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

The funding is being provided via a HEAL NY (Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers) grant from the New York State Department of Health and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York. According to a release, the $40-million HEAL NY grant and a $22-million HEAL NY grant awarded in October 2009 to LICH will assist SUNY Downstate in retiring LICH debt and in paying costs associated with integrating clinical and financial operations between SUNY Downstate and Continuum Health Partners, which managed LICH.

John C. LaRosa, M.D., president of SUNY Downstate, says in a statement, “I want to emphasize that the agreement with Continuum represents a significant step forward, but there are many more review and approval steps that must be completed before an agreement can be finalized. This agreement will also strengthen Downstate’s education and training mission and preserve Downstate’s standing as the hub of medical education in Brooklyn. Equally important, critically needed healthcare services in Brooklyn will be safeguarded.”