Senator Gillibrand staff see advanced care in action during visit to Kaleida Health

Updated: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 3:16 PM

Senator Gillibrand staff see advanced care in action during visit to Kaleida Health

Members of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's Washington, DC, and Western New York teams recently visited Kaleida Health, seeing firsthand what it takes to care for patients with some of the most complex medical needs.

Although Senator Gillibrand was unable to attend the visit, her staff gained valuable insight into the quality of care offered across the region, including Golisano Children's Hospital of Buffalo (GCH Buffalo), Gates Vascular Institute (GVI) and the Jacobs Institute. There, they were able to talk with the frontline workers providing compassionate, individualized support every day.

The visit began at GCH Buffalo, where the staff toured the Emergency Department, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Hematology/Oncology unit. They also visited spaces designed to give families a place to step away from the hospital routine for a few minutes, including the healing garden, chapel and Ronald McDonald House lounge.

Kara Kelly, MD, chair of the department of pediatric oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and division chief of hematology/oncology at GCH, spoke with the staff about pediatric cancer care and blood disorders, clinical trials and the Roswell Park Golisano Children's Buffalo Cancer and Blood Disorders Program.

The staff also heard about the people who help families get through what can be one of the hardest times in their lives. Child Life, Social Work, Psychology and Artists in Residence are not always the services people think about when they picture advanced medical care, but they are an important part of caring for a child and the family around them.

The questions from the staff reflected that. They asked about clinical care, as well as the programs supporting families, including family support and psychology resources for fathers in the NICU.

From there, the group visited the GVI, where the staff saw where patients receive complex cardiac, vascular and neurovascular care. They toured the procedural areas and heard about the technology and specialized care that allow patients to receive treatment here in Buffalo rather than having to leave the region.

Don Boyd, president and CEO of Kaleida Health, Cecilia Sheikh, vice president of perioperative services and GVI, Jessica Mabie, vice president and chief operating officer of the medical campus, and Jill Balbuzoski, RN, manager of the Procedure Labs, welcomed the staffers for the visit.

Balbuzoski brought the clinical side of the visit to life by sharing the story of a stroke patient who was successfully treated at GVI. It was a reminder that behind the technology and procedures are real people whose lives can change in a matter of minutes.

The staff also visited the Jacobs Institute, where Adnan Siddiqui, MD, PhD, FAHA, chief executive officer and chief medical officer of the Jacobs Institute, vice chairman and professor of Neurosurgery at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo (UB), and director of neurosurgical stroke services at Kaleida Health, spoke with the staff about the collaboration between Kaleida Health, UB and the Jacobs Institute.

That relationship is a big part of what makes GVI different. Patients are treated here while physicians, researchers, engineers and industry partners are also working to improve how that care is delivered.

The conversation turned to what it takes to keep that level of care in Western New York. Having the right technology matters. So does having the people who know how to use it, the facilities to support it and the ability to keep investing in all of it.

The visit offered Senator Gillibrand's staff a look at two very different areas of care, but the message was much the same. Advanced healthcare is not just about what happens in a procedure room or an operating room. It is also about what happens around the patient and family before, during and after treatment.

"Visits like this are an opportunity to highlight what is happening right here in Buffalo," said Don Boyd, CEO of Kaleida Health. "We have an incredible combination of advanced patient care, research, innovation and, most importantly, people who are committed to making a difference for patients across Western New York."

Kaleida Health teams care for some of the region's most critically ill and medically complex patients, from stroke and cardiovascular emergencies to pediatric trauma and cancer.

The visit was an opportunity to show that work up close and to talk about what it will take to continue providing that level of care here.

Because keeping advanced care in this community does not happen on its own. It takes continued investment in people, technology and the facilities where that care happens. Most of all, it takes the people who show up every day and know how to care for patients when they need it most.