Oneida Indian Nation Donates $1 Million to the Mohawk Valley Health System Foundation to Support the Development of Wynn Hospital
The Oneida Indian Nation’s $1 million donation to Wynn Hospital will include two commissioned pieces of art that honor the shared history of the region. A bronze sculpture called “Allies in War, Partners in Peace” will be located outside the hospital’s entrance and a mural will be painted on the exterior wall of Wynn Hospital along Columbia Street in Downtown Utica.
Utica, NY (May 23, 2023) – Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) Foundation announced today that the Oneida Indian Nation has made a $1 million donation in support of the new Wynn Hospital in downtown Utica. MVHS President/CEO Darlene Stromstad, FACHE, was joined this morning by Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter, Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. and Larry Gilroy, Wynn Hospital Capital Campaign Co-Chair, to announce the donation at the Wynn Hospital site.
It was important to MVHS that as part of the Oneida Indian Nation’s donation there would be the commission of two pieces of art that will honor the shared history of the Oneida people and the region. A bronze sculpture created by artist Edward Hlavka called “Allies in War, Partners in Peace” will be located outside the hospital’s entrance. The monument at Wynn Hospital will only be the second “Allies in War, Partners in Peace” ever created – the original is located at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. The original sculpture is a 20-foot bronze embodiment of the friendship that was forged between the Oneida Indian Nation and the United States during the Revolutionary War. It depicts George Washington, Oneida Indian Chief Shenendoah and Polly Cooper, an Oneida woman who traveled hundreds of miles to feed General Washington and his troops. All three individuals were critical in establishing the partnership between the Oneidas and the United States and defining a pivotal moment in history and Central New York’s role in the founding of the country.
The second piece of art the Oneida Indian Nation will commission at the Wynn Hospital is a mural that will honor the shared history and longtime partnership between Upstate New York and the Oneida Indian Nation. The mural will be prominently featured on the Central Utility Plant located on Columbia Street adjacent to the hospital and will be visible to those looking out of the south side of the hospital, as well as passerby traffic on one of Utica’s most historic streets.
“As we embark on the largest evolution of Turning Stone in two decades and the exponential growth simultaneously occurring throughout the region, it is more important than ever to support community resources like the Wynn Hospital,” said Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter. “This world-class health facility will not only meet the needs of residents and our employees today, but of those who will choose to build lives here as the transformation of the region continues in the years ahead.”
“The Oneida Indian Nation’s legacy of collaboration dates back to the very founding of our country,” said MVHS President/CEO Darlene Stromstad, FACHE. “We are grateful to the Oneida Indian Nation for their support and look forward to honoring their history of contributions to the region through the commission of cultural elements that tell the story of our shared history so it will never be forgotten.”
“With its donation to the MVHS Foundation in support of Wynn Hospital, the Oneida Indian Nation is building on its legacy as Oneida County’s most steadfast ally,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. “The Oneida Indian Nation’s support will help set a new standard for healthcare facilities in our region and contribute to ensuring the best, most cutting-edge care for all who live and work here.”
The Wynn Hospital is scheduled to open in October 2023 and will be the flagship of the new healthcare campus in Downtown Utica.
About the MVHS Foundation and “This is for You” Campaign
The $30 million This is for You Campaign is the largest fundraising campaign in the history of MVHS, as it embarks on a once in a lifetime opportunity to build a new healthcare campus in Utica to better serve the region and transform healthcare in Central New York. The Wynn Hospital, scheduled to open in October of 2023, will be the flagship of the new clinical campus and will bring existing hospital services, currently located on two different campuses, to one modern downtown campus that will offer advanced medicine and technologically progressive care. It features a 703,000 square foot hospital and Central Utility Plant located on a 25 acre parcel adjacent to the downtown Utica business district, 373 private patient rooms and a 63 bed Emergency Department with a Level III Trauma Center capable of 90,000 patient visits each year.
MVHS has also made a bold commitment to strengthen our role as a major medical teaching campus. Building off our foundation of Family Medicine and Dentistry, we have received approval for residency programs for Psychiatry, General Surgery, Podiatry, Obstetrics/Gynecology as well as a Transitional Year Program. As these programs come on line, there will be more than 200 physician learners on the Wynn Hospital Clinical Campus and throughout our Medical Community.
About the Oneida Indian Nation
The Oneida Indian Nation is a federally recognized Indian nation in Central New York. A founding member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (also known as the Six Nations or Iroquois Confederacy), the Oneida Indian Nation sided with the Americans in the Revolutionary War and was thanked by Congress and President George Washington for its loyalty and assistance. Today, the Oneida Indian Nation consists of about 1,000 enrolled Members, most of them living in Central New York. The Nation’s enterprises, which employ more than 4,500 people, include Turning Stone Resort Casino, YBR Casino & Sports Book, Point Place Casino, The Lake House at Sylvan Beach, The Cove at Sylvan Beach, Maple Leaf Markets, SāvOn Convenience stores, RV Park and marinas. These enterprises also include Oneida Innovations Group, an 8(a) certified, full-spectrum information technology services provider that serves the U.S. Department of Defense and a variety of commercial industries such as gaming, hospitality, healthcare and higher education. Proceeds from these enterprises are used to rebuild the Nation’s economic base and provide essential services, including housing, health care, and education incentives and programs, to its Members.
