From NYSUT: “A couple weeks ago, SUNY announced a plan to ‘restructure’ SUNY Downstate Hospital in Brooklyn. The plan would close the current facility and move operations to a wing in Kings County Hospital Center. Other health care services would be farmed out to neighboring hospitals.
What this really means. This plan will result in the closure of SUNY Downstate. If there is no building, there is no hospital.
Why it matters. If this plan goes through, hundreds of health care professionals — our fellow union members — who risked their lives to care for others during the pandemic could lose their jobs. And as a public teaching hospital, SUNY Downstate is a pipeline for our state’s future medical workers. Closing the hospital means we could see a lack of health care professionals in communities throughout the state.
Instead of closing SUNY Downstate, we should recreate it into a dynamic, vital health care center that aligns with Brooklyn’s needs. The state should not only offer immediate operational aid, but also make a serious investment in the future of SUNY Downstate.”