Upstate Medical University in Syracuse will remain within SUNY, under terms of an agreement approved by the state’s health commissioner.

In June, Upstate and neighboring Crouse Hospital reached a tentative affiliation agreement to coordinate planning and explore opportunities for collaboration between the two hospitals. That agreement came in response to the recommendations of the Berger Commission that called for Upstate and Crouse to merge as a non-SUNY entity, which would have ended Upstate’s status as a public hospital.

On Aug. 23, the Spitzer administration formally approved the affiliation agreement. In a letter to the presidents of both hospitals, state Commissioner of Health Richard Daines wrote that the agreement “has a number of key features that, taken in total, implement the specific commission recommendation related to Crouse Hospital and SUNY Upstate Medical University,” Daines wrote.

The agreement provides for creation of a 13-member affiliation council consisting of representatives from the two hospitals.

“The council is required to engage in strategic planning, by reviewing existing relationships and identifying clinicalprograms that might be consolidated,” Daines specified.

While Upstate is preserved as a SUNY hospital, Daines said the agreement also fulfills the Berger Commission’s original recommendation, since the affiliation council is not under SUNY’s control.

UUP President William Scheuerman hailed the outcome as a major victory for both UUP and SUNY. But he reflected that victory did not come easily.

“This was one of the toughest challenges I’d encountered as president of UUP, but our unwavering mission to stop any plan for privatizing Upstate, along with our ability to work with the governor’s office, made this victory a reality,” he said.

That mission began last Nov. 28, the day the Berger Commission first released its report that included its plan to wrestle Upstate from SUNY’s control. UUP testified at legislative hearings against the plan and — accompanied by hundreds of members of other statewide unions — rallied against the proposal in Albany, Syracuse and Stony Brook.

UUP advocates took the issue in-person to lawmakers in Albany, urging them to intervene to keep Upstate as part of SUNY. Supplementing that effort: a fax campaign to legislators and the governor.

UUP didn’t stop there, initiating a lawsuit in late March, alleging the commission’s recommendation was unconstitutional, irrational and illegal. At the same time, the union launched a multimedia campaign that included a TV ad that warned of the consequences of removing Upstate from SUNY.

UUP also spearheaded a “viral” online campaign featuring a video explaining why Upstate should remain a SUNY hospital, and asking recipients to share the information with their e-mail contacts. And the union conducted an online petition drive aimed at keeping Upstate part of SUNY, that generated thousands of signatures sent to the governor.

“Our thanks go not only to the governor and the Legislature for their support, but also to the thousands of UUP members, other unionists, and private citizens who backed our efforts,” Scheuerman said. “As a result, Upstate Medical University is able to continue its vital public health, teaching and research mission.”

— Donald Feldstein