PRISM Application at a Glance

Why is the PRISM needed?

On any given day, Strong Memorial Hospital's occupancy rate is 103 percent, which translates to between 40 and 60 patients waiting in the Emergency Department’s hallways for beds in the hospital. In addition, every year we turn away 650 transfer patients who need the services of an academic medical center because we are too full to safely accept another patient. As the sole provider of many advanced services, smaller, outlying hospitals count on us to help with patients needing complex, intensive care. We need more beds to accommodate these needs today and in the future.

Key points of PRISM proposal:

• A 330,000 square-foot, 6-story tower to be built adjacent to Strong Memorial Hospital near the Emergency Department plus the renovation of 65 beds located in current space. Estimated cost of the proposed two-step project is about $250 million. 
• Proposed addition of 123 beds to Strong Memorial Hospital’s license.
• 2 floors in tower for Imaging Sciences (formerly Radiology) to accommodate increasing patient load and new technologies.
• 56 private beds on one floor in tower for Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong. These would connect to the current PICU. (This replaces semi-private beds from the 4th floor of the current hospital and does not add beds to the license.)
• 56 private adult beds on top floor.
• 67 adult beds in space vacated in the current hospital by Golisano Children’s Hospital. (Together with the 56 adult beds in the tower, these add up to 123 new beds.)
• With State and UR Trustees approval, construction begins in summer 2009.
• Tower to be completed in 2012.
• Renovation of 4th floor into 67 adult rooms to be completed in 2014
• Future plans include creating a maternal/neonatal health floor inside Strong Memorial and near Golisano Children’s Hospital.