Dear Friends,

We are about to enter a “new era of health care administration.” To me, it seems like we are about to force the rest of the health care workforce to do what children’s hospitals and the child health workforce have been doing since the turn of the 20th century. Preventive medicine? We, and communities around the world, have been immunizing children and delivering anticipatory guidance for families since long ago. Population health? We have advocated for nutrition, hand sanitizing, prudent use of antibiotics, vision and hearing exams in schools, and smoking cessation facilitation for families for decades.  Assuming financial risk? Children’s hospitals treat children first and ask payment questions later. And the child health workforce would not have it any other way.

On this veritable eve of the ribbon cutting for our region’s first and only “free-leaning” (it would be free-standing, but we proudly and happily will connect to Strong Memorial Hospital) children’s hospital, I say, “Good for them.” Good for our adult health colleagues and the political and economic drivers that enable all of our activities for finally realizing what the child health workforce has made its passion all along. I say this because, whatever your age, when you are sick, you need the compassion, the education, the motivation, and the public spiritedness that, in years past, have been the hallmark of pediatricians and child health. Golisano Children’s Hospital is proud to be the region’s pioneer and champion of this way of life and way of care and caregiving. We couldn’t be more excited to have this showcased in our new building at 150 Crittenden Boulevard.

All the best,

Nina F. Schor, MD, PhD