Roswell Park Scott Bieler Amherst Center 'Defines vision for community cancer care'

Williamsville hub offers expanded array of cancer services for WNY’s northern suburbs 

√ Center named for longtime supporter Scott Bieler; 30,000 square-foot space offers full complement of clinical, supportive services

By Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Eighteen months ago, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center announced a plan to build a new freestanding location in Amherst that would extend convenient access to outstanding cancer care and services for patients in Buffalo’s northern suburbs. On Friday, the cancer center welcomed patients, cancer survivors and community members into that center – Roswell Park Scott Bieler Amherst Center – for the first time at a grand-opening event.

The 30,000-square-foot space at 203 Park Club Lane features two floors of state-of-the-art equipment and clinical space with a calming color scheme and aesthetic throughout. Roswell Park’s new Williamsville hub will offer appointments and consultations with experts in breast medicine, dermatology, genitourinary medicine, gynecology, lymphoma, thoracic medicine, thoracic surgery and cancer survivorship. In addition, patients will have onsite access to a full-service pharmacy, comprehensive infusion center, phlebotomy and laboratory testing, as well as an array of imaging services.

These services will also be available to patients of the 199 Park Club Lane Roswell Park Care Network practices in the same plaza – Roswell Park Hematology Oncology Northtowns and Breast Care of Western New York, providing a complete system of care for cancer patients in the region.

“We are overjoyed to open the doors on this beautiful building and offer Roswell Park patients even more convenient access to our world-class experts and quality care,” said Candace S. Johnson, Ph.D., president, CEO and M&T Bank presidential chair in leadership at Roswell Park. “We are forever grateful to Scott and Kathy for their generosity and commitment to making sure the people of this community have access to outstanding cancer care close to home.”

The Scott Bieler Amherst Center is Roswell Park’s first new-build outside of its downtown Buffalo campus, showcasing a vision of community care with a full complement of services for patients who live in and around northern Erie County. Its name recognizes the significant personal contributions of Scott Bieler, president and CEO of the West Herr Automotive Group.

“I am so moved by the Western New York community – they are the driving force behind everything we do,” Bieler said. “We are blessed to have met so many wonderful people through the West Herr family, and we have watched countless customers, neighbors, employees and family members face a cancer diagnosis. Just hearing that word brings immediate emotion, uncertainty and fear to any family that is told their loved one has been diagnosed with cancer. The purpose of this new facility is to bring hope and provide a solution to that diagnosis; it was built to hopefully extend life to all who enter it.”

Bieler has been a dedicated supporter of Roswell Park for 20 years. He has served on the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation board since 2002. His significant contribution to Roswell Park’s 2015 capital campaign led to the naming of the Scott Bieler Clinical Sciences Center, which opened its doors in May 2016 on Roswell Park’s downtown campus.

“Among the select few National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, Roswell Park offers the best in cancer care and treatment in the nation,” Congressman Brian Higgins said. “This new facility expands Roswell Park’s reach, creating an additional access point for cancer prevention, screening and treatment services. Cancer fighters are fortunate to have Roswell Park’s team of experts in their corner, and this community is deeply grateful to Scott Bieler for his incredible generosity that has made Roswell Park’s Clinical Sciences Center downtown, and now this new center in Amherst, possible.”

Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa said, “Today, Roswell Park takes a significant step forward. With the opening of the Roswell Park Scott Bieler Amherst Center, we bring much-needed services closer to patients north of Buffalo and surrounding communities. Amherst has diligently been working with the medical industry to develop the ‘Amherst Medical Spine’ to ensure quality services are available and this project is one of many that will vastly improve the lives of thousands. Congratulations to Roswell Park and Scott Bieler on this tremendous advancement.”

The Roswell Park Scott Bieler Amherst Center opened to patients on Monday, Sept. 11.

For additional information, including answers to frequently asked questions about the new site, go to roswellpark.org/amherstcenter/FAQ. To learn more about the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation and the research and patient care programs it supports at Roswell Park, visit roswellpark.org/giving.

More About Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

From the world’s first chemotherapy research to the PSA prostate cancer biomarker, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center generates innovations that shape how cancer is detected, treated and prevented worldwide. Driven to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity, the Roswell Park team of 4,000 makes compassionate, patient-centered cancer care and services accessible across New York state and beyond. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park was among the first three cancer centers nationwide to become a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and is the only one to hold this designation in upstate New York. To learn more about Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Roswell Park Care Network, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email [email protected].

More About the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation

The Roswell Park Alliance Foundation is a is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that manages all donations made to Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Its mission is to maximize dollars available for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s most promising lifesaving research, treatment and prevention programs, while supporting the psychosocial needs of patients and families touched by cancer.

More About Scott Bieler

A native of Orchard Park, Scott Bieler began his career with the West Herr Automotive Group in 1975 as a salesman and was promoted to sales management in 1980. In 1981, when he was promoted to general manager, the group only had one dealership, West Herr Ford of Hamburg. He was named president in 1997 and has been majority owner since 2000, along with his partners: Brad Hafner, John Wabick and Bill Loecher.

Scott has helped grow the company to become the largest automotive group in New York and one of the largest privately-owned auto groups in the country, with 39 locations in Erie, Niagara, Monroe and Ontario counties representing 27 franchises and employing 3,096 people.

Scott’s community involvement has been extensive through the years. He is the vice chair of the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation board and co-chaired their capital campaign to build the new Bieler Clinical Sciences Center; board of directors member for Visit Buffalo Niagara, Invest Buffalo Niagara and Daemen College; and a member of the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable. Scott served on the Upstate New York Federal Reserve Regional Advisory Board for five years and has also served on the boards of the Buffalo Zoo, Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Hilbert College.

Through the Scott Bieler Family Foundation, Scott and Kathy have made significant leadership gifts to Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo for the renovation of the emergency room; the expansion and the purchase of equipment for the Kenmore Mercy medical rehab unit; the Rural Outreach Center in East Aurora for the construction of the new Scott Bieler Family Foundation Rural Outreach Center building; and the Jericho Road Community Health Center/Vive for the purchase of the Scott Bieler Family Foundation Vive shelter at their new location at 1500 Main St., Buffalo; naming of the new BestSelf facility – the Scott Bieler Family Foundation Center of Excellence for Children & Families facility at 899 Main St., Buffalo.

Additionally, West Herr has pledged a significant gift to The Children’s Hospital Foundation of Buffalo for the purchase of a surgical neurosurgery microscope and ongoing support of the critical care programs designated through the Patricia Allen Fund.

The Roswell Park Scott Bieler Amherst Center is a brand new, 30,000 square-feet space offering a full array of clinical and imaging services for patients in Buffalo's northern suburbs.