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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer Congressmember Yvette D. Clarke, And U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand Secure $1.9 Million Congressionally-Directed Funding In Omnibus Spending Bill For Downstate

By Office of Communications & Marketing | Mar 14, 2022

Funding will be used to establish a Center for Community Health

I am pleased to share the exciting news that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer and our own Brooklyn U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke, and U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand have secured $1.9 million in Congressionally Directed spending to our University. President Biden signed the bill into law on Saturday, March 12.

This bill is excellent news and a wonderful acknowledgment of the vital work at Downstate to serve our community. After two years of going above and beyond to support the Brooklyn community as a COVID-only hospital, additional essential support funding has never been more important for our institution.

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, under our new DownstateHealth framework, will establish a Center for Community Health and a network of service sites providing comprehensive primary care services for adults and children embedded in underserved central Brooklyn neighborhoods.

We will deploy a technology-driven, integrated support service network based on population health and patient-centered medical home models based on two-way patient/family community, health and community service engagement, and monitor outcomes to address the community need. Our Year One goal is to develop a technology-enabled population health infrastructure hub and a related primary care practice pilot site. Downstate will invest additional resources and seek additional funding streams to continue planned expansion for future years.

We are beyond grateful to Senator Schumer, Congressmember Clarke, and Senator Gillibrand for securing this nearly $2 million funding for SUNY Downstate, which will help keep our services accessible.

We thank the entire New York Congressional delegation for their support in including this critical funding in the FY22 appropriations government funding package and their continued support of our efforts to serve our community.

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Contact: Dawn S. Walker
917.439.9666 | 347.533.2071
dawn.walker@downstate.edu

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. It 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 an outstanding medical school's expertise and world-class academic center research facilities. More than 800 physicians, representing 53 specialties and subspecialties—many of them ranked as tops in their fields—comprise Downstate's staff.

In addition to high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis (kidney diseases)—and offering the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn, among many other distinctive programs—Downstate also sponsors a major learning center for young children with developmental disorders and disabilities. 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.