Constellation, Sands family commit $4M to Thompson Health

Constellation Brands and the Sands family have pledged $4 million to UR Medicine Thompson Health for a new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua. This is the lead gift in a new capital campaign that will fund the overall $11 million project.

Thompson currently has a seven-bed ICU. When completed in 2020, the hospital’s new ICU will have 12 beds and be staffed by full-time intensivists. These are physicians who are specially trained in the care and management of critical care patients.
“This wonderful gift, the most recent in a long series of transformational commitments to our health system made by the Sands family and Constellation Brands, will ensure Thompson Health remains a full-service inpatient facility with the highest level of care available in a community hospital setting,” said Thompson Health President/CEO Michael Stapleton, Jr.

Thompson will be able to care for an estimated 250 to 300 additional patients per year in its new ICU. This will eliminate the need to transfer patients to Rochester due to limited capacity.

“Our ability to care for more ICU patients locally will ease the tremendous burden placed on families, while at the same time decrease the overall cost of care regionally,” Stapleton said.

Both the Sands family and Constellation Brands have a long history with Thompson Health. The late Constellation Brands founder Marvin Sands served on Thompson’s board of directors for nearly three decades. His son, Rob, who leads Constellation Brands as CEO, currently serves on the health system’s board, as does granddaughter Lauren Sands.

“Throughout the years, and beginning with the example laid down by my parents, Thompson Health and the Canandaigua community have been key partners in our company’s success. We are delighted to be able to contribute to Thompson’s future growth while helping to fund a crucial regional medical resource.  All of us at Constellation recognize that a healthy community is the foundation for a successful company,” Rob Sands said.

In recognition of this commitment, the new unit will be named the Constellation-Sands Intensive Care Unit.