One Downstate, One Commitment: Keeping Care Close
By Office of the President | Sep 22, 2026
The SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Council has approved and supported the proposed renaming of University Hospital of Brooklyn as University Hospital at Downstate. The Council adopted the resolution on September 9, 2026 at my recommendation.
The proposed name aligns the hospital’s formal identity with the name that our patients, employees, students, partners, and neighbors already recognize. It also reinforces the promise at the heart of our #KeepCareClose campaign: Brooklyn deserves access to quality healthcare, medical expertise, and academic medicine within the community.
University Hospital at Downstate (UHD) clearly identifies the hospital as an integral part of Downstate Health Sciences University. Downstate’s hospital, colleges and schools, research programs, and community initiatives work together to educate healthcare professionals, advance scientific discovery, provide patient care, and improve health outcomes. A unified name helps the public see those connections.
That clarity matters. Patients should know that the care they receive at UHD is supported by an academic health sciences university, with physicians, nurses, researchers, educators, students, and other health professionals working toward a common purpose. The proposed name connects the hospital directly to that expertise while affirming Downstate’s commitment to serving Central Brooklyn.
The proposal continues an institutional transition that began in 2019, when the SUNY Board of Trustees approved the change from Downstate Medical Center to Downstate Health Sciences University. Downstate subsequently introduced the Downstate Health identity, including a new logo, website, and institutional branding strategy. Although the hospital has used University Hospital at Downstate in public communications for several years, its operating certificate and some government and regulatory records still identify it as University Hospital of Brooklyn.
Using one consistent name will reduce confusion and strengthen recognition of Downstate as an integrated academic health sciences institution. It will help patients identify where they receive care, more visibly connect the hospital to our education and research programs, and give government agencies, healthcare partners, alumni, donors, and community organizations a clearer understanding of Downstate’s role.
The proposed name also supports our strategic plan, IMPACT 2030, and focus on institutional alignment and transformation. It strengthens our ability to communicate a simple message: Downstate belongs to Brooklyn, serves Brooklyn, and remains committed to keeping essential healthcare close to the people who depend on it.
The Council’s action does not create a new hospital or change the hospital’s ownership, leadership, workforce, services, SUNY affiliation, or community mission. It approves and supports the proposed name and authorizes the University to pursue the steps required to make it official.
Those steps include securing all necessary SUNY and governmental approvals and updating licenses, operating authorities, provider enrollments, payer records, contracts, policies, signage, websites, and other official materials. Until Downstate completes that process, University Hospital of Brooklyn remains the hospital’s legal name.
University Hospital at Downstate represents one institution, one public identity, and one enduring commitment: to #KeepCareClose for Central Brooklyn and communities across New York State.