State officials move forward with NUMC overhaul

Daily Point

Final days under old regime closely scrutinized 

A new board to oversee Nassau University Medical Center must be in place by June 1 and state officials, who now control the majority of seats, are in detailed discussions with possible trustees and those who might lead the hospital.

As the transition moves forward, The Point has learned that officials are simultaneously keeping a close eye on the current state of affairs at the hospital, with a concern about what is happening now — and what might happen before new leadership takes over.

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority and other entities have received correspondence from anonymous employees raising questions about the current management.

One such letter, signed by "NUMC Employees," indicated that some workers have been told to resign before they are fired, and that some programs, such as late evening or weekend clinics, have been shut down.

Even before that letter was received, NIFA chairman Richard Kessel had been preparing a letter of his own, which was sent last Friday to Dr. Irina Gelman, Nassau County’s health commissioner, who now chairs the board of the Nassau Health Care Corp.

That letter confirms that as of June 1, all current NHCC directors’ terms will expire, and new appointments will be made. That new board will then be empowered to appoint a new chief executive officer, the letter said.

"During this period of board transition and any changes to NHCC’s administration, it is critical that NHCC’s current leadership acts responsibly as stewards of NHCC as a New York State ... public authority," Kessel wrote, citing state public authorities law. "Therefore, it is your duty to make certain that current NHCC leadership takes no action that would harm NHCC and/or interfere with the transition to new leadership."

The letter notes that hospital officials must preserve documents and "act affirmatively at all times to advance NHCC’s best interests" and cannot delay or prevent any necessary actions that should be taken.

The letter also highlights the need for the hospital board to maintain a quorum at any meeting. That comment came after the board met without a quorum on May 8, the day after the NUMC reforms were approved in Albany. While only executive committee members voted, the group approved contracts, resolutions, and the hospital’s audit — all of which it should not have done without a full board quorum, sources told The Point.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Health is also paying attention to NUMC’s operations. In a letter sent Monday, Stephanie Shulman, director of the department’s division of hospitals, noted that NUMC failed to submit required reporting for the state’s Health Emergency Response Data System on seven different dates, also beginning May 8.

The lack of reporting constituted a violation of state public health law and was referred to the Health Department’s Division of Legal Affairs, Shulman wrote in the May 19 letter.

A Health Department spokeswoman told The Point that the hospital has since resumed its data reporting, though no one was available to provide additional detail.

"Timely and accurate hospital reporting is essential to the State’s health emergency preparedness and response," the spokeswoman told The Point in an email.

Kessel told The Point that he is concerned about what is happening at the hospital now — and what it would mean for those taking control next month.

"I think there’s a lot of activity going on over at NUMC," Kessel said. "Once we control the board, we’re going to have to take a hard look under the hood."

That could mean unraveling any last-minute decisions current NUMC executives are making.

Gov. Kathy Hochul told The Point last week that Secretary to the Governor Karen Persichilli Keogh would take the lead on the hospital’s transition and the process of bringing on new board members and leadership.

"We need people who know how to manage a very complex institution like NUMC," Hochul said. "That’s what we want to get."

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

Pencil Point

Less for more

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