Upstate Medical University will begin construction on a $15 million dollar Upstate Cord Blood Bank, located on the former Community General campus.  This public blood bank will collect, process and store umbilical cord blood donated by families for life-saving medical procedures. 

Having secured $15 million dollars in funding for the building, State Senator John A. DeFrancisco helped break ground on the Upstate Cord Blood Bank on September 17, 2012.  He is pictured in between the families of Luca Vassallo and Jared Saya.  Both boys received life-saving treatments with umbilical cord blood. 

Syracuse now will have one of only 27 public umbilical cord blood banks in the country.  Senator DeFrancisco says this project is an exciting opportunity for Central New York to lead the State by building a facility that can save the lives of children.