UB will be painting a brighter vision for Buffalo next year with an unveiling of the premier eye research and treatment facility in the heart of Buffalo.
The multi-million dollar project has been over five years in the making and will fill a present void in the field of ophthalmology in the Western New York area.
Over $9 million was raised in a fund drive for the institute, the most recent being a $1 million contribution in state funding secured by New York State Senator Dale M. Volker.
The contributions collected thus far will go towards the purchase of costly eye examination, treatment and surgical equipment, according to Dr. James D. Reynolds, a leader in the project and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, as well as CEO of the Ross Eye Institute.
"Our mission is threefold," Reynolds said. "It's structured around research, education and service."
Reynolds says that the institute will be founded on assisting those in need, stressing the importance of taking in all patients.
"One of our principal beliefs is to care for all comers," he said. "We will treat all patients regardless of their ability to pay. We're very reasonable people."
Reynolds invited community physicians to refer patients to the institute for testing.
"This type of collegial relationship, among many others, will generate endless benefits for the community," he said. "I view it as enhancing everybody's practice."
The institute is part of UB's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and will be located off campus at 1176 Main Street in the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus. The location was chosen for its proximity to a less advantaged population, as well as its centrality within WNY Reynolds said.
Named for the late husband of Olmstead Ross, a well known alumna of UB's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the Ira G. Ross Eye Institute will be a full-service eye care facility, serving patients from WNY, Southern Ontario and beyond. It is already being hailed as yet another of UB's Centers of Excellence.
The institute will work in conjunction with the Elizabeth Pierce Olmsted Center for the Visually Impaired, a community social service agency, in an adjoining facility.
There are three major components of healthcare, including prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. With the Ross institute and the Olmstead center working in collaboration, they will form a vision treatment partnership, providing complete eye care and lifestyle services like no other in the country, according to Reynolds.
The Olmstead center provides unique services for the visually impaired, including the construction of specialized housing, job training opportunities and other services to assist the blind.
"They have an intense job training program that assists people from across the country for jobs in the hospitality industry," Reynolds said. "For instance, the VA Medical Center employs visually impaired people to run their phone answering service."
It is the intention of the Ross institute to form an advanced treatment center that, over time, draws ophthalmology experts to Buffalo, contributing to the overall goals of UB's medical school.
"The most important point for me is not the physical plan," Reynolds said, "it's those who are going to populate it - and that will take some time. It won't happen overnight."
Reynolds believes that this project is more than just a new facility boasting the latest in eye treatment technology.
"I'm truly fond of saying that this project is not about bricks and mortar," Reynolds said. "It's really about people. A facility without quality faculty is just an empty shell. It's about recruiting and bringing quality people to Buffalo and striving for excellence programmatically."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
