SUNY Downstate Awarded Funding to Enhance Long-Term Telehealth Services
By Dawn S. Walker | Nov 4, 2021
Brooklyn, NY (November 4, 2021) – SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (Downstate) today announced the COVID-19 Telehealth Program has awarded nearly $1 million in grant funding to University Hospital of Brooklyn (UHB) to acquire and implement a new virtual health platform safely connecting patients with providers through technology.
The $945,421 one-time grant, submitted by UHB CEO David Berger, M.D., MHCM, FACS in collaboration with Downstate Policy and Strategy Development Director Lori Bruno, MPH will help to expand SUNY Downstate’s telehealth services, allowing for tele-triaging of patients, virtual rounding by clinicians, and rapid discharge. These upgrades will enable better patient flow, improved use of resources, reduced length of stay, and improved patient safety. Efforts to increase medical equity for patients in low-income, underserved communities will benefit from long-term telehealth infrastructure.
“The COVID-19 pandemic proved what healthcare providers have long known – access to medical care cannot be limited by physical distance or proximity to medical centers,” said Dr. Berger. “With this funding, we can expand our services and the reach of our care. We are grateful to have been selected to receive this grant and look forward to putting it to good use by continuing our mission of providing affordable, equitable, and quality healthcare for the Brooklyn community.”
The COVID-19 Telehealth Program provides funding to eligible healthcare providers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic to support telecommunications services, information services, and connected devices needed to provide critical connected care. The program – established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act – provided $200M in funding to help healthcare providers deliver telehealth and connected care services to patients in their homes or mobile locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is the borough’s only academic medical center for health education, research, and patient care, and is a 342-bed facility serving the healthcare needs of New York City, and Brooklyn’s 2.6 million residents. University Hospital of Brooklyn (UHB) is Downstate’s teaching hospital, backed by the expertise of an outstanding medical school and the research facilities of a world-class academic center. More than 800 physicians, representing 53 specialties and subspecialties—many of them ranked as tops in their fields—comprise Downstate's staff.
A regional center for cardiac care, neonatal and high-risk infant services, pediatric dialysis, and transplantation, Downstate also houses a major learning center for children with physical ailments or neurological disorders. In addition to UHB, Downstate comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, a School of Public Health, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative, including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively. For more information, visit www.downstate.edu or follow us on Twitter at @sunydownstate.