A Viable Alternative For ECC: Sheehan Hospital

This letter was sent to Council Member Pridgen today with our stamp of approval for his newest proposed alternative to bring ECC's proposed medical building downtown.  Sheehan Hospital is vacant, ready and next door to the existing City Campus and its size, existing use and location to the BNMC make this a very viable alternative. One hopes Jack Quinn and the ECC Board of Trustees will seriously review this as an alternative. 

- YC4ECC

January 8, 2013

To the Hon. Council Member Pridgen,

Young Citizens for ECC (YC4ECC) is writing in full support for your most recent proposed alternative for  Erie Community College which appeared in the Buffalo News on Friday, January 4^th, 2013. The proposal suggested utilizing the currently vacant Sheehan Hospital for all of the medical degree related needs for ECC students including classroom space, labs and more.

The proximity of this building to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus along with its former use as a hospital, makes this proposal a very viable alternative. The structure is already in place, the existing building is located directly next to the existing downtown campus and ECC has expressed the need for medical related classroom space.

YC4ECC feels strongly that investing in the downtown campus will lead to a stronger, more accessible community college for all students across WNY. This investment will continue to make Erie County attract talent and its accessible campus will provide a strong workforce for years to come. A partnership between the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and Erie Community College is desperately needed and wanted by the student body and this proposal is the chance to create it. As the medical campus continues to grow, the need for doctors, technicians and other medical related jobs will grow and thus, ECC can be a connector between the students and the job growth. This proposal for the Sheehan Hospital will allow ECC to be the important connector needed to provide our students with access to jobs, networking events, internships and other medical related opportunities.

Lastly, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for continuing to push ECC with alternative options for the proposed new building. You continue to provide strong leadership for the Queen City. Young Citizens for ECC is ready to offer any assistance needed to help lead the charge in pushing for this viable alternative.

Sincerely,

Bernice Radle

Co-Chair of Young Citizens for ECC