Work Resumes on Friendship Place

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello joined Monroe Community Hospital (MCH) Executive Health Director Allyssa Tallo, along with MCH administrators and staff, to officially commence construction of Friendship Place—a new secured unit designed to improve the quality of life for residents living with dementia and those at risk of wandering behaviors.

“This project represents the very best of what we can achieve when community partners come together to support our most vulnerable residents,” Bello said. “I’m proud to stand with the team at MCH as we take this important step forward in dementia care.”

Wearing hard hats and wielding sledgehammers, the group took swings at a large concrete wall to mark the resumption of work on an approximately 12,500-square-foot space on the first floor of MCH’s Friendship Building.

“This groundbreaking marks a major milestone in our ongoing commitment to providing compassionate, person-centered care,” Tallo said. “Friendship Place will offer a safe and supportive space where residents living with dementia can thrive.”

The 25-bed project is the result of years of thoughtful planning and collaboration. In 2019, the MCH Foundation received a generous grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, which enabled MCH to partner with internationally recognized dementia care experts. Their insights helped shape the unit’s design and informed the development of specialized training for staff.

Key enhancements at Friendship Place will include:

• Open, inviting communal areas

• A state-of-the-art bathing suite

• An increased number of private rooms

• A designated welcome station

• An overall design intended to reduce at-risk behaviors

  
  

MCH’s Facilities Department, along with various contractors and engineers, is handling the demolition and construction of Friendship Place.

The project, scheduled to open in 2026, reflects Friendship Place and MCH’s dedication to advancing innovative care solutions for individuals with complex medical needs—a legacy of service that began with the County of Monroe nearly 200 years ago.