Praxair Gives $1,000,000 to Advance Excellence in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Women and Children's Hospital

Praxair Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dennis H. Reilley announced the Praxair Foundation donation of $1 million to Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo over the next four years to help fund the expansion of the emergency room.

The emergency room, which has since undergone a $2.5 million modernization, is named The Praxair Emergency Center at The Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo. In addition, the Praxair Emergency Medicine Endowment has been established to underwrite advancements in pediatric emergency medicine through research and equipment purchases. This is the largest financial gift given by a corporation to the hospital.

"Praxair is dedicated to the communities across the globe that support our employees and the great work they do everyday," said Reilley. "Helping to improve emergency services for children is one way to demonstrate our commitment to Tonawanda, Buffalo and Western New York."

Praxair, a Fortune 500 company with 2002 sales of $5.1 billion, is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the three largest worldwide. Tonawanda, N.Y. is home to the Praxair Technology Center, where scientists and engineers develop new gas-application technologies used internationally. The Praxair facility in Tonawanda employs more than 1000 people. Its products are used by thousands of health care facilities globally for respiratory therapy, in research laboratories, for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and sterilizing instruments and equipment.

"We are very excited about this generous donation from Praxair," said William McGuire, President, Kaleida Health. "Through the benevolence of Praxair, the physicians and nurses in the emergency department will be able to care for ill and injured children in Western New York in a state-of-the-art, child friendly Praxair Emergency Center".

Equipment such as critical care monitors, pulse oximetry machines, additional teleradiological PAX monitors, a bed-side ultrasound machine and telemedicine equipment will be considered for purchase for the new emergency center, according to McGuire. Bedside registration and a wireless communication system could also result from Praxair's gift, he said.

Praxair's contribution today is also consistent with other grants the company has made elsewhere. The company has helped create the Praxair Cancer Center at the Danbury Hospital in Connecticut, the Shanghai Children's Medical Center in China and a community health center in India.

"I know this Hospital has faced many challenges and has worked hard to maintain its legacy of excellence and preeminence," said Reilley. "We're even more pleased that Praxair can make this contribution to an institution that has redefined its overall mission of health care services and maintained a strong and vital presence in this wonderfully diverse community."

The Praxair Foundation donations to other organizations in Tonawanda and Buffalo total about $360,000 per year. Recent donations have been made to the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, the University of Buffalo, Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Buffalo Engineering Awareness for Minorities, United Way, Roswell Park Alliance, the Hospice Foundation, and others.

Variety Club Tent #7 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Women & Children's Hospital thanks the entire Western New Community for its generosity in funding the region's most advanced Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Named Variety Club Tent # 7 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo, the NICU is a newly built extension of the third floor and sits atop the Alfiero Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

According to a donor wall unveiled by the Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation, thirty-four separate entities - companies, organizations, individuals and volunteer fundraisers - contributed almost $8 million to the privately funded project.

According to CHOB Foundation Chairman, Gerard Mazurkiewicz, "On behalf of our Foundation, I want to thank all the donors, and Variety Club, in particular, for their support of this regional treasure."

The Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo has long been designated by New York State as the Regional Perinatal Center for Western New York. As such, sixteen hospitals from the region's eight counties and three institutions in Erie and Warren, Pennsylvania transfer their most critically ill infants and high risk expectant mothers to the hospital for this highest of skilled medical care. The unit contains the most up date to medical technology used to care for neonatal patients, infants admitted at less than 28 days of age.

According to Kaleida Health President and Chief Executive Officer William D. McGuire, "To say that Western New York has been generous to The Women & Children's Hospital is quite an understatement. All segments and corners of this community, once again, came forward to support this hospital in our mission to care for the most critically ill infants. Thank you to the companies, organizations and individuals of Western New York."

Annually, the NICU cares for more than 700 infants, 230 of whom are transferred from hospitals within the regional perinatal network. With an average daily census of 47 babies, and approximately 17,000 patient days per year, the new NICU will better accommodate our critically ill newborns.

The NICU staff is extremely comprehensive and includes physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory, occupational, and physical therapists, neonatal transport teams, nutritionists, a psychologist, social workers and pharmacists. All staff are specially trained in the care of infants and children.

WCHOB offers its critically ill infants pediatric subspecialists in every aspect of pediatric medical care - neonatology, cardiology, dermatology, neurology, genetics, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology-oncology, immunology, infectious disease, pulmonology and rheumatology. WCHOB is the only hospital in the region to have pediatric surgical subspecialists for cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolarynology, urology and general pediatric surgery.

According to WCHOB Chief of Neonatology Rita Ryan, MD, "This new facility means a great deal to our staff who work so hard to help these babies, day in and day out. It's a very exciting day for all of us and I am very grateful to those who made it a reality."

According to WCHOB President Stuart Williams, "This unit is all about helping families. We want to give them the best medical care in a setting that is as pleasant and comfortable as possible. That's now possible in our Variety Club Neonatal Intensive Care Unit."

Donors to the Variety Club Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

New Neonatal Transport Equipment

Alf Family Returns to Present New Neonatal Transport Equipment After Their Son’s Transport to Women & Children’s Hospital. Transporter is 1 of only 2 in NYS for Critically Ill Infants Requiring High Frequency Ventilation

Two years ago, Lori and Chris Alf’s son Chapin was quickly transported to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women & Children’s Hospital following the delivery of their child at another hospital.

On Thursday, the entire Alf family returns to present new state-of-the-art neonatal transport equipment they purchased for families like theirs in the future who require critical care following the birth of their child.

Lori, Chris and Chapin, with his 6-1/2 year old sister Caterina and 4-1/2 year old brother Christer, will present new neonatal transport equipment to the Neonatal Transport Team at Women & Children’s Hospital on Thurs., Sept. 2 at 2 p.m.

“We’re so grateful to the team of physicians and nurses at Women & Children’s Hospital for the care our son Chapin received following his delivery,” said Lori. “Our family feels it is important for other families like ours to continue to receive the best care possible for their children.”

The new Airborne transporter presented by the Alf family to Women & Children’s Hospital is one of only two presently used in New York State for the transport of critically ill infants requiring high frequency ventilation.

“This transporter accommodates to both helicopter and fixed wing travel allowing us to transport newborns from distant facilities,” said Vivien Carrion MD, Medical Director Neonatal Transport at Women & Children’s Hospital. “The neonatal transport team will also be able to transport infants on both high frequency ventilation as well as nitric oxide to our regional perinatal center. The actual manufacturing material of the transporter is both durable and lightweight allowing for safe transport of infants."

The Neonatal Transport Team provides emergent ground or air transport of critically ill newborns less than 28 days old in need of care to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women & Children’s Hospital. The team consists of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners and Registered Respiratory Therapists. Neonatal Fellows are available for certain transports. The team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.