Brooklyn’s University Hospital at Downstate, the only state-run hospital in New York City, is set to close or be significantly reduced by the state.
The plan was presented to physicians this week by hospital management and is the result of several worries, including a declining hospital facility, a shortage of patients, and yearly operating deficits of over $100 million.
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The plan’s impact on central Brooklyn residents’ and other residents’ access to healthcare has yet to be discovered. The hospital, located in East Flatbush, is right across the street from Kings County Hospital, a city-run public hospital, so the shift wouldn’t result in a large portion of the city losing access to a local hospital.
However, downstate offers some specialist medical care that is not offered in Kings County. For instance, hospital authorities expressed doubts about the program’s viability even though it is the only kidney transplant facility in the borough.
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, a significant medical school and research facility, is home to the hospital. SUNY chancellor John B. King Jr. stated in a Friday interview that the inpatient care at Downstate would be moved to other Brooklyn institutions. He intended, for example, to relocate a large portion of the inpatient services at Kings County Hospital to a wing across the street.
In actuality, the idea would create “a SUNY Downstate wing at Kings County” with as many as 150 beds, according to Chancellor King.
Chancellor King stated that Downstate planned to use the additional state cash that would result from closing inpatient services to establish a new urgent care facility, an ambulatory surgery center, and to expand primary care. An institute that investigated health inequities and a student center would also benefit from the financing.
According to him, the suggested modifications will “strengthen” Downstate as a whole. When asked if the plan would result in decreased access to healthcare in East Flatbush and other neighborhoods, he claimed that the reverse would occur.
“This will lead to increased care,” he said, adding that the inpatient services would be preserved at other hospitals and that urgent care and other services would come. “This isn’t a cut,” he noted.
However, the union that represents many SUNY Downstate healthcare employees claimed that outsourcing services to other hospitals will cause the institution to deteriorate.
Frederick E. Kowal, president of United University Professions, stated in a statement, “Let’s call this what it is: SUNY is closing Downstate.” He stated that the strategy “will undoubtedly harm the health of the central Brooklyn community.”
In recent months, two hospitals in New York City have announced plans to discontinue or drastically reduce their operations. Mount Sinai Health System applied for state clearance late last year to close Mount Sinai Beth Israel, a large hospital predominantly serving lower-class patients on Manhattan’s East Side.
Several patients with low incomes are also treated at University Hospital. Although the hospital has beds for more than twice that many, on an average day it admits roughly 144 patients. That’s not out of the ordinary for Brooklyn; certain hospitals have significantly lower occupancy rates.
A decade or two ago, there were waves of hospital closures and consolidations in New York City, partially due to high vacancy rates at certain hospitals. Due to advancements in medicine, an increasing number of treatments are being carried out in ambulatory surgery facilities or as outpatients.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has shown how important hospital beds are during emergencies: Many New York hospitals were overrun with more sick patients than they could properly care for during the fatal first wave of 2020.
Hospital closure plans usually spark disputes in the community, with unions and community organizations uniting to keep the hospitals functional.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding the planned makeover, including possible plans for the hospital’s main structure.
Chancellor King claimed, “We want to gather input from the community in the coming weeks.” He went on to say that it was feasible that homes would be constructed on the site of the hospital.
