SUNY Downstate Advisory Board Asks For a $1B Makeover

An advisory board created to save and transform SUNY Downstate Medical Center on Thursday said it would like $1 billion to modernize the central Brooklyn hospital to preserve all inpatient and outpatient services.

Governor Kathy Hochul said she received the Downstate Community Advisory Board's proposal after a series of public meetings on how to preserve SUNY Downstate, after the state tried to consolidate the hospital in 2024 that sparked strong community opposition .

In its report , the board recommended the following:

Retain all current inpatient and outpatient services, including maternity and kidney transplant services.

Convert all double occupancy rooms to private rooms with showers and add additional rooms, resulting in 225 operational beds (with the goal of increasing th