Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo renames campus to honor co-founder

Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo has renamed its Mitchell Campus in Cheektowaga to the Milch-Mitchell Campus to honor the late Dr. Robert A. Milch, the organization's co-founder.

“Bob’s legacy extends far beyond this campus,” said Dr. Christopher Kerr, the CEO and chief medical officer of Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo. “Bob is recognized, nationally and internationally, as a pioneer in the hospice movement."

In 1978, Milch became a co-founder of Hospice Buffalo, serving as its first volunteer medical director and later its first full-time director.

The Hospice Mitchell Campus, named for the Mitchell family, opened in 1995 as the nation’s first integrated hospice campus with a 22-bed residence and 10-bed inpatient unit. The campus effort was spearheaded by another early pioneer, Jock Mitchell, a hospice volunteer and board member, according to a release from the organization.

"I am honored and proud to have Bob’s name next to mine in naming this caring and compassionate campus,” Mitchell said.

Milch's efforts were instrumental in launching the campus, which includes the nation’s first freestanding hospice inpatient Unit, Kerr said.

Milch died June 4, 2021, after a short illness.