Union members confirmed up en masse final Thursday to demand that the State College of New York (SUNY) Downstate Hospital keep open, shutting down the block the hospital occupies. Reverend Al Sharpton, founder and president of the Nationwide Motion Community (NAN), joined them.
“I used to be born and raised in Brownsville and I’ve identified central Brooklyn all my life,” Sharpton mentioned on the rally. “We’ve got had a [lack] of medical well being locations to handle the wants of our group. Downstate has been one of many few. Now they need to blame the dearth of funding on the parents that made little do a lot. This employees has taken little and saved lives going.”
Sharpton mentioned that “shutting down Downstate” is not going to be tolerated.
The rally bookmarked the newest backwards and forwards between the group and the state over the supposed closure of the hospital, which has suffered from a long time of disinvestment and a projected $100 million deficit within the present state finances. SUNY Downstate is a educating hospital that serves primarily Medicaid and underinsured sufferers. It’s additionally the place the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) medical machine was invented.
Governor Kathy Hochul and SUNY Chancellor John King’s proposed plan entails shifting inpatient providers throughout the road to Kings County Hospital, amongst different issues, to alleviate the hospital’s monetary pressure.
“After a long time of disinvestment at SUNY Downstate, Governor Hochul is the primary governor to concentrate on the healthcare wants of Central Brooklyn,” mentioned Hochul’s workplace in an announcement. “She has dedicated $400 million to deliver high-quality well being care to residents in a modernized facility whereas defending healthcare jobs. At her course, SUNY will proceed to take heed to the voices of residents because it finalizes plans to put money into and revitalize Downstate—not shut it.”
A number of teams and unions don’t assist the state’s plan, reminiscent of United College Professions (UUP), the American Federation of Academics (AFT), New York State AFL-CIO, New York State United Academics (NYSUT), Public Workers Federation (PEF), and New York State Nurses Affiliation (NYSNA).
5 hospitals have closed in Brooklyn since 2003, mentioned UUP.
“It’s a travesty that we’re right here once more at SUNY Downstate combating for this hospital’s survival. I used to be there in 2012 and 2013, when Governor Cuomo needed to denationalise it,” mentioned PEF President Wayne Spence. “Seven years later, he designated it a COVID-only hospital. The healthcare heroes at Downstate helped a whole lot of hundreds of New Yorkers survive the pandemic. They’re superb public servants, and so they deserve higher. If the state actually needs to rework Downstate, let’s work collectively now, when there’s a finances surplus, to fund and employees it, in order that anybody who wants high quality, inexpensive well being care in Central Brooklyn can get it.”
AFT President Randi Weingarten mentioned that shuttering a hospital in a predominantly Black and brown group that additionally trains healthcare professionals “is a slap within the face.”
The unions have been joined by a gaggle of religion leaders and a number of other elected officers, together with Senator Zellnor Myrie and Assemblymember Latrice Walker, who’ve loudly opposed the state’s plan.
“Brooklyn wants SUNY Downstate,” mentioned Walker. “It’s a very important safety-net hospital that treats everybody who walks by means of their doorways no matter their skill to pay. Ninety % of the sufferers there are on Medicaid, uninsured, or underinsured. Most of them are folks of colour with restricted entry to high quality well being care, which must be a fundamental human proper. The failure to avoid wasting SUNY Downstate will solely exacerbate the well being disparities that exist already within the Brooklyn neighborhoods served by the hospital. The failure to avoid wasting SUNY Downstate will lower life expectancy and ship the message that some folks in Albany don’t care if poor folks reside or die.”
Rev. Kirkpatrick Cohall, senior pastor of Lenox Street Baptist Church, mentioned the proposed modifications to SUNY Downstate have created nothing however nervousness and concern from throughout the hospital system in addition to in the neighborhood.
“Downstate has been on the forefront of combating for fairness and entry to the most effective well being care on this metropolis for a few years,” Cohall in an announcement. “The COVID pandemic revealed the big disparities in our healthcare system and confirmed that these disparities are deeply rooted in racism and discrimination. Consequently, the proposed modifications are seen with nice suspicion and concern that very important providers, jobs, and financial stability for the residents shall be severely diminished. Protecting Downstate open and viable will proceed to handle the inequities and disparities in our healthcare system.”
Mayor Eric Adams additionally weighed in along with his assist for the hospital at a press convention on Tues, March 5.
“I represented Downstate as a State Senator, and for a lot too lengthy, there was no actual funding in Downstate. And what they did throughout Covid was outstanding,” mentioned Adams. “If we have been to shut Downstate, it’s going to have an effect on King’s County, an affect on Brookdale [Hospital] and a few of the neighboring hospitals. We had a dialog with Chancellor King to share our considerations, and we’re going to be assembly with the unions and the native electeds within the space.”
Adams mentioned that the state has to give you an actual plan for central Brooklyn by way of healthcare in addition to different state‑run hospitals in different components of town. “We’re asking the governor’s folks to take a seat down and give you an actual plan for healthcare in New York Metropolis,” mentioned Adams. “However I’m a supporter of Downstate. The problem of seeing Downstate shut goes to have a serious affect. We’re going to do every thing potential to stabilize that healthcare state of affairs in central Brooklyn.”
[updated Thurs, March 7]
Ariama C. Lengthy is a Report for America corps member who writes about politics for the Amsterdam Information. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps maintain her writing tales like this one; please contemplate making a tax-deductible reward of any quantity as we speak by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
