Latest news with #NUMC
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
Nassau County exec Bruce Blakeman's shocking move throws wrench in Hochul's hospital ‘takeover'
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman refused to nominate anyone to Nassau University Medical Center's board — saying in a surprise announcement Tuesday he was protesting Gov. Kathy Hochul's 'illegal' takeover. Blakeman, a Republican, was set to announce his picks for board after at least 10 executives resigned in protest to New York state's takeover of the facility — but instead said he will not be naming anybody to the Democratic governor's 'puppet board.' 'The state blatantly passed a law, which is illegal, to take over Nassau University Medical Center with the sole interest in closing the hospital as we know it,' Blakeman told reporters at a press conference outside of the hospital. 3 Nassau exec Bruce Blakeman announced Tuesday that the county will not participate in Gov. Kathy Hochul's 'illegal' takeover of the Nassau University Medical Center. Brandon Cruz/NY Post He called NUMC 'one of the finest medical facilities in the United States,' and said he won't stand for state officials shutting it down. The state has denied allegations that it plans to shut down the hospital or convert it into a mental or behavioral health facility. But a 2024 letter from the state Department of Health, which was obtained by The Post, said the agency determined that the only way for the hospital to be fiscally sustainable is to cut staff and multiple departments and convert to a behavioral health facility. The letter was signed by Hochul. Blakeman blasted Hochul and state officials, accusing them of bringing on a financial crisis. 3 Blakeman said he will not be naming anybody to Hochul's 'puppet board.' Lev Radin/Shutterstock 'The state has defunded this hospital with the intent to take it over and make this bogus claim that there is a financial crisis,' Blakeman said. Former NUMC Chairman Matthew Bruderman has filed a lawsuit accusing the state of systematically defunding the hospital in a convoluted scheme. The allegations sparked a federal investigation. 3 Nassau University Medical Center Stefano Giovannini 'Now the state, without any transition plan, without any coordination whatsoever, has taken this power grab, and let's be clear, this is nothing more than a cover up,' Blakeman said, citing the allegations.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NUMC CEO and 9 other hospital leaders resign in protest over Hochul's ‘hostile takeover'
At least 10 hospital executives from Nassau University Medical Center, including its CEO, have put in their resignations in response to what they called a 'hostile takeover' by Gov. Kathy Hochul, according to sources in the hospital. CEO Meg Ryan confirmed to The Post that she and other leaders in the hospital have resigned effective in July, so that they can help oversee the hospital board's transition, she revealed. '[New York State] has made it very clear that they do not want me to be in the CEO role,' Ryan told The Post about her decision to step down. 'It was the hardest decision I had to make in my career.' Besides Ryan, at least nine other top officials made the decision to resign, including the hospital's chief medical, nursing, human resources, and information officers, as well as senior leaders in pharmacy, facilities, finance, and special projects. She and other executives told The Post that since the state budget passed earlier this month — which included language that allows the state to appoint seven board members to NUMC, with 6 directly picked by the governor — morale among leadership has been depleted. With seven board members out of 11 being hand-picked by the state, Ryan and other hospital leaders have said this completely shifts the power balance. But despite the transition being just days away, Ryan told The Post that the state has kept NUMC's leadership in the dark and has not provided any information on who they're appointing and how the new model will work. 'It's kind of bizarre, this is supposed to be happening in 48 hours and we have no idea who is on the board,' Ryan explained. Hospital leaders said the state's silence during the transition is deafening, and they are now convinced once Gov. Hochul inserts her own board members, which is slated to happen Sunday, everything is going to change. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Grace Ting and others said they resigned because they believe the new board would strip existing leadership of any real influence — and potentially push to convert the facility into a dedicated mental health hospital, a claim the governor's office has denied. 'Hochul wanted control at all costs and now she will have it, but they're going to lose a lot of great people because of this and it's a real shame,' a source familiar with the situation said. Although the state has repeatedly denied these claims, documents obtained by The Post revealed a letter that NUMC received from the state's Department of Health, signed by Gov. Hochul, in March 2024 that said the hospital's current model was financially unsustainable and specifically recommended it cut staff and be converted into a 120-bed behavioral health facility. That letter concluded that in order for NUMC to be financially stable, it would have to eliminate general medical services and transform into a psychiatric facility. The letter also slammed the hospital's leadership for rejecting the recommendation and failing to submit any alternative turnaround plan — all while the hospital's parent company, Nassau Health Care Corp., lost more than $500 million over five years. Ryan, however, argued those numbers are outdated and don't reflect the hospital's current trajectory, and said since taking the helm in early 2024, NUMC has clawed its way back from a nearly $200 million deficit and is now on track to turn an $11 million profit this year. She said that the state is now using outdated numbers to justify a power grab, meanwhile, there is a federal probe into claims made by former Chairman Matthew Bruderman the state was robbing the hospital of over $1 billion dollars in a span of two decades. Gov. Hochul's office said an announcement on the hospital board will be made in the coming days, but declined to comment further. 'Due to years of gross mismanagement, NUMC is in financial peril. I don't know what parallel universe she's living in,' Hochul's Long Island press secretary, Gordon Tepper told The Post. 'The state's focus at NUMC remains on patient care and the hospital's fiscal stability. That's all that matters — everything else is just noise,' Tepper said earlier this month.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kathy Hochul taps new board of directors Nassau County hospital after state's hostile takeover
Stuart Rabinowitz, the ex-Hofstra University president, is Gov. Kathy Hochul's choice to helm a reconfigured health care board of directors, with the announcement coming a day after the resignation of 10 executives at Nassau University Medical Center. Rabinowitz is one of four appointees joining the newly revamped NUMC board, Hochul's office announced. Konstantinos 'Dean' Mihaltses, a longtime hospital executive who worked at NYC Health + Hospitals in Queens; Lisa Warren, president of Placid LLC real estate development; and Amy Flores, a JP Morgan Chase vice president, were also tapped for the posts. 'NUMC is a vital lifeline for so many on Long Island, and today we are taking long-overdue steps to ensure it has the leadership and oversight it needs to thrive,' Hochul said in a statement. 'These new appointments, and the new authority granted to the state and NIFA, will help ensure accountability, responsible fiscal management and high-quality care for the communities NUMC serves. Stuart Rabinowitz is a respected and visionary leader, and I can't think of a better person to help lead this next chapter for NUMC.' Hochul plans to replace the entire 11-member board of the Nassau Health Care Corp., or NuHealth, which oversees the teaching hospital. The other seven will be chosen by the governor, who will first meet with Democratic state and lawmakers to consider candidates. The appointments take effect Sunday, and coincide with a new state law that overhauls NuHealth's leadership, bolsters state oversight and 'sets a path forward' for getting NUMC's finances back on track. The news comes a day after NUMC's CEO and nine other hospital leaders resigned. 'NUMC is a critical safety-net institution that has suffered from years of dysfunction and mismanagement,' Rabinowitz said. 'I'm grateful to Governor Hochul for the trust she's placed in me, and I'm eager to get to work with my fellow board members to restore public confidence, implement long-overdue reforms and put this hospital back on a path to stability and excellence.' Rabinowitz, a Columbia Law grad, was Hofstra's president for more than 20 years. During his tenure at the Long Island university, the former constitutional law professor oversaw the creation of a medical school and raised Hofstra's national profile, securing it as the host site for three US presidential debates. The new board is expected to meet on Monday. Between now and Dec. 1, 2026, the board will need to submit a study 'exploring options to strengthen NUMC,' according to Hochul's statement.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Kathy Hochul taps new board of directors for financially beleaguered Nassau County hospital
Stuart Rabinowitz, the ex-Hofstra University president, is Gov. Kathy Hochul's choice to helm a reconfigured board of directors for financially beleaguered Nassau University Medical Center, her office announced Saturday. Rabinowitz is one of four appointees joining the newly revamped board. Konstantinos 'Dean' Mihaltses, a longtime hospital executive who worked at NYC Health + Hospitals in Queens; Lisa Warren, president of Placid LLC real estate development; and Amy Flores, a JP Morgan Chase vice president, were also tapped for the posts. Advertisement Gov. Kathy Hochul has tapped Stuart Rabinowitz to helm a reconfigured board of directors for Nassau University Medical Center. Lev Radin/Shutterstock 'NUMC is a vital lifeline for so many on Long Island, and today we are taking long-overdue steps to ensure it has the leadership and oversight it needs to thrive,' Hochul said in a statement. 'These new appointments, and the new authority granted to the state and NIFA, will help ensure accountability, responsible fiscal management and high-quality care for the communities NUMC serves. Stuart Rabinowitz is a respected and visionary leader, and I can't think of a better person to help lead this next chapter for NUMC.' Advertisement The appointments take effect Sunday. Hochul plans to replace the entire 11-member board of the Nassau Health Care Corp., or NuHealth, which oversees the hospital. Nassau University Medical Center's CEO and nine other hospital leaders resigned yesterday. Dennis A. Clark The other seven will be chosen by the governor, who will first meet with state legislative and county legislative Democrats to consider candidates. Advertisement The news comes a day after NUMC's CEO and nine other hospital leaders resigned. 'NUMC is a critical safety-net institution that has suffered from years of dysfunction and mismanagement,' Rabinowitz said. 'I'm grateful to Governor Hochul for the trust she's placed in me, and I'm eager to get to work with my fellow board members to restore public confidence, implement long-overdue reforms and put this hospital back on a path to stability and excellence.' Rabinowitz was Hofstra's president for more than 20 years.
New York Post
01-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
NUMC claims financial turnaround in 11th hour push against Hochul, state takeover
Nassau University Medical officials said the once financially challenged hospital doesn't need the state to step in because it has turned things around and is on track to net an $11 million profit this year. NUMC was one nearly $200 million in the red, but leaders are pushing back against a possible state takeover by touting major gains in patient care, national safety ratings, and expanded community health services. Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget deal with state lawmakers includes an agreement that could strip local control from the hospital board of directors and install a new state-run board, a move NUMC officials call unnecessary and 'politically motivated.' 5 Employees marched from Burger City in East Meadow to NUMC calling on Gov. Hochul to remove any language from the budget that would allow a takeover of the medical center by the state. Dennis A. Clark Advertisement The language of the proposed changes have yet to be finalized though bugdet related bills can come to vote as early as this week, sources said. Hospital CEO Meg Ryan says thanks but no thanks. Ryan, who joined the hospital's staff as CEO in 2024, doesn't believe a state takeover is necessary anymore, citing an operational and financial 180. Advertisement 'Beyond finances, we've elevated patient care, earning improved national safety ratings, recertification with the Joint Commission's Gold Seal, and reaffirmation as a Level One Trauma Center, while expanding clinical services and launching a mobile mammography center to serve thousands of women annually,' Ryan told The Post in a statement. 5 Roughly 300 people filled the streets and marched to NUMC while supporters honked in their cars as they passed by. Dennis A. Clark Allegations of fraud and fiscal mismanagement ringing in from both sides sparked a federal investigation — with NUMC's recently fired chairman, Matthew Bruderman, blowing the whistle on an alleged scheme he claims to have uncovered where the state was withholding funds from the hospital in an elaborate scheme that has overshadowed the hospital's improvements. On Wednesday, nearly 300 workers and supporters rallied outside the East Meadow hospital, demanding Hochul remove any language related to a state takeover budget, and invited the governor for a tour to see the turnaround for herself. Advertisement Hospital leaders like Marissa Plotkins, the director of special projects, organized the rally to send a message to the governor that a state takeover is not needed or wanted — calling the language in the budget 'sneaky business,' and claiming the state is attempting to close the hospital with this move. 5 Traffic was forced to sit and wait as hundreds of healthcare workers and concerned citizens marched to the medical center. Brandon Cruz 5 Republican State Senator Steve Rhoads, who represents the area NUMC is located in, wrote a recent op-ed where he called Gov. Hochul's plan to include a takeover in the budget, 'deeply irresponsible.' AP However, The Civil Service Employees Association — the union representing most hospital staff — recently wrote a letter to members supporting Hochul's plans. Advertisement The union said a new board of directors is needed, calling the claims that the state wants the hospital to fail 'bogus.' The union also said that NuHealth, the public benefit company that runs the hospital, is nearly $500 million in debt to the state, which hospital leaders denied — calling the union's support for the state's takeover 'treasonous' to the hospital. Meanwhile, Hochul believes she is setting out to do what is best for the patients in Nassau. 5 Gove. Kathy Hochul's office denies the claims that the state wants to close the hospital and turn the land into 'migrant housing' or a psych center, and told The Post her focus remains on patient care. James Messerschmidt 'NUMC leadership continues its bizarre PR campaign based on ridiculous lies and scare tactics. The amount of time and resources they have spent on this foolishness is absurd,' Hochul's Long Island press secretary, Gordon Tepper, told The Post. 'The state's focus at NUMC remains on patient care and the hospital's fiscal stability. That's all that matters — everything else is just noise.'
