UC Davis Health this week began accepting patients at its new $90.5 million eye care and research building.
The Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building opened Monday at 4860 Y St., at the UC Davis Health campus in Sacramento.
The 78,500-square-foot building is an addition to the existing ambulatory care center. It includes a dedicated space for the UC Davis Health Eye Center. The new four-story building allows the Eye Center clinic to expand from 25 exam rooms and 17 imaging rooms in its current location in the ambulatory care center to 64 exam rooms and 24 imaging rooms in the new building.
The Eye Center clinic on the second floor is dedicated to refractive surgery and oculoplastic surgery. The building will also house researchers from the Eye Center, whose research is funded by the National Eye Institute, and the Center of Ocular Regenerative Therapies.
“UC Davis is able to achieve breakthroughs in eye health because we are a unique academic medical center with an interdisciplinary approach to helping people live better, healthier, more fulfilling lives,” said UC Davis Health CEO Dr. David Lubarsky, in a statement. “The Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building is a perfect embodiment of our mission at UC Davis Health.”
The project was kicked off with a $18.5 million gift from Ernest E. Tschannen, a local philanthropist. Tschannen, who is 97, began losing his sight to glaucoma in 2000, but his vision was restored after he sought treatment at the UC Davis Eye Center.
Tschannen has given more than $38.5 million to UC Davis Health over the years, making him the health system’s largest individual donor.
“This is a great moment in the history of UC Davis Health and a giant step forward for our deserving patients and for the physicians who care for them,” said Dr. Mark J. Mannis, professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, in a statement. “We are thankful for the generous donation from our friend, Mr. Tschannen, and all our other supporters. Their generosity, hard work and dedication made this vision a reality.”
The building was designed by architecture firm HGA in partnership with San Francisco firm TEF Design. The design team included Chris Downey, an architect who lost his sight in 2008, and has dedicated the remainder of his career to design that accommodates the vision impaired. The Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building is designed with high-contrast colors and textures to help people with low vision navigate the space more easily.
The contractors on the project were McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., and Vanir.
