Brooklyn, NY – Assemblymember Brian A. Cunningham (D-Brooklyn) welcomed Speaker Carl E. Heastie (D-Bronx) to the 43rd Assembly District to discuss his request for capital investments in LaSante Health Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center. 

SUNY Downstate is the largest single employer and economic driver in Assembly District 43, employing over 4,000 workers and generating $898 million annually. As one of New York State’s largest safety-net hospitals, it provides care to a diverse and underserved population, however, patients do not receive services in state-of-the-art facilities.

Assembly Member Cunningham is requesting critical upgrades across the facility to ensure patients receive first rate care in a reconstructed state-of-the-art facility. These significant capital upgrades in the neonatal unit, xx, and across the hospital will provide adequate services for the approximately 236,000 New Yorkers that use SUNY Downstate’s services annually.

LaSante Health Center serves almost 7,000 patients a month in one three-story building. Adding a new four-story clinic, totaling $10 million, will offer patients behavioral health services, a women’s health and OB/GYN floor, clinical specialties, and dentistry. These services buttress the ongoing work at SUNY Downstate, and ensure the healthcare needs of Assembly District 43 residents and all Brooklynites are met.

“I am grateful that Assembly Speaker Heastie toured District 43, witnessing the breakthrough healthcare services done on a shoestring budget," said New York State Assemblymember Brian A. Cunningham. “LaSante Health Center and SUNY Downstate meet constituents where they are, both literally and figuratively. I thank the Speaker for his continued leadership and commitment to ensure the critical healthcare needs of Central Brooklynites are met.”

“Thank you to Assemblymember Cunningham for his time and effort in coordinating a tour of his home, the 43rd AD,” said Speaker Carl E. Heastie. “Brooklyn and its surrounding areas are very diverse, making both SUNY Downstate Medical Center and LaSante Health Center not only essential healthcare providers, but cultural hubs. The medical personnel at both facilities are a direct reflection of the community they serve, speaking a wide array of dialects and languages. This as well as the critical services provided at SUNY Downstate and LaSante allows patients to feel comfortable while also receiving the best care possible.”