Western New York continues to experience the closure or consolidation of several important medical facilities. The operators cite financial strain due to a reduction in Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements, aging facilities and staffing challenges. Now, three more medical centers will be closing in the coming weeks.

Kaleida Health has announced the upcoming closure of the Millard Fillmore Surgery Center in Amherst, a facility that has served the region for over 35 years. Kaleida is also closing Buffalo Therapy Services at two locations: DeGraff Medical Park in North Tonawanda, and Maple Road in Amherst. In addition, Absolut Care announced it is closing its Westfield location.

These announcements follow other local, state and national health facility closures. The National Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment (NHCQP) issued its 2025 report on the financial condition of the nation's hospitals. Citing new federal cuts to health funding, NHCQP found 18 New York State hospitals (including 58% of NY's rural hospitals) were listed as past, at or critically near risk of closure.

The region has seen impactful medical facility closures and consolidations in the recent past, in both urban and rural areas. Lifetime Health Medical Group, which had more than 43,000 primary care patients, closed its Buffalo, Amherst and Hamburg locations and sold off its pharmacy in 2017. The U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs closed its Adult Day Health Care facility in Amherst in 2018. The Brooks-TLC Hospital System closed its TLC/Lakeshore Health Center Campus in Irving in early 2020, displacing over 200 employees and requiring some rural residents to travel an additional 25 minutes to the next nearest hospital. The Catholic Health System closed its OLV Family Care Center in Lackawanna in February 2022. The maternity ward at Mount St. Mary's Hospital and the Springville OB/GYN Center were closed in 2023, following a concerning national trend of maternity care deserts. Earlier this year, the Empire DM Medical Transportation ended its service to rural patients in the Southern Tier, and Southern Tier Orthodontics abruptly closed its offices, causing existing orthodontia patients to scramble to find alternative care. This trend is expected to continue as facilities brace for the impact of substantial recently passed cuts to health insurance reimbursements.