SUNY Downstate Medical Center Faces Potential Closure

State Plan to Transfer Care to Other Hospitals Sparks Controversy

SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn is facing potential closure due to low patient enrollment, annual operating deficits of about $100 million, and a deteriorating hospital building.
The state's plan includes transferring inpatient care at Downstate to other Brooklyn hospitals, potentially creating a 'SUNY Downstate wing at Kings County' with about 150 beds.
Closing SUNY Downstate inpatient services would free up money for new state funding that Downstate intends to use to build a new urgent care center and an ambulatory surgery center, and to increase primary care.
SUNY Downstate provides specialized care that Kings County does not, including the borough’s only kidney transplant program, the future of which is uncertain.
United University Professions union president Frederick Kowal believes the state plan 'will undoubtedly harm the health of the Central Brooklyn community.'