NuHealth chief to head Manhattan hospital

Arthur Gianelli, who was forced out of his position in November as chief executive of NuHealth, announced Wednesday that he will head St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan.

Gianelli was appointed in 2006 to run NuHealth, a public benefit corporation that includes Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow and other facilities that serve the poor, by then-Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi. Suozzi, a Democrat, lost a rebid for the office Nov. 5 to incumbent Edward Mangano, a Republican. Two days later, Gianelli was asked to resign.

In a letter to staff Wednesday, Gianelli said his last day would be Feb. 7.

The chairman of NuHealth's board, Craig Rizzo, said it had launched a nationwide search for a new chief executive.

"On behalf of the NuHealth board of directors, I would like to extend our best wishes to Mr. Gianelli in his future endeavors," Rizzo said in a statement. "The board is continuing its search to find the best possible candidate for a smooth transition, for the best interest and future of our health system."

NuHealth, with NUMC's 530 beds and A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility's 589 beds, serves the county's most vulnerable population and remains financially challenged. Since 1999, Nassau Health Care Corp., known as NuHealth, has received $18 million a year from the county. The money generally covers uncompensated care and some public health expenditures. Of that, $13 million is slated to be discontinued in 2015.

Gianelli said he was attracted to the president's position at St. Luke's because, as a community hospital in a poor although gentrifying area, it faces some of the same issues as NUMC and its leadership is committed to transforming the hospital to meet the rapidly changing health care landscape. "I'm honored to join a world-class, progressive and visionary system such as Mount Sinai," he said.

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In September, the 523-bed St. Luke's Hospital, the main health care provider for West Harlem and Morningside Heights, became part of the newly formed Mount Sinai Health System. The system includes seven hospitals, among them Mount Sinai Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Center, as well as the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Gianelli said he also will serve as a special adviser to the system's president on Medicaid and in "a third yet-to-be determined system position" to expand relationships between Mount Sinai and federally qualified health centers.

Jim Mandler, a spokesman for the system, said, "We are delighted to have him join the Mount Sinai community."