The State University of New York's board of trustees in Albany have asked Gov. Kathy Hochul for $450 million to develop a hospital annex for Syracuse, N.Y.-based Upstate University Hospital to house a new emergency department, burn center and additional operating rooms, Syracuse.com reported Jan. 8.
The proposal, obtained by the publication, would be a one-time investment part of Ms. Hochul's 2025 budget.
"Upstate's critical infrastructure needs have been, for the most part, ignored," bi-partisan state lawmakers wrote to Ms. Hochul in December, the publication reported. "The current ED is over 60 years old and is inadequate for today's standards of care and increasing demand. A new, up-to-date sound infrastructure is a necessity to treat patients, as well as address regional capacity issues and overcrowding, all while balancing the continuum of care."
SUNY Upstate's last major project was in 2009 for the addition of 200 new beds. The hospital's emergency room currently has 35 beds and is "too small to handle today's traffic," the publication reported.
The proposed $450 million investment is the same amount that SUNY is also requesting for its University Hospital at Downstate, part of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn. In December, the state shared plans to significantly reduce services or potentially close Downstate hospital in January 2025.
In a Jan. 9 statement shared with Becker's, a spokesperson for SUNY Upstate said that the hospital's president, Mantosh Dewan, MD, and leadership team are "grateful" to Ms. Hochul for "her steadfast commitment" to the hospital.
"We look forward to continuing to work together with the governor and the legislature to meet the growing healthcare needs of our region and improve access to essential care for all," the statement said.
A spokesperson for Ms. Hochul said in a Jan. 9 statement shared with Becker's that details for the governor's fiscal 2026 executive budget will be released later in January.