A visit to the new Golisano Children’s Hospital at the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center, which opened Wednesday, reveals a Tim Hortons coffee shop, Cold Stone Creamery and an art gallery. The Syracuse University Sport Management Club raised $20,000, and was among 8,000 donors who helped make the dream of creating this hospital in the city of Syracuse come true.

‘It’s been our dream for 30 years to have a children’s hospital in Syracuse,’ said Toni Gary, director of community relations for the children’s hospital. ‘We were one of the last major metropolitan areas in the country that did not have a dedicated children’s hospital, so our doctors and our staff were very dedicated to making that happen.’

The fruition of that dream is largely a product of the efforts and contributions of the Syracuse community. The hospital received funding from nearly 8,000 donors, who ranged from Tom Golisano, a billionaire philanthropist and businessman, for whom the hospital is named after, to grade school children who donated their lemonade stand money.

‘This is a phenomenal site that offers world class care, and it really is a tribute to the people of central New York and our patients,’ Gary said.

The hospital services 17 counties in central and upstate New York and is the only pediatric hospital in the area. ‘This is a vitally important building for the community,’ said Lorna Rose, a junior social work major who toured the facility as a part of the Children’s Miracle Network. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’

While it assists children with non-life threatening illnesses and injuries, it also runs a Level 1 trauma center, a pediatric cancer unit and transports patients from all over the state. Each of the 71 private rooms is equipped with space for families to sleep so patients, many of whom are considered ‘the sickest of the sick,’ do not have to suffer alone, Gary said.

‘I was so impressed by the fact that built-in screens allowed nurses to have eye-to-eye contact with patients,’ said Rose. ‘It will be so comforting for the kids to look up and know someone is there for them.’

Otto the Orange, SU’s mascot, even came out to support the kids and made an appearance in the pediatric center interacting with the kids and entertaining them.

‘We love to have university students involved,’ Gary said. Whether they are fundraising or just volunteering, it’s a great experience for both the students and the patients, she said.

Rose, who became involved with the Children’s Miracle Network through the Miss. America Pageant, said she would be content simply scooping ice cream at an ice cream social at the new hospital.

‘For me, the biggest thing is to inspire kids to be happy in spite of their suffering.’

The hospital staff is conscious of helping kids make their lives as happy and as conventional as possible. There are specially designed treatment rooms where patients can go to have painful treatments administered, so as to avoid associating any sort of discomfort with the child’s own room. The facility also includes a classroom with a full-time tutor that is wired to every room in case a patient is too sick to attend class.

‘A child’s job is to go to school,’ Gary said. ‘We want to make them able to do their job at all times and keep them connected to their peers.’

The hospital also features six playrooms, each geared towards a different age group, Gary said.

Although no child wants to be in a hospital, the comfort and hope emanating from the atmosphere in Golisano Children’s Hospital can make a visit bearable.

‘One little boy, who has been in and out of the hospital for a while now, had to come in on opening day. He really didn’t want to be in the hospital, but the environment here definitely put him at ease,’ Gary said. ‘The smile on his face was bigger than it’s ever been. There’s no bigger miracle than that.’

ertocci@syr.edu

Published on September 26, 2009 at 12:00 pm