SUNY announces outreach plan for Downstate’s future

Seeks input of students, staff, patients and residents

February 8, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

SUNY Downstate. Wikimedia photo by Jim Henderson

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EAST FLATBUSH — The State University of New York on Wednesday announced that it will launch a community-driven visioning process — in other words, an outreach program — to shape its proposed $300 million capital investment to re-envision SUNY Downstate hospital and medical school in East Flatbush.

SUNY plans an engagement process including community surveys and five themed focus groups and stakeholder sessions this month and in March. In mid-March, SUNY will publish a report detailing findings and recommendations.

After extensive analysis of community health needs, hospital usage in the Downstate service area, the deteriorated condition of the Downstate building, and historical and current patterns in Downstate’s capacity, SUNY and the Governor’s Office have established a set of principles to guide the path forward.

The community survey and focus groups will engage Downstate students, alumni, faculty, staff, and patients; Central Brooklyn residents; health care advocates; community-based organizations; and faith leaders.

Last month, SUNY announced that Gov. Kathy Hochul had asked it to come up with a “transformation plan” for Downstate, which it described as “chronically underfunded.” While there were no concrete plans, a statement from SUNY Chancellor John King said that Downstate’s aging physical plant faces and “infrastructure crisis” and that fewer than half of Downstate’s hospital beds are in use.

At the time, King also said, “We anticipate this plan will include deepening partnerships with other Brooklyn hospitals so Downstate can relocate services.” Frederick E. Kowal, president of the Union of University Professions, which represents many of Downstate’s medical stafffers, charged that this would mean relegating Downstate’s medical services to nearby hospitals, would result in staff cuts, and would eventually result in the institution’s closer.

Other unions and local elected officials have since joined the union in protests.

As far as the newly-announced outreach process is concerned, SUNY said it will begin with a needs assessment to better understand stakeholders’ perspective on the current state of affairs at SUNY Downstate’s health sciences university and teaching hospital, followed by a visioning process to ensure that community-sourced ideas inform SUNY’s plan for a stronger Downstate at all levels.

The stakeholder workshops and focus groups, according to SUNY, will engage Downstate personnel and community members on their concerns and aspirations surrounding a variety of topics, including the following themes:

Needs Assessment

* Tackling Health Disparities in Central Brooklyn — assessing the practical impact of systemic health inequities on Downstate’s surrounding neighborhoods,

* Training the Health Care Workforce of Tomorrow — engaging students, faculty, and staff on the academic experience at Downstate and generating ideas to modernize education, training, and research capabilities.

* Building a Secure Future for Downstate Staff — hearing and addressing workforce concerns about how Downstate’s future will affect them.

Visioning Process

* Investing in an Affordable, Accessible Community — envisioning a future for the Downstate hospital site that meets the holistic needs of its Brooklyn neighborhood.

* Envisioning a Stronger Downstate — developing recommendations for Downstate’s academic and health care future driven by community input

The most recent statement from SUNY reiterates that “the hospital is in danger of failing after years of financial instability and a facility in disrepair. Health care facilities across the country are also seeing more care being delivered outside of the hospital and Downstate, which experiences lower bed utilization rates and massive budget deficits, is no exception.”

“Downstate is a gem of the SUNY system, and this historic investment will put us on track to better serve our students and community,” Chancellor King said. “The status quo puts our community including our staff and patients at catastrophic risk, and we cannot allow that to continue. We are committed to working in partnership with the community and all stakeholders to build a strong future for Downstate.”

SUNY says the $300 million capital investment, which will be informed by stakeholder input, is intended to:

* Continue to provide primary and specialty care and ambulatory surgery and expand access to urgent care.

* Enhance the academic experience for students including a new student center to provide academic services and support.

* Build a new Brooklyn Institute for Health Equity to perform action-oriented research on health disparities,

In addition, SUNY said, “Downstate’s current inpatient services will be provided by Downstate staff at other facilities in collaboration with other Brooklyn hospitals, including through a SUNY Downstate ‘wing’ at Kings County.” This would appear to signify a move out of the current, aging campus.

In response to SUNY’s newly announced outreach plans, UUP’s Kowal said, in a statement, “SUNY should have thought about holding public hearings on their plan to close SUNY Downstate’s hospital before announcing that they wanted to close the hospital. Now they are just backtracking because of a loud outcry from the community, which values this hospital and wants it to stay open. I’m confident that the Central Brooklyn community will tell Chancellor King what they’ve been telling us: that SUNY Downstate’s hospital is vital to the community and must remain open