Construction of the new Golisano Children's Hospital in Rochester has generally been cause for celebration, but some residents had mixed feelings about the transition.
Jacob Noyes has been in and out of Golisano's since he was born. He's sixteen now, but his mom Kerri says his developmental disability made it a little harder for him to understand the move.
"He did have some anxiety, because he's very familiar with the fourth floor of old hospital. And we kept saying, 'You're moving to a new hospital.' And he would say, 'I don't wanna move to a new hospital.' "
It turns out Jacob wasn't the only one with reservations. Pediatrician-In-Chief Nina Schor says she was surprised to realize how attached her staff was to the old building, but she understands why.
"This wasn't just a very very happy saying hello to a new facility, it was a saying goodbye to a place where they had cared for many, many children over decades."
Schor says the actual day of the move was uplifting and exciting for patients and staff, in part because of how it was coordinated. Schor says the rehearsed the routes for weeks and planned for every possible scenario. They also added activities to make it fun, like a ribbon cutting, a scavenger hunt, and other games.
"We did everything we could really both to prepare them and prepare ourselves, and also to make them feel welcome as they came in."
Kerri Noyes, Jacob's mom, says once they were able to explain to him what was happening, his anxiety subsided and he too got into the spirit of things. You can see video of Jacob's move here.
