BUFFALO, N.Y. — The dedication of the new John R. Oshei Children’s Hopsital at the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus Tuesday was a long time coming for families like Jody Kotowski’s.

Three days after her daughter, Francesca, was born, she was transferred to Women and Children’s Hospital for care.

"She was 45 days in the intensive care unit, and it didn't end there. She's had 25 brain surgeries," said Kotowski.

Jody and her husband spent more time at the hospital than they did at their home.

"There was a time when we were in the intensive care unit, and Frank was working nights, and I was working days. We would switch parking spaces on the street, so we didn't have to pay for parking in the ramp," said Kotowski.

That's why the dedication of the hospital is especially meaningful.

"I had to wash my hair in the sink in the public bathroom because there was no shower, so to know that the moms are going to have that, it's a relief. We know that this space is such a welcoming space for the kids. It's a place where they're going to be comfortable. They're going to have areas that are their own," said Kotowski.

The new 185-bed facility cost $270 million to build and houses a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, for premature infants and those with critical illnesses, and a Level I pediatric trauma center.

Experts say the new facility will allow them to better serve more patients with increasingly complex medical issues.

"You will see a lot of gardens and a lot of artwork because we know that those are the things that really the things that help you heal,” said Stephen Turkovich, chief medical officer for Women and Children’s Hospital. “The brand new MRIs and imaging. We will be able to see things in the human body that we haven't been able to see before.”

The official move will start the morning of November 10th and will take between 24 and 26 hours to get all the patients into the new building.