A groundbreaking ceremony for Thompson Health’s “Building a Healthy Future” capital campaign drew nearly 100 supporters of Project Excel, Thompson’s expansion and renovation initiative, on Monday, Nov. 15.
The ceremony included a site dedication by the Rev. Thomas Mull, member of Thompson Health Board of Directors, as well as remarks from Thompson Health President/CEO Linda Farchione, Campaign Co-Chairs Robert Sands and James Fralick and William Kenyon, Esq., chair of the Thompson Health Board of Directors.
The Constellation Center for Health and Healing is the centerpiece of the project and entails a 61,000 square-foot, two story addition on the north end of the hospital. The project also includes a 42,000 square-foot renovation of space within the hospital.
The hospital, built 40 years ago, was designed to serve a population base of approximately 50,000. This number has since climbed to 165,000 and is expected to reach over 200,000 over the next few decades.
“From the beginning, Thompson Health has served as the center of a spectrum of healthcare services for thousands of residents and tourists in the Finger Lakes region,” Farchione says. “Throughout the generations, the hospital has adapted to the changing needs of our community. It is time to do so once again.”
The improvements will keep world-class medical facilities in Canandaigua, enabling residents to access the care they need, close to home.
“Not only is this project a model for the design of regional healthcare, it signifies our health system’s commitment to provide compassionate, exceptional and excellent care to the communities we serve,” says Farchione.
To date, the “Building a Healthy Future” capital campaign has raised more than $13.7 million and is projected to reach its community fundraising goal of $14 million by the end of December. The project will cost $43.5 million and is slated for completion in 2012.