SUNY Downstate to remain open for another fiscal year
A total of $300 million in capital funding and up to $100 million will help the hospital and create an advisory board that will be responsible to oversee its improvements.
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After months of rallies, meetings and outreach, SUNY Downstate will be open for another year.
The funding to keep the hospital open, which was secured by Gov. Kathy Hochul, comes from the New York state budget.
A total of $300 million in capital funding and up to $100 million will help the hospital and create an advisory board that will be responsible to oversee its improvements.
The union says keeping the hospital open is crucial for the 400,00 patients that walk into its doors every year.
"I think that the governor is going to be convinced and I anticipate pretty quickly that there should never be a conversation about closing Downstate that should never come up ever again,” said Fred Kowal, president of United University Professions. “Instead, let’s invest in this important facility and improve healthcare in Brooklyn."
Advocates say the next steps will be for the advisory board to begin working on a new long-term plan for the hospital.
They say their plan is to include the community in their decision.
