ROCK HILL, NY — The Center for Discovery (CFD) could soon have a state-of-the-art biobehavioral and healthcare facility at the former Frontier Insurance building.

The CFD purchased the 164,000 square foot building and is converting the second floor into the Research Institute for Brain and Body Health, according to a news release. The first 10,000 square feet of the second-floor labs are complete and occupied.

The facility will ultimately include the institute and a children’s specialty hospital for complex disabilities.

Biobehavioral science examines the impact of biological processes on behavior.

“New York State is a leader in life science innovation, and the Center for Discovery’s Research Institute for Brain and Body Health will be home to cutting-edge technological advances and treatments that will improve the quality of life for people with complex health challenges,” said Hope Knight, president/CEO of Empire State Development (ESD). “This center shows how our strategic investments can ultimately help to change lives for the better.”

“The Center for Discovery has always championed new ideas and new technology,” said Patrick Dollard, CEO of the CFD. “With the completion of our Innovation Labs—the first labs within our Research Institute for Brain and Body Health—we are leveraging more than 30 years of leadership in assistive technology to better study and develop innovative solutions that can transform the lives of individuals with complex disabilities.”

The laboratories will focus on the care and treatment of people with autism spectrum disorders, medical frailties and other complex conditions. A particular focus will be on common co-occurring biomedical conditions that can significantly affect quality of life, such as sleep disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, seizure disorders, obesity and Type 2 diabetes, as well as immune and metabolic problems and anxiety disorders.

Support for this project came from a $1 million ESD grant, intended to help create a medical research corridor that advances the region as a premier biomedical and research destination.

Sen. Mike Martucci, Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, Sullivan County legislature chairman Rob Doherty and Bill Rieber, superintendent of the Town of Thompson, all spoke.

“This project will advance treatment for our most vulnerable children suffering from autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, such as complex seizure disorders and more,” Rieber said. “Without financial partners such as Empire State Development and the USDA, this project most certainly would not have gone forward.”