The couple’s investment will accelerate critical work on the Strong Hospital Expansion Project and at Golisano Children’s.
As part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester, Mark and Maureen Davitt—local community leaders and philanthropists—have made a $10 million commitment to URochester Medicine’s Strong Memorial Hospital Expansion Project and Golisano Children’s.
The majority of the gift—$9 million—will establish the Davitt Family Pediatric Emergency Department at Strong, as part of its expansion project.
The remaining $1 million will provide support for the Golisano Children’s Davitt Family Integrated Care Center, a dedicated outpatient clinical space for kids with serious and complex medical conditions. Construction on this new center will begin once the University raises a total of $2.5 million. As the Finger Lakes region’s only pediatric hospital, Golisano Children’s serves more than 85,000 children and their families each year.
“We are immensely grateful to the Davitts for this generous gift,” says URochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf. “Mark and Maureen are longtime champions of children’s health and community healthcare, and this gift continues their extraordinary legacy of philanthropy at URochester Medicine.”
“We’ve been very fortunate, and watching Tom Golisano give so generously to this community year after year made us stop and think about what more we could do,” says Mark Davitt. “Tom’s example inspired us to give more deeply to something we care about, and we hope this gift might inspire others in the same way.”
Adds Maureen Davitt, “Rochester is where we built our life, raised our family, and watched our children grow. This community has given so much to us, and we’re proud to give back. We hope the new pediatric emergency department will provide excellent care in a space that feels supportive and nurturing, while the integrated care center will provide children with the specialized care they need. Above all, we hope this gift helps make difficult moments a little easier for kids and their families.”
“The Davitts are visionaries whose deep commitment to children and helping others live healthier and fuller lives is truly inspiring,” says University of Rochester Medical Center CEO David Linehan. “We extend our deepest gratitude for their extraordinary generosity and for the consequential impact their investment will have on the care we provide to our community.”
“The best pediatric care starts with understanding what children and families need,” says Jill Halterman ’90, ’94M (MD), ’01M (MPH), the William H. Eilinger Chair of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief for Golisano Children’s. “The Davitts’ extraordinary generosity gives us the opportunity to rethink how and where we provide care, creating spaces and services designed around those we serve. Their support will make a meaningful difference for our patients today and for generations to come.”
Longtime healthcare champions
The Davitts are steadfast supporters of URochester Medicine, and Mark is a member of the For Ever Better Campaign Steering Committee. The couple’s philanthropy here began in 2018 with a $2 million gift to Golisano Children’s that helped the University reach its goal for the construction of a new building to better serve pediatric patients and their families. In recognition of that gift, the University named the 8th floor the Davitt Family Patient Floor.
Over the years, the couple has played a key role in the success of Golisano Children’s annual gala. In 2019, they served as its honorary chairs and created a challenge that collectively generated $1.3 million, ultimately allowing Golisano Children’s to purchase two dedicated pediatric ambulances. The Davitts also created a $500,000 challenge for the 2021 gala to help raise funds for a pediatric interventional radiology suite.
Other philanthropy includes a $2.5 million gift in 2022 to create the endowed Mark and Maureen Davitt Distinguished Professorship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and to provide additional long-term program support for the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
In recognition of the Davitts’ tremendous overall support, in 2021 the School of Medicine & Dentistry recognized them with its John N. Wilder Award.
In addition to investing in URochester Medicine, the Davitts have championed education, community enrichment, and civil service, as well as programs for those with special needs across the Rochester area. Among their many generous leadership gifts, they have supported capital projects at Seneca Park Zoo, the expansion and renovation of Hope Hall School, and scholarships at Rochester Institute of Technology.
About Mark and Maureen Davitt
Mark Davitt is president of Davitt Holdings and a former board member and CEO of ConServe, a Fairport-based accounts receivable management company. Since he founded ConServe in 1985, Mark has helped thousands of people manage their way out of debt obligations while fostering financial literacy. For his leadership and service, he has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Rochester ICON Honors Award in 2018 and the Rochester Business Hall of Fame in 2015.
Maureen Davitt is a retired registered nurse with a background in medical, surgical, and pediatric nursing. She previously worked at St. Luke’s Hospital, Northern Westchester Hospital, and Highland Hospital.
About the Strong Expansion Project
Once complete, the Strong Expansion Project will make Strong one of the largest hospitals in the country, with more than 950 beds and 200 Emergency Department (ED) examination and treatment areas. The project will add more than 650,000 square feet of clinical space, including a nine-story inpatient tower, expanded cardiovascular services, and significantly increased emergency and psychiatric emergency care capacity. The ED alone will grow to 120,000 square feet, with capacity for more than 130,000 visits annually.
The expansion responds to sustained growth in demand for care at Strong. Its ED, originally designed for 66,000 visits a year, now serves more than 110,000 patients annually. Strong is also home to the Kessler Burn & Trauma Center, the Finger Lakes region’s only Level 1 trauma center, and serves as a critical safety-net hospital for more than two million people across more than 15 counties.
“We’re less than a year away from opening the first phase of our expansion project, and it’s exciting to see the years of planning and partnership come to life,” says Kathy Parrinello, ’75N, ’83N (MS), ’90W (PhD), CEO of Strong Memorial Hospital. “Seeing the community come together to support this important project is inspiring, and we are especially thankful to the Davitts for this generous gift and for all they do to improve people’s lives, especially children and families.”
