Fund-A-Need

2026 Fund-a-Need
Fewer hospital visits, better outcomes, more time to be a kid

Every day, children come to University of Rochester Medicine Golisano Children’s with chronic and complex conditions their care teams know well and are ready to treat. What stands in the way is capacity—an outpatient space equipped for acute medical care, and more chairs and providers to meet the demand for pediatric dentistry.

With your support, we can close that gap. Golisano Children’s hopes to raise

$2.5 million to build the Integrated Care Center: a dedicated outpatient home built for children with serious, complex conditions.

The need

Imagine a child with sickle cell disease waking in a pain crisis, or a seven-year-old cancer patient in chemotherapy who spikes a fever. Their families know exactly what they need: infusion therapy, IV antibiotics, and hydration—from the care teams who already know them. Without a dedicated outpatient space, families drive to the emergency department and wait for hours: frightened, in pain, and surrounded by strangers. Meanwhile, for children needing dental care, the wait is measured not in hours but in months. Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in American children, and in Rochester, the gap between need and access is evident.

Different children, different conditions, different families facing the same obstacle: jobs to keep, rides to arrange, appointments to make.

The solution

The Integrated Care Center will unite two critically needed services in a single, child-centered space: acute pediatric medical treatment and preventive dental care, housed in roughly 1,400 square feet adjacent to Golisano Children’s primary care practice and the Hematology/Oncology Treatment Center.

Three Pediatric Medical Treatment Beds

• Blood transfusions and infusion therapy
• Acute pain management, IV hydration, and medication administration
• Supportive outpatient care for complex chronic conditions

Three Pediatric Dental Chairs

• Preventive care: cleanings, fluoride, sealants, and early intervention screenings
• Restorative treatment: fillings, root canals, and other dental procedures
• Staff trained for anxiety, developmental differences, and special healthcare needs

The vision

Philanthropic support will fund the full capital cost of the Center, including construction, equipment, and furnishings. Once open, it will sustain operations through clinical revenue.

• Capital investment: Construction and build-out, including shared waiting area: $1,500,000
• Equipment: Medical treatment beds and dental chairs: three reclining infusion chairs with monitoring equipment, infusion pumps, and supplies, plus three fully equipped pediatric dental operatories with chairs, lighting, cabinetry, digital X-ray, and instruments: $650,000
• Environment: Sensory-adapted environments and child-centered design: adjustable lighting, ceiling projectors, acoustic panels, calming finishes, and amenities throughout: $350,000

Total philanthropic goal: $2,500,000

Your impact

When you invest in the Integrated Care Center, you give back something pain and shorten illness take away: time.

Your gift will:

• Keep seriously ill hematology and oncology patients out of the emergency department by giving their care teams a dedicated space to treat them.
• Expand access to preventive dental care for children and lessen a waiting list of nearly 600 patients.
• Enable coordinated medical and dental care in a single visit, easing the burden on families.