In a recent visit to Stony Brook Health Science Center, NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi saw firsthand both the progress and the problems ahead for this Long Island facility that is facing statewide budget cuts.

Progress comes from the outside — a long-planned, new facility for pregnant women that opened in October. And from the inside — local union leaders have been implementing ideas generated from their first year of training at NYSUT's Local Action Project.

Union leaders at Stony Brook HSC are among first members of a NYSUT higher education affiliate to take part in LAP, NYSUT's three-year training program to help locals build community partnerships and boost member involvement.

During the training, chapter leader Kathy Southerton invited Iannuzzi to the campus, one of three teaching hospitals operated by the State University of New York.

Southerton is president of the Stony Brook HSC chapter of United University Professions, NYSUT's affiliate at SUNY campuses.

"NYSUT has been there for higher education," said Iannuzzi. "Being on a campus allows me to show we stand shoulder to shoulder with our higher ed members and always have."

The NYSUT president toured the campus of the 540-bed facility, visited a classroom and spoke to the chapter's executive board about proposed cuts to the SUNY budget and NYSUT's opposition to them.

Cuts totaling $148 million have already been made at SUNY statewide, and more may be forthcoming.

UUP President Phil Smith said the impact of these combined cuts is already occurring, with campuses limiting enrollments, increasing class sizes and suspending searches for new full-time faculty to replace those who are retiring.

"Having a visit by NYSUT's president clearly shows our statewide affiliate and its 600,000 members stand in solidarity with us, especially in this critical time," Smith said. "Our members not only at Stony Brook HSC, but across the state are reassured that NYSUT is in our corner." 

NYSUT is "very supportive of our issues," said Southerton, who worked as a clinical nurse specialist before becoming president of the 3,000-member chapter.

SUNY is the solution in these tough economic times, Smith and Iannuzzi agreed.

A recent study by the Center for Regional Policy Studies showed that for every $1 the state invested in Stony Brook campuses (the university and the health science center), $23 is generated, Southerton said.

Stony Brook HSC provides tertiary care: health care services from highly specialized providers, often involving highly sophisticated technology. It also has schools of medicine, health technology and nursing.

It was unclear how much the Stony Brook campus will lose under the proposed budget cuts, Southeron said.

Along with working to get the message out to community and lawmakers about the actual cost of budget cuts, the chapter is activating plans they developed at LAP.

An academic lecture series — created to boost involvement of academic members of the union — will kick off Dec. 11. Union member Steward Suchit, a medical illustrator, designed the Stony Brook HSC chapter a new logo.

The UUP chapter is also co-sponsoring a day-long summit with regional leaders on how to help serve the health needs of the area's minority population.

— Liza Frenette