Golisano, foundation give $5.8M to St. John Fisher for disability nursing institute

Georgie Silvarole
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Dr. Dianne Cooney Miner, far left, the founding dean of the Wegmans School of Nursing, hugs Ann Costello, Golisano Foundation director, as they help unveil the name of the new Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing during a press conference at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018.  Dr. Cooney Miner will lead the new Golisano Institute.  Helping to unveil the institute are Gerard Rooney , President of St. John Fisher College, far right, and Drew Boshell, Special Olympics senior vice president, sport and health.

St. John Fisher College, with the help of a $5.8 million gift from Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation, is joining the "Inclusion Revolution." 

Ann Costello, executive director of the Golisano Foundation, announced the donation on Tuesday afternoon in the Wegmans School of Nursing atrium at Fisher's campus to a room full of students, staff and representatives from both the Golisano Foundation and the Special Olympics. 

The gift will be used to create the Golisano Institute of Developmental Disabilities Nursing, a program with curriculum designed to teach nursing students to be better advocates and health care providers for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program will be integrated into Fisher's existing nursing school.

"The new Golisano Institute clearly demonstrates Fisher's commitment to improving health care for people with disabilities," Costello said. "Nurses serve a critical and growing role in health care delivery, and that is why this initiative will fill the gaps in health care and ensure that inclusive health is not just a dream, but a reality for all people." 

According to a news release issued by the college following the press conference, $800,000 will come from the Golisano Foundation and $5 million will come from the foundation's namesake, billionaire Tom Golisano. 

Though he was expected to be at the event, Tom Golisano had a last-minute scheduling conflict and was unable to attend the event, Costello said in her remarks. 

Drew Boshell, senior vice president of sport and health for the Special Olympics, also spoke at Tuesday's gathering. He expressed his gratitude for Golisano's generosity and partnership, and talked about how vital it is that nurses understand how to interact and help individuals living with developmental disabilities. 

"In this process, Tom has become a true champion for inclusive health," Boshell said. "Nurses are the heart and soul of the healthcare system. ... (I want to thank the Golisano Foundation for the) generous support to St. John Fisher College to help future nurses join the inclusion revolution."

That "inclusion revolution" is a Special Olympics initiative aimed at ending discrimination against people with disabilities. When applied to wellness, it involves educating health care professionals on the unique needs and challenges associated with caring for individuals living with various intellectual and developmental disabilities, Boshell said.

People living with a disability are more likely to have problems with their health, such as being overweight or having dental issues, Boshell said. They're also more likely to die prematurely than people without an intellectual disability, he added.

Boshell's hope is that the new institute will help equip future generations of nurses with the skills to help people with disabilities.

Cori Piels, a 34-year-old Brockport woman living with an intellectual disability, spoke at Tuesday's event. She said getting involved with the Special Olympics as a high schooler changed her life for the better. 

Born in India, Piels became an orphan when her parents died and her extended family members were unable to care for her. She was adopted by an American family and, for many years, felt like an outcast at school. 

Special Olympics athlete Cori Piels, 34, Brockport, talks about first discovering ice skating and how proud it made her feel to compete during a press conference at St. John Fisher College to announce the new  the new Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing in Pittsford Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018.  At left is Drew Boshell, Special Olympics Senior Vice President, Sport and Health.

Read more: Perseverance highlighted at Special Olympics

As a high school junior, she said she discovered Special Olympics, through which she picked up new skills, made new friends and learned to advocate for herself. 

Special Olympics also introduced her to Opening Eyes, a program for Special Olympics athletes that provides free eye assessments and prescription eyewear to people with intellectual disabilities. It was there that she realized her regular optometrist hadn't given her the correct prescription. 

"I learned that I had the wrong eye prescription and received a new pair of glasses," Piels said. She paused, gave the audience a smirk and waited for their laughter to die down before she continued. "Yeah, if it wasn't for me visiting Healthy Athletes, I would still have the wrong pair of glasses." 

Piels hopes that people won't have to go to go to the Special Olympics just to get adequate medical care. The goal is for any person with an intellectual disability to be able to go to any primary care office and have health care providers understand how to work with their particular needs. 

"Because of my past, it has become important to me to work for equality and to be a leader to my friends on what it means to be active," Piels said. "Here I am today, determined to educate the world about acceptance, inclusion, diversity and how to live a healthy and fun life."

GSILVAROLE@Gannett.com