By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-912727.mp3
Buffalo, NY – UB and Kaleida officials on Tuesday celebrated a construction milestone at their combined facility in the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. But future projects at the medical campus are in limbo with UB 2020 legislation stalled in Albany.
The last piece of steel was raised and put into place for the future state-of-the-art facility that will house both UB and Kaleida medical and research operations. Kaleida's cardiac and vascular center will occupy the four floors, plus an expanded emergency department. UB's clinical and translational research center will occupy another four floors of the $291 million combined facility.
Kaleida president James Kaskie said the facility, scheduled for completion next year, is truly a milestone.
The ten-story facility is considered the centerpiece of the UB 2020 vision and a catalyst for a collaborative healthcare based economy. But future work that was planned as part of that vision is on hold.
State lawmakers continue to debate legislation that would make it easier for UB and the medical campus to expand. UB President John Simpson said celebration of the construction milestone is ironic in light of the stalled legislation.
"On the one hand you have this very clear sign, this icon of progress of UB 2020 of a downtown campus. At the same time you have the machinations, dare I say games, that are going on in our legislature in Albany that seems incapable of solving what seem to me to be simply policy questions," said Simpson.
Simpson said he has not given up hope on passage of the legislation. He said Senator William Stachowski continues to fight for the bill. But Simpson admits the scorecard changes hour by hour.