KeyBank, First Niagara Foundation invest $1.5 million in diversity, equity & inclusion program at Oishei Children's Hospital

Funding will help Oishei Children’s Hospital address maternal health and racial equity to ensure all women in Western New York receive the highest quality maternity care

KeyBank, and the First Niagara Foundation, is donating $1.5 million to help further develop an innovative diversity, equity and inclusion program in maternity services at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital.

A press release stated, “This transformative grant is part of KeyBank’s $40 billion national community benefits plan and is symbolic of the bank’s longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“The program will address maternal health and racial equity to ensure all women in Western New York receive the highest quality maternity care. It will specifically address the need for all-encompassing prenatal services, provide systemic support for community health workers interacting directly with expectant moms, and develop programs to support a racially diverse workforce by supporting workforce development for nurses with two-year degrees to work toward four-year degrees.”

“Oishei Children’s Hospital is a beacon of hope in our community where lives are transformed every day through quality care, compassion and scientific research” said Elizabeth Gurney, director of corporate philanthropy for KeyBank and executive director of the First Niagara Foundation. “We are proud to support their commitment to provide world-class care for women and their babies within a diverse, inclusive governing structure that will make a lasting impression on our region while advancing and improving health equity.”

“At Oishei Children’s Hospital we are grateful for community partners like KeyBank and First Niagara Foundation who put the health and well-being of our community’s moms and babies as a priority,” said Allegra C. Jaros, MBA, president, Oishei Children’s Hospital. “This incredible gift will make a significant impact in the work of our team to provide inclusive care to all who need it.”

The overall mission of this new program is to foster and leverage diversity and inclusion best practices to advance the health of Western New York in an environment that is safe, positive and representative of the greater community.

Since 2013, KeyBank and the First Niagara Foundation have given Oishei Children’s Hospital nearly $2 million in grant support.

KeyBank's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany. Headquartered in Cleveland, KeyCorp is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $181.2 billion on March 31. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/.

Founded in 1998, the First Niagara Foundation will carry out the philanthropic legacy of First Niagara Bank, which was acquired by KeyBank in 2016. The foundation, in partnership with KeyBank, supports not-for-profit organizations dedicated to empowering individuals and neighborhoods primarily in Western New York. For more information, visit http://www.firstniagarafoundation.org.

John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital is Western New York’s regional center for comprehensive and state-of-the-art pediatric trauma, surgical and medical care, including neonatal, perinatal and obstetric services.

Photo courtesy of KeyBank