Peter J. Landers ’83 (MS) and Kathleen E. Landers ’82 commit $1 million to support Strong Memorial Hospital’s Expansion Project

The couple’s gift will name the new adult waiting room in the emergency department.

Kathy and Peter Landers

Rochester business leaders Peter J. Landers ’83 (MS) and Kathleen “Kathy” E. Landers ’82 have committed $1 million to support the Strong Memorial Hospital’s Expansion Project, the largest capital project in the University of Rochester’s history. The couple’s gift will name the Landers Adult Waiting Room in the soon-to-be-expanded emergency department (ED) that will serve generations of future families.

“We are immensely grateful to the Landers for this forward-thinking gift,” says Kathy Parrinello ʼ75N, ʼ83N (MS), ʼ90W (PHD), president and CEO, Strong Memorial Hospital. “Their generosity will help us create an exceptional, nurturing space where families can find solace during life’s unexpected challenges.”

Planned for completion in 2027, the five-year-long Strong Expansion Project will increase the size of its ED more than three times and include space for psychiatric emergency care. The project will also add a cardiovascular pavilion, with floors for diagnostic and treatment services, cardiac care, and the Medical Center’s inpatient hospital. Additionally, it will feature individual rooms that allow for personal support and meet the latest requirements in patient safety and infection control. The project will ultimately address chronic bed shortages and overcrowding issues that the community has faced for years.

“There is a great need for providing better access and facilities for emergency care in our community,” says Peter Landers. “We have witnessed first-hand the capacity constraints and backlog of patients in hallways. Making this gift now in support the new emergency tower will help alleviate this ongoing crisis and better serve the health care needs of the community.”

Adds Kathy, “Our family members have experienced the remarkable compassionate care provided by the nurses, staff, and emergency care doctors. The new expansion will provide a state-of-the art environment and resources for hospital teams to deliver that kind of exemplary care to more people, to help them recover, heal, and have better outcomes. We are pleased to be part of this expansion project and know it will transform the way emergency care is delivered.”

The Landers are long-time champions of the Rochester community. More than 30 years ago, they founded Landers Communities, a full service local real estate company that develops, owns, and manages high quality apartment communities, senior housing, and commercial space in the greater Rochester area.

Both Peter and Kathy earned degrees at the University and have generously supported the University’s James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, Golisano Children’s Hospital, the Eastman School of Music, the Memorial Art Gallery, and University of Rochester Athletics. Peter is a board member at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Memorial Art Gallery, while Kathy serves on the board of the Wilmot Cancer Institute and on the gallery’s council. They are also members of the University’s Rochester Philanthropy Council. In 2020, the University honored the Landers with the John N. Wilder Award in recognition of their exemplary service.