Governor Kathy Hochul was joined by local officials, SUNY Downstate leadership, community leaders and labor, and hospital groups to celebrate the historic $1 billion investment in SUNY Downstate’s hospital. Listening to the community’s input, the SUNY Downstate Advisory Board developed a plan to make infrastructure improvements and renovations that will modernize hospital care for this community.
“Every New Yorker deserves access to innovative, high-quality care,” Governor Hochul said. “This historic $1 billion investment into SUNY Downstate’s hospital will contribute to modernization and infrastructure efforts that will lead to a brighter future for this community.”
- Advertisement -
Governor Hochul worked with the Legislature to provide a historic capital investment in SUNY Downstate. The Governor championed $750 million in capital funding for SUNY Downstate’s hospital in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Enacted State Budgets. The Governor directed SUNY to dedicate its anticipated $50 million annual capital allocations in each of the next seven years to bring the total investment to more than $1 billion.
This plan to make improvements to SUNY Downstate Hospital was developed by The SUNY Downstate Community Advisory Board, consisting of health care and community leaders who worked throughout the past nearly six months to gather input and ideas directly from the community to inform the proposal.
The Advisory Board’s report recommends:
- Retaining all current inpatient and outpatient services, including maternity and kidney transplant services
- Converting all double occupancy rooms to private rooms with showers and add additional rooms, resulting in 225 operational beds (with the goal of increasing the current 165 average daily census)
- Modernizing and expanding the emergency department to 45 stations
- Establishing and renovating dedicated inpatient specialty units for cardiology, oncology, and orthopedics
- Building a new hospital annex, including a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center that expands services in oncology and cardiology
- Addressing the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure issues that have resulted in repeated system failures
- Improving leadership and operations to work towards operational sustainability
After gathering public and stakeholder input over many months, the approach recommended by the advisory board was presented to the public as an option under consideration at the fourth public hearing on April 28Last year, SUNY Downstate’s hospital faced a $100 million annual deficit and was at risk of b
eing unable to operate without additional funding, while contending with a hospital facility in disrepair and vulnerable to major crises, including recent major infrastructure incidents.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “Governor Hochul is making a historic
investment in SUNY Downstate and Central Brooklyn, which will create a state-of-the-art, modern teaching hospital for generations of Brooklynites. This more than $1 billion investment, as part of a reasonable, scalable, and fiscally responsible plan, will ensure SUNY Downstate’s hospital moves forward and maintains all essential inpatient and outpatient services, as it expands to continue serving the needs of the community.”
The advisory board’s task was to consider recommendations to establish a reasonable, scalable and fiscally responsible plan for the financial health, viability, and sustainability of SUNY Downstate within a range of available funds. Over the course of their deliberations, the advisory board:
- Held four public hearings (one more than statutorily required) on January 22, February 27, March 13, and April 28, with two in Community Board #9 and two in Community Board #17
- Met with numerous community stakeholders including the SUNY Downstate Medical School Department Chairs, the Brooklyn for Downstate advocacy group (twice), the leadership at SUNY Downstate, and other regional health care providers
- Carefully reviewed analysis of the community health needs (including the Brooklyn for Downstate data needs analysis and recommendations for the future of SUNY Downstate, the Community Health Needs Assessment 2022 prepared by the NYC Health & Hospitals, and the New York State Department of Health’s Study of Healthcare System Inequities and Perinatal Access in Brooklyn report), Downstate Hospital’s financials, and the condition of Downstate Hospital’s physical plant
- Engaged a team of consultants to provide expert analysis, infrastructure assessment, financial modeling, architectural and engineering scenarios, and coordination to independently assess the reasonableness of the financial modeling and identify options to reduce the ongoing operating deficit.
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University President Dr. Wayne J. Riley said, “This plan represents an extraordinary investment in SUNY Downstate’s teaching hospital–University Hospital at Downstate–and a brighter future for our patients, students, faculty, and staff. I thank Governor Hochul, the Brooklyn legislative delegation, the SUNY Board of Trustees, Chancellor King, the faculty and staff of SUNY Downstate, and the faith leaders, labor organizations, and other community stakeholders who have worked together to envision a strong and achievable future for SUNY Downstate.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Governor Hochul has committed significant resources to ensure that SUNY Downstate can do more for the health and wellbeing of the Brooklyn community. We are grateful to the Governor, the Downstate Community Advisory Board, including SUNY Chancellor John King, as well as to Senior Vice Chancellor for Health and Hospital Affairs Valerie Grey, and all those who provided comments during this comprehensive review.”
New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James V. McDonald said, “This historic investment will transform the landscape of accessible, affordable health care services at SUNY Downstate Hospital for years to come. As a vital community hospital, SUNY Downstate has consistently led efforts to address health disparities and emerging health care needs of the New Yorkers it serves. With Governor Hochul’s investment and the support and collaboration of SUNY and the community, this investment will bring about sustainable improvements that will modernize the facility, ensuring the hospital has the capacity to deliver quality health care for years to come.”
SUNY Downstate Chair of the Department of Community and Family Health Dr. Enitza George, M.D., MBA, MSAI. said, “After six months of working with the DCAB members, I believe these recommendations truly reflect our commitment to listening to the community. We carefully considered what’s needed and balanced it with what’s possible given the current funding. I’m genuinely excited about what’s next—for Brooklyn as a whole and for Downstate in particular.”
Governor Kathy Hochul stated, “Every New Yorker deserves access to innovative, high-quality care. This historic $1 billion investment into SUNY Downstate’s hospital will contribute to modernization and infrastructure efforts that will lead to a brighter future for this community.”
SUNY Downstate Community Advisory Board Member Pastor Louis Hilton Straker Jr. said, “Reinvesting in Downstate will not only mean improved care, it will also mean a sense of safety and dignity for Central Brooklynites. Over the last year, we’ve seen how different voices and perspectives can enter a room and come together to deliver for our communities. Let Downstate serve as a sign of hope on what we can do when New Yorkers stand by each other and insist on solutions.”
SUNY Downstate Community Advisory Board Member Dr. Lesly Kernisant said, “In my decades of caring for Brooklyn patients, a simple fact is clear: modern facilities and comprehensive services lead to improved care. This investment in SUNY Downstate’s future–which includes vital support for maternal health care–marks an important moment in the collective effort to reduce health disparities and secure a better future for our community.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “Securing this historic $1 billion investment in SUNY Downstate is a major victory for Brooklyn. It preserves critical services, modernizes the hospital, and reaffirms our commitment to equitable, high-quality care. SUNY Downstate is not only a vital healthcare provider, but a lifeline and anchor in Brooklyn. I’m proud that the Senate Majority worked closely with Governor Hochul to deliver the funding needed to fully revitalize this essential institution, and I applaud Senator Myrie and all my Brooklyn colleagues whose tireless advocacy made this moment possible.”
Senator Kevin Parker said, “This historic investment demonstrates the impact of government that truly listens to the people it serves. SUNY Downstate’s inpatient and outpatient services are not just critical—they are life-saving resources for thousands of Brooklyn residents. Preserving these essential programs while committing to their modernization and expansion is a bold affirmation of our community’s right to accessible, high-quality care. It reflects a deep and overdue investment in the health, dignity, and future of Central Brooklyn. I applaud Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, and the entire Brooklyn delegation for their leadership in securing this transformative win.”
Senator Roxanne J. Persaud said, “This historic investment in SUNY Downstate is not only a commitment to health equity but a powerful example of what happens when government truly listens to the community,” said Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “Thanks to Governor Hochul’s leadership and the tireless work of the Community Advisory Board, we now have a fiscally responsible plan to modernize Downstate Hospital and ensure it remains a pillar of care, education, and opportunity in Central Brooklyn for generations to come.”
Senator Zellnor Myrie said, “Last year, Central Brooklyn fought back against a proposal that would have closed SUNY Downstate and sent its patients elsewhere for care. Instead, we secured a commitment to invest in Downstate’s future, modernizing its facilities and preserving its services. I am grateful to the Advisory Board members for their work, to the community for demanding world-class healthcare, and to the Governor and SUNY Chancellor for committing to implement these recommendations. Downstate has been there for Central Brooklyn in our hour of need, and we will always work to protect and strengthen Downstate.”
Senator Kristen Gonzalez said, “For decades, marginalized communities have been forced to accept crumbling infrastructure and underfunded care. This $1 Billion investment in SUNY Downstate is a people-powered win, driven by community voices, labor, and public health advocates fighting for what we deserve: high-quality, publicly funded care that puts patients and workers first. Thank you to the Governor for her work with the Advisory Board and her commitment to increasing funding for healthcare access with our state legislature. We look forward to seeing shovels in the ground.”
Assemblymember Maritza Davila said, “I commend Governor Hochul for this historic $1 billion investment in SUNY Downstate Hospital. This commitment ensures that Brooklyn retains access to critical inpatient and outpatient services while advancing health equity through long-overdue infrastructure upgrades. As teaching hospital that provides staffing for hospitals all over Brooklyn and beyond, it is vital to keep SUNY Downstate as a full-service hospital.”
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said, “SUNY Downstate was founded 165 years ago, and served as a vital healthcare institution and safety-net hospital, helping over 300,000 Brooklynites annually, regardless of their ability to pay. In recent years, our borough’s only academic medical center kept trying to provide innovative, high-quality-care for all, while its 19th century infrastructure crumbled; putting the Downstate Hospital in serious peril; while leaving our most vulnerable constituents with next-to-nothing for healthcare. Gov. Hochul took decisive action, when other leaders swept this problem under the rug, and worked with the Brooklyn Delegation and our communities to deliver a one billion-dollar solution ensuring a bright future for SUNY Downstate and the Brooklynites who depend on it. Thank you to the Advisory Board for providing a blueprint to revitalize SUNY Downstate into a world-class, state-of-the-art health center that will truly save the lives of Brooklynites today and for decades to come.”
