CLEVELAND, Ohio — A $15 million donation from longtime University Hospitals benefactors Iris and the late Bert Wolstein will help build a new state-of-the-art education and conference center on UH’s University Circle campus, the health system announced Monday.
The gift will launch a fundraising campaign aimed at raising enough money to finance the new $30 million Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein Center, UH said.
The new building will be “a transformative building for Euclid Avenue, for our campus and for University Circle,” said Dr. Daniel Simon, UH’s president for academic and external affairs and chief scientific officer. UH expects to begin construction in about two years.
Most health systems have their own spaces for conferences, meetings and training, but UH has relied on facilities at Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Museum of Art and other locations in University Circle, he said.
“We really need our own space,” Simon said. “It’s a place where we can bring our caregivers together, not just doctors and nurses, but other health professionals to educate them.”
The new center will be located at the UH Cleveland Medical Center in University Circle, along Euclid Avenue near Adelbert Avenue, in a green space in front of the UH Seidman Cancer Center parking garage, Simon said. Half of the green space will be used for construction, and the other half will become a sculpture garden.
The 2,800-square-foot facility will be equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual and distance learning technology and provide flexible space to host national and international conferences. It will serve medical students and residents as well as physicians, nurses and other health professionals, he said.
The new facility will include training laboratories, a café and a publicly accessible art gallery.
The Wolsteins’ donation is part of UH’s $2 billion philanthropic campaign, “Because of You: The Campaign for University Hospitals,” which has raised more than $1.4 billion since it launched in September 2023, UH said. Fundraising for the new project began this month.
“Through decades of giving, the Wolsteins have left an indelible mark on UH and positively impacted countless lives,” said UH CEO Dr. Cliff A. Megerian. “With their new gift, they are among the most significant donors in UH’s history and leave a legacy that will touch hearts and minds for generations to come.”
Julie Washington reports on healthcare for cleveland.com. Read previous stories under this link.
