Big changes are coming to SUNY Upstate, as the state budget earmarks $450 million to help the hospital’s aging emergency department.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) said the $200 million she initially included in her budget for SUNY Upstate was a placeholder, and when she toured the hospital, she realized more money was needed to build a world-class emergency room.
"That was not hard for me once I saw firsthand of the stress they're under,” Hochul said. “(I was) walking through the hallways, seeing how hard people worked, and people lined up in gurneys along the hallways, I greeted them, so I think it just it was that firsthand experience that brought me to the conclusion, 'Let's just get this done.'"
In January, the SUNY Board of Trustees requested the governor include the requested $450 million in her budget, and state lawmakers from the central New York area lobbied for the increase. Now, the current budget includes the full $450 million.
Mantosh Dewan, the president of Upstate Medical University, calls the financial commitment “outstanding.”
"I think it's going to make a huge difference. It's not just a gift to Upstate, but it's really a gift to the community,” he said. “Right now, (patients) get wonderful care with competence and caring, but the surroundings are terrible,” said Dewan. “Finally, we’ll be able to provide excellent care in a surrounding that is warm and private and comforting.”
Hochul agrees.
“This community deserves it,” she said. “They've been waiting a long time. It's a tremendous amount of money, but this area has to have a better facility because it serves all of upstate."
Dewan said the time frame for the upgrades is still unclear, but he says he plans to work with the governor to get improvements started as quickly as possible.
