Latest news with #NassauUniversityMedicalCenter
New York Post
12-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
NUMC CEO canned in hospital shocker in first action after NYS' controversial ‘takeover'
Nassau University Medical Center's CEO was abruptly booted in the first board meeting since New York state effectively took control of the hospital through Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget deal. CEO Meg Ryan planned to stay on until July 20 to help with the transition, but was removed on the spot and placed on administrative leave Tuesday night by the hospital's new state-appointed board of directors. 'This evening's actions reflect our commitment to restoring stability and building a successful future for this essential public hospital,' Stuart Rabinowitz, the hospital's newly appointed board chair said in a statement. Advertisement 3 Nassau University Medical Center's CEO, Meg Ryan, was fired and replaced with a new long-term CEO, yet to be announced, Richard Becker has been named interim CEO of NUMC. Stefano Giovannini The board replaced Ryan with Northwell Health executive Richard Becker for the interim, and also agreed to bring in three outside firms to help steer the hospital through the transition. Manatt, Phelps & Phillips was hired as legal counsel, Deloitte brought on to handle the finances and operations, and Korn Ferry to find a new permanent CEO. Advertisement Ryan declined comment to The Post. Ten hospital execs including Ryan announced over the last two weeks that they'd resign in July. Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman announced he and the GOP majority in the county legislature would not be making their designated picks to the newly-formatted board out of protest — and instead would be naming Hochul in the lawsuit to overturn the 'illegal takeover.' '[New York State] has made it very clear that they do not want me to be in the CEO role,' Ryan told The Post after she made the decision to step down. Advertisement 3 Ryan was placed on administrative leave Tuesday night, though she planned to stay with NUMC for the next month to ease the transition. Stefano Giovannini Two weeks ago, she and other executives predicted that the power balance will completely shift, pointing out that seven out of the 11 board members are being hand-picked by the state. The five-member Nassau County Interim Finance Authority, which monitors and oversees the county's finances, unanimously voted last week to impose a 'control period' of overseeing NUMC spending. That means that every major contract the hospital enters now needs the fiscal watchdog's sign-off. Advertisement 3 Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman said the GOP majority in the county will not name who they want to take over in the full-time role as a protest against Gov. Hochul's 'illegal takeover' of the hospital. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post 'This is a mandatory requirement,' NIFA chair Richard Kessel explained ahead of the June 2 vote. 'It's not something that's optional. The numbers that have been presented here tonight automatically trigger the imposition of a control period.' He explained that under the new state budget, NIFA is now required to intervene if the hospital runs an operating deficit above 1%. NUMC posted an 11% shortfall in 2023 — roughly $77 million — which ballooned to $83 million last year, which he said has no sign of slowing down. However, Ryan and other NUMC leaders have said they've turned around the fiscal disaster since new leadership under Blakeman took the reins and is now on track to profit $11 million this year without cutting any jobs or departments — despite being in the hole hundreds of millions of dollars just a few years ago.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
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 of the hospital. Blakeman, a Republican, was set to announce his picks for the NUMC board of directors 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 the hospital. 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. '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. '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. NUMC said they've turned around the fiscal disaster since new leadership under Blakeman took the reins and is now on track to profit $11 million this year without cutting any jobs or departments — despite being in the hole hundreds of millions of dollars just a few years ago. Blakeman and hospital staff said the state provided $180 million in subsidies to the hospital in 2021 but has provided no aid in 2024 and 2025 — claims Hochul's office denied. 'We want the state to fund this hospital as they've done before, and this hospital has done a great job, the turnaround of this hospital the last four years has been remarkable because of the people standing behind me,' he said of the medical staff surrounding him. 'Instead of being partners, they want us to be puppets. That ain't happening.' Gordon Tepper, the governor's Long Island spokesperson, called Blakeman's remarks 'ridiculous.' 'The board's restructuring is the best possible news for anyone who relies on NUMC,' he told The Post. 'There's been gross mismanagement at the hospital for years under the County's watch which has forced this desperately needed intervention.' A day after the 10 executives announced their resignation from the board last week, Hochul named former head of Hofstra University Stuart Rabinowitz to helm NUMC's board, along with three other new appointees, the governor's office announced. Hochul chooses the chair and gets six picks in total on the hospital's new board, including one recommended by the Assembly speaker and another recommended by the head of the state Senate. Two were to be appointed by Blakeman while the Nassau County Board of Legislators gets three picks for the board: two from the GOP majority and one from the dem minority. A legislature source told The Post that the GOP majority plans on following Blakeman's decision and not appointing anybody to the board. The Democrats meanwhile, slammed Blakeman's decision as a ''blatant refusal to do his job' and said they plan to move forward with their nomination. 'We intend to make our appointment to the NUMC board because we follow the law and put patients before politics,' Democratic Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow said. 'His administration drove NUMC into financial and operational chaos. Now the state is stepping in to stop the bleeding, and instead of helping, he's walking off the field,' he added.
New York Post
10-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Nassau Dems want FBI to dig into NUMC chairman's firing and shady document theft: ‘Smells like a cover-up'
Nassau Democrats are calling on the FBI to probe what they're claiming is a 'cover up' surrounding the sudden firing of the county's top hospital official after documents tied to a federal investigation were stolen from his home. In a new letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Nassau Democrats are urging the agency to investigate Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman's unexpected ousting of Nassau University Medical Center chair Matthew Bruderman — who was booted from his post in April just hours after someone broke into his home and stole a batch of files. 4 Nassau Democrats are urging the agency to investigate Blakeman's unexpected ousting of Nassau University Medical Center chair Matthew Bruderman. Brandon Cruz 'We're laying out and raising questions that no reasonable government would ignore,' Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton told reporters Monday at a press conference in Mineola. 'We want the truth, and we want it now,' she said, calling on the FBI to uncover whether Bruderman's dismissal was politically motivated. At the time of the firing — four hours after The Post broke the news of the burglary — Blakeman declined to explain his reasoning for removing Bruderman, but is now denying that the break-in had anything to do with it. 4 'We're laying out and raising questions that no reasonable government would ignore,' Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton told reporters Monday. Brandon Cruz 'Matt Bruderman did an outstanding job of reducing the hospital's deficit by $120 million and the County Executive replaced him with Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman,' Chris Boyle, a Blakeman spokesperson, told The Post, 'primarily because he felt that the leadership should shift from concentrating on financial issues to medical and patient care issues to which Dr. Gelman was eminently qualified.' County Legislator Seth Koslow, a former prosecutor who is challenging Blakeman in November, isn't buying his explanation — likening the county executive's actions to 'obstruction 101.' 'As a former prosecutor, something doesn't add up,' said Koslow, a Democrat. 'Whichever way you slice it, this smells like a cover-up and the public deserves an explanation.' 4 At the time of the firing, Blakeman declined to explain his reasoning for removing Bruderman. Brandon Cruz Dems also said they submitted a Freedom of Information of Law request for the since-recovered documents stolen from Bruderman's Oyster Bay home — not knowing what they may reveal. Those documents are tied to an FBI investigation, according to Long Island pols, into allegations that state and local officials diverted more than $1 billion in federal hospital funds over decades as part of a scheme to financially cripple NUMC and pave the way for its closure. The FBI declined to confirm that investigation. 4 Dems also said they submitted a Freedom of Information of Law request for the since-recovered documents stolen from Bruderman's Oyster Bay home. Brandon Cruz Meanwhile, Nassau County police has since taken over the April burglary from Center Island PD but declined to comment since the case remains part of an ongoing investigation. Bruderman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the time of his firing, Bruderman told The Post he was used as a political pawn, alleging that Blakeman orchestrated a backroom deal, although he did not offer specifics. The FBI did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
New York Post
03-06-2025
- 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
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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 once 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.' 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. '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. She said NUMC has seen a dramatic turnaround in recent years, taking a hospital that residents once avoided and upgrading it into a state-of-the-art medical facility — now home to a level-one trauma center, Nassau's only burn unit and hyperbaric chamber, primary care offices, dentists, and more. However, 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 scam 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. 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. However, The Civil Service Employees Association — the union representing most hospital staff — recently wrote a letter to members supporting Hochul's plans. 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. '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.'
