A $3 million grant from billionaire and philanthropist Tom Golisano will fund a center for children with disabilities at the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital.

The Golisano Center for Special Needs was announced in September. The center will consolidate services for children with disabilities that are currently scattered throughout the city of Syracuse and at Syracuse University, said Ann Costello, executive director of the Golisano Foundation.

The Golisano Foundation was in discussions with Upstate for several months regarding the center, Costello said. Many children treated at the hospital have more than one disability. By bringing the hospital’s different services together into one location, the center will make it easier for children and families to have access to care, she said.

“Space is a function of being able to deliver more service,” Costello said. “It is clear that (Upstate’s staff) is providing the best care they can for special needs children.”

Costello described the new center as “a logical extension of current care provided.” Coordinating types of care in the hospital will improve on the current care the hospital provides, while at the same time increasing the number of children that can be treated at the hospital, she said. The new center will allow the hospital to provide services for 7,600 children each year — a 167% increase.

The center will have new clinical offices and staff, as well as upgrade areas to expand choices for inclusion, according to a September press release. Services in speech, behavioral health and physical therapy will also be available through the center.

The hospital will continue to provide diagnostic evaluations and treatments through its Margaret L. Williams Center, which currently provides services for children up to seven years of age who are at risk for or have a developmental disability. By adding the Golisano Center for Special Needs, Upstate will be able to perform an additional 563 evaluations per year.

The new center will create more internship opportunities for SU students, Costello said. It will also allow for improvements in research surrounding treatments for intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Golisano announced the $3 million grant for the center at the 10th birthday celebration for the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. He previously gave the naming gift of $6 million to the children’s hospital.

Published on October 13, 2019 at 9:27 pm

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