Please send this e-letter to your elected representatives in the state Assembly and Senate urging them to stop SUNY's ill-conceived plan to shut down the public teaching hospital at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn.

SUNY's plan would essentially relegate the safety net hospital to a wing in Kings County Hospital Center; other health care services would be farmed out to neighboring hospitals.

This will absolutely result in the closure of SUNY Downstate.

As a public teaching hospital, SUNY Downstate treats all patients who walk through its doors, including patients without insurance or are unable to pay for care. It also provides state-of-the-art procedures that other hospitals can’t or don’t offer. The vast majority of Downstate’s patients — nearly 90 percent — are on Medicaid, are underinsured or have no health insurance.

Also, many Downstate workers could lose their jobs if the hospital is shut down. These same workers were hailed as heroes during the early days of the pandemic, when New York City was the epicenter of the outbreak. SUNY Downstate was designated as a COVID-only hospital in Spring 2020 by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo; the designation lasted nine months.

By sending this e-letter, you are telling your legislative representatives to work with the governor and other stakeholders to come up with a sustainability plan for SUNY Downstate.

Thank you!