GLOW YMCA and Rochester Regional Health’s United Memorial Medical Center break ground on Healthy Living Campus in Batavia

Rochester Regional Health’s United Memorial Medical Center and GLOW YMCA broke ground July 11 on the $33.5 million Healthy Living Campus, bringing comprehensive medical care and wellness programs to downtown Batavia.  The new 78,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility will offer everything from primary care and exercise studios, to cancer screening, nutrition education services and multi-use spaces for all ages under one roof.

“The GLOW YMCA and Rochester Regional Health Healthy Living Campus is a place for children, adults and families from all walks of life in our community to come together and improve their lives – spirit, mind and body,” said Rob Walker, GLOW YMCA CEO.  “The state-of-the-art campus will not only be a benefit for the health of our residents, but also for the health of our local businesses, transforming downtown Batavia.” 

The Healthy Living Campus will feature 22 exam rooms and two medical procedure rooms. UMMC providers will use that space to offer primary care and telemedicine appointments, behavioral health and crisis intervention support, cancer prevention outreach, chronic illness and community education services. There will also be a drop-in child care center where families can safely leave their children while at those appointments. 

The new campus, which will replace the current GLOW YMCA, will also have a new indoor pool, group exercise studios, wellness center with the latest exercise equipment and indoor walking/running track, teaching kitchen and adventure room play area for children.  The campus will also feature an innovative intergenerational room, where seniors, teens and families can use the space for different activities every day. And it will have classrooms that during the school year will run Pre-K and before & after school care programs, and camps in the summer.

“This is not the clinic of the past,” said Dan Ireland, UMMC president. “The Healthy Living Campus is the future of health care, where medical and wellness programs are integrated under one roof. It’s made possible through our community partnerships, and it’s helping patients get all the care they need and deserve in one place. Today is not a celebration of a new building or clinic, it’s the celebration of a community coming together to reimage health and wellness of the future and transform our downtown.”

Rochester Regional Health CEO Chip Davis said the Healthy Living Campus is just one of several projects RRH is committed in bringing to Batavia.

“At Rochester Regional Health, we’re focusing on getting health care right for the communities we serve. And that means delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time, to achieve the right health outcomes, for the right value,” said Richard “Chip” Davis, Ph. D., RRH CEO.

The Healthy Living Campus was made possible through state and federal funds, and community fundraisers. New York State’s economic development and health care grant programs kicked in nearly $11.6 million for the project. 

“The way we plan and develop our downtowns has a tremendous impact on public health, inter-generational relations and overall quality of life,” said Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez. “The Healthy Living Campus will improve community health and wellness while also invigorating downtown Batavia. The Department of State’s support of $4.1 million for this exemplary DRI anchor project sets the gold standard for healthy and age-friendly downtown redevelopment as envisioned in the Governor’s Age-Friendly NY and Health Across All Policies initiatives.”

Along with those state and federal funds, the Healthy Living Campus project has had the support of more than 50 GLOW YMCA and RRH community volunteers who also helped raise money. Paul Battaglia is a lifelong Batavia resident who took on the role as Chairman of the YMCA Campaign Committee for the project that he says will continue to deliver needed health care and wellness programs right in the community where he lives. 

“This is a transformational project that is going to completely change the downtown area,” said Battaglia. “It’s going to bring people downtown, create excitement and vitality that we believe will have a significant domino effect on the local businesses there.”

Tom and Lynn Houseknecht agree. The co-chairs of the RRH Campaign Committee for the project say the Healthy Living Campus will physically and fiscally change this Genesee County community.  

“The hospital that is part of this campaign, helps with the physical wellbeing of our residents,” said Lynn Houseknecht. “And the fiscal wellbeing is the contribution that this hospital makes to our community with employment and its trickle-down effect on medical offices around the city.” 

“I really think it’s a wonderful thing for the community to be able to have such good resources right here in Batavia,” said Tom Houseknecht. “It makes it much more accessible to more people who don’t have the time or the resources to travel elsewhere for the same type of facilities and services.”

The new Healthy Living Campus is expected to open to the public in late 2023.

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