Roswell Park will nearly double the space in its Broadview Community Outreach and Engagement Center at 907 Michigan Avenue. Wednesday, a groundbreaking was held to begin the expansion.
Several elected officials and organization leaders say the space will continue to address health disparities and outcomes in underserved communities.
The existing 5,900-square-foot building will gain another 4,600 square feet. The new space will include a classroom, collaboration room, coworking rooms, event space, offices and shared workstations.
Former WBKW-TV 'AM Buffalo' host Mercedes Wilson, who is being treated by Roswell Park for breast cancer, spoke of the new space and what it could do for the surrounding community.
“This new community outreach and engagement space is a promise: a promise that our community deserves clear information, real access, and a place to feel connected to cancer prevention, screening, research, and survivorship," said Wilson.
The center reports serving 20,000 visitors since it first opened in 2023 for educational events, prevention and screening programs, and more.
"This center will help build trust between Roswell Park and the communities it serves, and trust is how we save lives," Wilson added. "Trust is how we move forward together, and partnership is how we move from awareness to change.”
Roswell Park Board Chair Leecia Eve says the center has already led to screenings that have detected hundreds of cases of cancer, mostly at Stage 1 or 2, when they are easier to treat.
Wilson insists the new space will change outcomes. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in 2012 at 28 years old and treated at Roswell Park. Two years ago, her cancer returned as Stage 4 and she is currently undergoing a clinical trial at Roswell.
“My plan, again, is to live a long, beautiful, and ridiculously full life, and with God on my side and all the brilliant minds at Roswell Park watching my back, I'm not just confident. I'm locking it in," Wilson said. "So, let's celebrate this expansion and keep making cancer regret messing with us. Right?”
