With a $15 million gift from Iris and the late Bert Wolstein, University Hospitals plans to add a “state of the art” education and conference center to its main campus.
The health system on Monday announced plans to construct a 30,000-square-foot facility called the Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein Center at UH Cleveland Medical Center.
Construction is estimated to cost $30 million. UH says it intends to fund the project fully through philanthropy. A timeline for construction and the facility’s anticipated opening will be determined in coordination with fundraising. The health system anticipates breaking ground in 24 months, said Dr. Daniel Simon, president of academic and external affairs and UH chief scientific officer, Ernie and Patti Novak Distinguished Chair in health care leadership.
The new facility will be in front of the Center for Emergency Medicine and be equipped with audiovisual and remote-learning technology, simulation and training labs, breakout space, a cafe and a publicly accessible art gallery.
The space will have a light and modern design featuring lots of windows and public gathering spaces, Simon said. It’s critical for an academic health system such as UH to have a place to train the next generation of caregivers, he said.
Simon added that UH is “incredibly grateful” for the Wolstein family’s support.
Previous support from the Wolsteins helped launch UH’s $1.5 billion “Discover the Difference” campaign. The family’s latest gift is adding to the health system’s $2 billion “Because of You: The Campaign for University Hospitals,” which was announced in September 2023. So far, it has raised more than $1.4 billion.
“This gift is profoundly meaningful to me and something that I know Bart would have been thrilled to do,” Iris Wolstein said in a statement. “UH is a world-class health care system with unparalleled caregivers — they deserve a space to learn the best clinical practices available, refine and innovate new care models and then export those ideas, training others across the world. It is an honor and privilege to support UH in such an enduring way.”