SUNY Downstate Secures Grant To Launch Back To Brooklyn Program For Former Justice-Impacted Individuals
By Office of Communications and Marketing | Jan 23, 2025
Grant Tackles Healthcare Gaps, Boosting Access and Retention in Care
Brooklyn, NY – SUNY Downstate announced that its Special Treatment and Research (STAR) Program has received a $500K grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (MCHF) to establish “Back to Brooklyn,” a community-based medical home for justice-impacted individuals returning to Brooklyn. The program seeks to improve access to healthcare and retention in care for reentering individuals with chronic medical and behavioral health conditions. It addresses social determinants of health to enhance their overall quality of life.
The two-year MCHF grant will allow STAR to expand its services significantly, focusing on individuals returning to Brooklyn from New York State and New York City correctional facilities. Back to Brooklyn will address critical healthcare needs, including HIV, diabetes, hypertension, depression, and substance use disorders. Its innovative approach integrates medical and behavioral health care with social services to provide holistic, patient-centered care.
Back to Brooklyn prioritizes retention by establishing a patient-centered medical home tailored to the unique needs of former justice-impacted individuals. It incorporates co-located medical care, behavioral health services, comprehensive case management, and social and peer-delivered support. Key to this model is the inclusion of community health workers (CHWs) who have lived experience with incarceration. They will engage and support reentering individuals, helping to navigate complex health and social service systems. This peer-based approach encourages trust and builds stronger relationships with patients, improving health outcomes and reducing barriers to care.
“As a long-time advocate for improving healthcare systems for justice-impacted individuals, I am proud to lead the critically important work at Back to Brooklyn,” said Jessica Yager, M.D., MPH, STAR Program Medical Director. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to improve the quality of life for New York’s most vulnerable. We are grateful for our partnership with MCHF, which will allow us to support this underserved population.”
Nearly 5,000 individuals return to Brooklyn annually after incarceration, with many coming from the Central Brooklyn neighborhoods served by Downstate. They often face high rates of chronic disease, mental illness, and substance use disorders, compounded by social and economic challenges that can lead to recidivism and poverty. Back to Brooklyn’s comprehensive services aim to break this cycle, providing stability and support during the critical reentry period. Its innovative model creates a roadmap for addressing healthcare disparities for reentrants, creating a more equitable healthcare system for one of New York’s most vulnerable populations.
“This year, our Foundation hit a milestone in our impact and continued responding to key issues across the state–from maternal health and childhood hunger to immigrant healthcare workforces and mental healthcare for our senior citizens,” said Daniel Frascella, Chief Programs and Grants Officer of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. “Our grantees and their commitment to the health and well-being of New Yorkers inspire our grantmaking processes and focus areas year after year.”
For more than 30 years, SUNY Downstate’s STAR Program has provided comprehensive and integrated primary care, specialty care, mental health care, and substance use treatment for persons living with, at risk for, or affected by HIV. Since 2017, STAR has provided linkage to care, wrap-around support, and education services exclusively for Brooklyn and Staten Island reentrants living with HIV from New York State corrections facilities through funding from the New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Institute.
# # #
About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system. It is the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.
About The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of vulnerable communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services.
Named after a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor, the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation funds programs and initiatives across New York State that either provide direct healthcare services or address the social determinants of health.