The downtown Utica hospital just got a new name, along with a $50 million contribution from casino mogul and Utica native, Steve Wynn. Going forward, Utica's new hospital which is expected to open in 2023, will be named The Wynn Hospital of the Mohawk Valley Health System.  

“This is an incredibly generous gift – one that will make an impact on thousands upon thousands of Mohawk Valley residents each year,” said Darlene Stromstad, FACHE, president and CEO of MVHS. “The funds will elevate The Wynn Hospital to greater heights and result in important service enhancements and lifesaving outcomes," she said.

Wynn, worth an estimated $3.5 billion according to Forbes, said he and his family wanted to leave "a lasting legacy of state-of-the-art healthcare on the community where it all started" for the former Vegas entrepreneur.

“Our family has deep roots in Utica,” said Wynn. “I have everlasting and fond memories of my childhood in the community, which provided a strong foundation for the rest of my life. This is my way of thanking the community and recognizing my parents.” The Wynns are frequent visitors to this region of New York State.

“We are committed to advancing healthcare through philanthropy. MVHS has a bold plan for The Wynn Hospital – a plan that we believe in. We are proud to make this gift to advance the project even further and help ensure better health outcomes and an enhanced quality of life for the community," he said.

An artist's rendering of what a patient room will look like in the new Wynn Hospital. (Photo provided by MVHS)
An artist's rendering of what a patient room will look like in the new Wynn Hospital. (Photo provided by MVHS)
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Wynn who reportedly has a home in the Adirondacks, was born Stephen Alan Weinberg on January 27, 1942 in New Haven, Connecticut, according to Wikipedia. His father changed the family name to Wynn in 1946 to avoid "jewish discrimination," and the family moved to Utica, where he grew up. Wynn graduated from The Manlius School, a private boys school in Syracuse. It's reported that he still maintains several close relationships to people in the Mohawk Valley and Utica.

According to MVHS, the Wynn Family Foundation contribution will allow for better healthcare services at the new hospital in Utica. In a release, MVHS says the Wynn Hospital will provide:

  • State-of-the-art care. The Wynn Hospital will bring to the region a new level of surgical services through the Center for Surgical Innovation; cardiac care at the leading edge of medicine through the new Heart Center; integrated medical and surgical services for brain and spine care through the Neurosciences Institute; and a program that meets the needs of women and children through the Women’s and Children’s Center.Additionally, The Wynn Hospital’s new emergency room will include 63 treatment rooms and specialized care for trauma, behavioral health, and other emergent and lifesaving needs; its new ER design will support 90,000 visits per year. The hospital throughout will feature an innovative team-station approach to nursing; nurses at each team station will oversee the needs of just four patients, fostering stronger connections and allowing for more individualized care.
  • A better experience for patients and families. The healing environment will be greatly improved at The Wynn Hospital: every patient will have a private room with a window and technologies to minimize sound, offering more comfort, natural light and confidentiality. Separate patient, visitor and service elevators will also ensure privacy and dignity for patient transport.
  • More – and more specialty – physicians in the Mohawk Valley. MVHS will expand its graduate medical education and residency programs at the new The Wynn Hospital. By developing a medical school affiliation with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, expanding the existing primary care residency program, and establishing residencies in psychiatry, OB/GYN, emergency medicine, and general surgery, MVHS will significantly increase its capacity to recruit physicians to the region. More than 130 medical students and resident physicians are expected to study and practice at The Wynn Hospital each year.
  • Benefits to the greater community, including an estimated $115 million economic impact on the Mohawk Valley region during construction. MVHS expects to employ 3,000 to 3,500 healthcare professionals at the hospital when it is completed. Already, the project has brought infrastructure improvements to the area, contributing to the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown Utica.

Wynn is credited with reinventing the Vegas strip in the 1980s and 90s and opened casinos elsewhere around the country, including Atlantic City. In the 2000s, he opened Wynn Resorts Limited in Las Vegas, which he took to a public offering in 2002. Wynn stepped away from the resorts he started in 2018 after the Wall Street Journal reported sexual harassment charges during the Me Too Movement. Wynn has denied the allegations.

MVHS and the Wynn Family Foundation plan to unveil branding for the new The Wynn Hospital later this spring.

 

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