Founded in 1991, the STAR Program is an integrated clinical, educational, research and community service program within SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University's Department of Medicine. All of our activities are guided by the input of consumers and community members through the STAR Community Advisory Group. As leaders in population health, we implement community-based interventions to improve the health of the entire borough.
The STAR Program provides comprehensive care through its STAR Health Centers, located at University Hospital at Downstate and Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, which are both certified Medicaid and Medicare providers, accredited by the Joint Commission and licensed by NYSDOH under Article 28. Our Centers offer specialized care for HIV disease, hepatitis C virus (HCV), mental health (MH), and substance use disorders (SUD) by healthcare professionals who are experienced in meeting the medical, social and behavioral health needs of our community. STAR promotes an environment that is trauma-informed, gender affirming and stigma free.
STAR Health Center services include primary care; HIV/HCV/STI screening and specialty care; women’s health and prenatal care; clinical pharmacist services; health education and risk reduction; nutritional services; geriatric fall risk and cognitive assessments, and PrEP/PEP. Behavioral healthcare includes psychiatry and psychopharmacology management; crisis intervention; individual, group and family counseling; substance use/harm reduction counseling; support groups; nicotine replacement therapy; buprenorphine (including long-acting injectable), and naltrexone (pills and monthly injection) for alcohol and opioid use. Narcan kits are available to patients, as are Fentanyl and xylazine test strips to evaluate street opioids. Support services include family case management; care coordination; patient navigation; peer support; reentrant services, and on-site healthcare coverage enrollment.
