NEW YORK CITY-Avoiding the same fate as St. Vincent’s Hospitaland North General Hospital earlier this year, Long Island CollegeHospital in Brooklyn will be acquired by SUNY Downstate MedicalCenter. The state is providing $40 million for the acquisition, inwhich LICH will become a second campus of University Hospital ofBrooklyn.

The funding is being provided via a HEAL NY (Health CareEfficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers) grant from theNew York State Department of Health and the Dormitory Authority ofthe State of New York. According to a release, the $40-million HEALNY grant and a $22-million HEAL NY grant awarded in October 2009 toLICH will assist SUNY Downstate in retiring LICH debt and in payingcosts associated with integrating clinical and financial operationsbetween SUNY Downstate and Continuum Health Partners, which managedLICH.

John C. LaRosa, M.D., president of SUNY Downstate, says in astatement, “I want to emphasize that the agreement with Continuumrepresents a significant step forward, but there are many morereview and approval steps that must be completed before anagreement can be finalized. This agreement will also strengthenDownstate’s education and training mission and preserve Downstate’sstanding as the hub of medical education in Brooklyn. Equallyimportant, critically needed healthcare services in Brooklyn willbe safeguarded.”