Albany remake of NUMC board nearly finalized

Daily Point

Under plan, new board can fire and hire CEO without county executive's approval

As officials of Nassau University Medical Center traveled to Albany Tuesday to oppose any change in state law that would give the governor more control, Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislative leaders have finalized almost all the details that would remake the NUMC board. New funding would also flow if the state’s criteria for change are met.

The changes would be effective June 1.

In the last few days, NUMC became one of the final sticking points to finishing budget negotiations, State Sen. Siela Bynoe told The Point. Bynoe said she spent hours over the weekend on the phone with representatives from Hochul’s office and the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the county’s fiscal watchdog, seeking more funding and other tweaks to the legislation.

By Tuesday, the governor and state leaders had all but finalized a plan that would give state officials the ability to appoint the majority of the board’s 11 seats for NUMC’s public benefits corporation, Nassau Health Care Corp.

After the budget is approved, the hospital would receive $50 million in capital funding — a number that increased from about $25 million over the last few days, including a last-minute $10 million bump on Monday, according to Bynoe. That funding is contingent on changes to the hospital’s board and leadership.

"I wanted to ensure that in restructuring a board that we would provide them with the necessary resources to be able to invest in the hospital and to ensure its viability into the future," Bynoe told The Point.

Even as those decisions were agreed upon, representatives from NUMC, including chief executive Megan Ryan, headed to Albany to protest "Hochul control." Speaking on the steps inside the State Capitol, Ryan called the capital funding effort "a corrupt bargain" and "a calculated ploy to dress up an illegal power grab as benevolence." Last week, Ryan’s supporters rallied in front of Bynoe’s office.

The current NUMC board’s next meeting is scheduled for this Thursday. No agenda has been posted to the hospital’s website. While Nassau Health Commissioner Irina Gelman now serves as the board’s chairwoman, former board chair Matthew Bruderman, who was fired by Blakeman late last month, continues to serve as a board member.

Bynoe said the idea of providing capital funding emerged after conversations with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. The two held at least three meetings to discuss NUMC over the last few weeks.

"She understands the issues affecting Nassau University Medical Center," Bynoe said.

NUMC also will have the opportunity to gain additional funding that the state allocates to distressed hospitals. While the final total dollar amount wasn’t yet available, Hochul originally had proposed $1 billion in total distressed hospital funding, while the State Senate had suggested increasing that pot to $1.5 billion in its proposed budget. The final amount will be divided among multiple institutions. NUMC will only gain a share if specific changes are made and if it complies with requirements the state Health Department laid out more than a year ago.

The Point has learned that under the latest budget proposal, the NHCC board would have 11 seats, four of which would be appointed directly by Hochul. One seat would be appointed by the State Senate majority leader and one by the Assembly speaker, giving the state control over the board’s majority. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman would appoint two seats, the county legislature’s majority would have two seats, and the county legislature’s minority would have one.

Under the proposal, Hochul would appoint the NHCC board chairman — a position currently appointed by the Nassau County executive. And, significantly, the NHCC board would choose the hospital’s chief executive. Currently, Blakeman has the ability to approve or veto a CEO appointment. That would no longer be the case.

Bynoe said she was able to add a new clause requiring that a supermajority of board members live in Nassau County. Additionally, the new law would require two community meetings to be held, so that employees, patients, and residents are involved in the process of planning for the hospital’s future.

Bynoe said she was willing to meet with NUMC officials during their visit Tuesday to explain that the legislation and the funding streams prove there are no plans to close the hospital — a suggestion that’s been made by Ryan and others. But Bynoe told The Point that NUMC's rally took place while the Senate was in session.

"All that we’ve been working on as it relates to the budget and investments is to ensure that NUMC has a future and a chance to prosper, to ensure that the men and women who work there — our health care heroes — have an opportunity to continue to serve Nassau County residents into the future," Bynoe said. "There’s nothing set here to harm. It’s to create a prosperous future for all those who are employed and serve Nassau County’s most vulnerable population."

But while NUMC officials are hoping to stop the legislative overhaul, their efforts may be too late.

NIFA chairman Richard Kessel told The Point the changes were moving forward, despite the pushback, calling NUMC "one of the more important things that need to be addressed in Nassau County."

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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Final Point

Hochul cancels appearance at Dems fundraiser on LI; Tish James to attend

The miserable cold and allergy season has Gov. Kathy Hochul under the weather, forcing her to cancel her appearance at a Democratic fundraiser in Woodbury Tuesday night for Nassau County executive nominee Seth Koslow and county legislative candidates. That leaves Attorney General Tish James as the headliner to kick off the Nassau Democrats’ 2025 activities.

Jay Jacobs, the county and state party chair, told The Point that he had raised $400,000 from sponsors paying $10,000 for a table of 10 or individuals buying a $650 ticket. Jacobs said 900 tickets have been sold for the event at the Crest Hollow County Club, not counting possible walk-ins.

"The governor tends to come to the Nassau County dinners because she recognizes how important Nassau County and all of Long Island is," said Jacobs. Hochul was in Albany earlier in the day finalizing the long-overdue state budget and called him late Tuesday afternoon to send her regrets. He said she “sounded terrible.”

Nassau Democrats have an uphill fight this year as Republicans dominate countywide office in Nassau, and in its three towns and two cities. President Donald Trump won Nassau by 4 percentage points over Kamala Harris in 2024. The only Democrats in the upper levels of elected office are its two House members, Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen.

Hochul held a news conference in the rain in Copiague Monday with LI business leaders to announce that there would be money in the state budget to pay off $6 billion in COVID-era debt to the federal government.

Hochul is planning to visit LI next week as part of a budget victory lap. Maybe the heavy rain will have dealt with this year’s copious tree pollen by then.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com

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