital to design the space to meet our needs, where in our current facility we’re more or less fitting into what we have. We’ve really outgrown the space that we have. So the new space is an opportunity to have a clean slate, and to take the process of caring for a seriously injured child and to create a pathway and a flow of care in a physical space that makes more sense.

Q: How does the size compare?

A: We have larger resuscitation rooms and our rooms are all oriented around a central space, a core space and are closer to the ambulance drop-off location. We’re not too far away now, but we have patients that come from the helipad that have to descend through the hospital and around corners and such and the ambulance bay and throughout to our current rooms are not too bad. We’re more or less replicating that and getting a little more efficiency around helipad transfer.

Q: You’ll have two helipads in close proximity – one at Buffalo General and now the Children’s Hospital one. How is that coordination going to work?

A: (Buffalo General) and (Gates Vascular Institute) service the stroke center, and have their own set of patients they are taking care of. As a trauma center, we are also servicing urgent care for the pediatric patients. So it just essentially keeps the flow of patients uncongested and streamlined into specific urgent care.

Q: How will your ER operations be improved?

A: We are definitely going to gain more space in the new ER. In the trauma resuscitation rooms, we are a little bit bigger and we’re cohorted together near the CT scanner. So we’re going to get some radiology resources, and that’s new. Right now, we have to get on an elevator and go up one floor. And in the new facility, we’ll have the CT scanner in the ED department, so we’ll have a dedicated scanner which we will use frequently for trauma patients. The ED is definitely going to be bigger and better organized. We’re coming from smaller operating rooms that were designed years ago before we had all the technology that we’ve come to rely on in the operating suite. We’ve outgrown our current space. Getting into the new hospital is going to give us a much more comfortable operating room than we have right now.

Q: How will this transition go to the new hospital?

A: We’re doing a staged move so that we have resources here, and we have resources there, already in place. We’ll basically have staff available here, as we’re moving. We’re not going to open and be fully servicing that (new) emergency department until we have all of our patients and all of our staff moved over there. Once we get everything operational and up and running there, then we’ll close down here. I think moving and delivering care, and ramping up to have that available, that’s something we’ve been planning for the last two years.

Q: Say you have a trauma patient who needs surgery at 2 in the afternoon the day of the move, when does that patient get moved over?

A: We’ll do all that patient’s surgery and that patient’s recovery here, and as soon we have the staffing and the bed available there, we’ll make the transition by ambulance.

Q: What’s the most challenging part going to be?

A: Getting all the processes to work in the new space. It’s going to be beautiful and everyone is very excited, but we’re in a new space. We’ve mocked all of that and done a dry run. We have a sense of practicing that, and then it will be just living through it for the first week or so. Like anything, you are moving into a new house and unpacking and making sure that you know where everything is.

Q:What will it be like being part of a booming medical campus?

A: It’s incredibly exciting. It’s an opportunity to really reap the benefit of everything that we are as a university and health care system because we have the combination of University at Buffalo medical school and the clinical operations of Kaleida for children and adults, and the vascular GVI and the translational research center. So it’s very exciting. It’s really bringing us to a new plateau. It’s a quantum leap from where we are right now. And it brings us on par with some of the major players in the industry.

Medical Campus explores shuttle to connect commuters to Metro Rail

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Environment, GO BNMC, Healthy Communities, News, Sustainability, Transportation

Medical Campus explores shuttle to connect commuters to Metro Rail

By Karen Robinson
The Buffalo News

Catching that train to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus may soon have a silver lining, depending on where you live.

Those who commute to the Medical Campus and are looking to hop the Metro Rail, but live a good distance from it, may get some help to get to the train and back home so they don’t have to drive and search for parking.

The non-profit organization that coordinates transportation and other neighborhood initiatives on the Medical Campus is looking for ways to help smooth the way for would-be train commuters who don’t live close to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s Metro line.

“We’re trying to see if we can implement a shuttle service, bike share or van pool,” said Thea Hassan, BNMC’s newly hired transportation program manager. “It’s being considered.”

It all ties into the organization’s goal to encourage people working and studying on campus – and living near it – to choose healthier options and to help minimize parking crunches on the campus and neighborhood streets.

[Related: Medical Campus hires transportation program manager]

“Our goal is a new way of thinking. Instead of expanding the supply, we’re trying to reduce the demand,” Hassan said of BNMC’s transportation initiatives. “We’re trying to tackle from bottom up, top down, and all of our sides.”

Hassan has dubbed the shuttle idea “First mile, last mile.” The big focus is to help people who live a mile or so away from the Metro line. “How do we get them there and back home?” she said.

No decision has been made, but the organization is working on helping to make it easier for commuters to use the Metro Rail to get to the newly renovated Allen Street Medical Station, which is located inside the University at Buffalo’s new medical school building under construction at Allen and Main streets.

Medical Campus hires transportation program manager

by BNMCin BNMC Team, News, Transportation

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc. has hired Thea Hassan from one of its partners, GoBike Buffalo, to help tackle transportation issues on the expanding Medical Campus.
Hassan, who began working as transportation program manager two weeks ago, previously worked as communication outreach director for GoBike Buffalo, where she first began volunteering prior to being hired in 2015.

An Ithaca native who also has worked for Ecology & Environment as a proposal coordinator and editor, Hassan said she welcomes the opportunity to further enhance transportation initiatives – with a health emphasis in mind – as the campus continues to grow.

By late fall, the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital will open and shortly thereafter, the University at Buffalo’s medical school will open – bringing even more workers, students and patients and their families to campus.

“There are a number of things we are looking at and we really try to look at transportation holistically,” said Hassan, who rides her bike daily to work on a 2-mile commute through all seasons of the year. “Our goal is a new way of thinking. Instead of expanding the supply, we try to reduce demand.”

Hassan said one of the top priorities is that BNMC – the non-profit umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the 120-acre Medical Campus – works to restructure its transportation management association with institution partners on campus such as UB, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Kaleida Health among many others to address current and expected transportation needs.

“We’re working with them and local partners, such as GoBike Buffalo, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority and the city, to really tackle the transportation issues on campus,” she said. “We’re restructuring in order to better address campus needs.”

Another new hire for the BNMC is Elizabeth Machnica, who is a healthy communities catalyst, joining the organization’s healthy communities team that works on initiatives that support and promote healthy food and active living among campus employees and residents in surrounding communities.

In addition to serving as a liaison to the many partners the organization works with, Machnica will work on programs that encourage healthy food and lifestyle choices among Medical Campus employees and the greater community.

Machnica  also conducts public health research through the lens of food and physical activity at the University at Buffalo’s Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab under Dr. Samina Raja. Prior to joining the BNMC, she served as a health educator dietitian with Wellness Corporate Solutions and sports dietitian with UB’s Athletics Department.

Medical Campus gets $1 million to study creation of microgrid

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Energy, Innovation, Member Institution(s), News

Medical Campus gets $1 million to study creation of microgrid

By David Robinson

The Buffalo News

A plan to create a more self-contained power grid on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus that would enable it to better maintain operations during blackouts moved forward Thursday when the state awarded nearly $1 million in funding to the project.

The Medical Campus plan was one of 11 projects statewide to win funding from a state-sponsored program to encourage the development of microgrids as a way to introduce more renewable energy into the power grid, while also creating stronger backup systems at essential facilities.

The funding, through the second round of the state’s NY Prize microgrid competition, will fund a study that will develop a blueprint for the Medical Campus microgrid and outline its costs, said Paul Tyno, the Medical Campus’ director of energy initiatives.

A microgrid would allow the Medical Campus to continue to function and provide critical services during a prolonged blackout. While hospitals are required to have backup generation, those generators have limited capacity and can only run for as long as their fuel supply lasts.

In contrast, a microgrid would include those generators, as well as renewable energy, such as solar power. That would allow the Medical Campus to operate more systems and for a longer period, perhaps as long as a week, Tyno said.

“We want the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus to be a safe haven in the event of a problem,” Tyno said.

A microgrid, because of its more self-contained nature, also can help the region’s power grid during times of peak demand by reducing its use of conventionally generated electricity.

The study that the $950,000 in funding will allow the Medical Campus to undertake is a precursor to a third and final round of the NY Prize competition, which will provide funding to build the microgrids that are selected as winners, likely by the end of 2018. The project received $100,000 in state funding for a feasibility study through the contest’s first round in 2015.

Tyno said the scope of the Medical Campus microgrid means that the NY Prize funding probably would not cover all of its construction costs.

State officials also view the microgrid contest as a way to study the impact those systems can have on the power grid, as more lower capacity, highly localized sources of renewable energy are added to New York’s generating capacity.

“It’s absolutely huge. It really, really is,” Tyno said. “It’s got an impact here in Western New York as a whole, because this is how energy is going to work in the future.”

NYSERDA selects the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. for a Stage 2 NY Prize Community Microgrid Award

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Energy, Innovation, Member Institution(s), News

BNMC, Inc. is one of only 11 projects funded in New York State

 

Buffalo, N.Y., March 23, 2017 — The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced today that the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) is one of eleven organizations throughout New York State to receive funding for Stage 2 of the NY Prize Community Microgrid Competition. The competition is part of Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) comprehensive energy strategy to build a clean, resilient and affordable system for all New Yorkers. Black & Veatch, a global engineering firm, will be the lead partner to complete the scope of work.

The project includes funding from NYSERDA and an in-kind contribution, in the form of labor, from the BNMC bringing the Stage 2 commitment to $950,000.  Funding will be used to conduct a detailed engineering and financial plan that will include an audit grade design of a microgrid to serve the Medical Campus and potentially its surrounding neighborhoods. In 2015, the BNMC was awarded $100,000 for Stage 1 of the NY Prize, which supported an initial feasibility study, bringing the total project commitment to $1,050,000.  A total investment of $1.8 million has been made to date in energy-related projects through BNMC, primarily centered on the development of a potential microgrid and two REV demonstration projects with National Grid.

The BNMC Microgrid is the only funded project in Western New York.  As a dynamic consortium of world-class hospitals and health care settings, exceptional education institutions, and innovative research facilities, this project affords the opportunity as a “city within a city” to test new, innovative models for energy. And, while all microgrids seek to improve energy resiliency, particularly in the face of emergencies or extreme weather events, the BNMC will also have a significant focus on developing a microgrid business model that will drive cost savings and potential monetization opportunities for its member institutions.

A BNMC microgrid will enable the Medical Campus to serve as a refuge and provide critical services during a catastrophic event.  It can also strengthen the central grid and provide relief to strained systems during periods of high electricity demand.

Additionally, microgrids enhance community economics by attracting new businesses and reducing or delaying infrastructure investment (costs) especially in this digital age where power quality and reliability are key elements in growth.  Finally, it improves the environment. Advanced software and control capabilities with access to multiple sources of power generation allow more renewables to be integrated into the system.

According to Paul Tyno, Director of Energy Initiatives for the BNMC, “This is a significant win, not only for the Medical Campus but for our entire community in leading the way to a more energy resilient future for Western New York.  We are thrilled to be recognized and supported by NYSERDA for this important work that we believe will lead to greater efficiency, affordability and the ability to ensure continuous energy for our Medical facilities and our surrounding neighborhoods in the event of an emergency or other catastrophic event. This is a tremendous example of how anchor institutions can lead the way in innovation, leading to specific benefits for their communities.”

John Rhodes, President and CEO of NYSERDA commented, “The Medical Campus presents a unique and important model for a microgrid in that it is not led by a municipality. We have great confidence in the ability of the Medical Campus to design a microgrid that affords significant value for the Campus and the surrounding community.  We see this as an important component in the Governor’s vision for clean, resilient and affordable energy systems across New York State.”

 

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC)

 

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. www.bnmc-old.local.

 

# # #

 

For more information, contact: Susan Kirkpatrick

716-866-8002/skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local