Intervention is needed at NUMC
Nassau County taxpayers are responsible for backing more than $100 million in borrowing at the Nassau University Medical Center. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
If patients, employees and county residents listen only to Nassau University Medical Center chairman Matthew Bruderman, they'd get a very rosy picture of the hospital. He argues it's profitable and owes the state nothing, and contends that Nassau County and its fiscal watchdog, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, have no jurisdiction over the finances of the hospital or its public benefit corporation.
The truth is quite different. According to the hospital's 2025 budget presentation this month, NUMC's operating loss stands at $105.5 million in 2024. But that loss could be even higher. NUMC is including more than $50 million in annual revenue from state funds the hospital claims it's owed but has not received, money it has suggested it would seek in court. And while Bruderman may be trying to claim the debt is gone, NUMC still owes more than $380 million to the New York Health Insurance Plan for employee and retiree medical coverage.
Perhaps Bruderman doesn't want you to know Nassau County taxpayers are responsible for backing more than $100 million in borrowing at the hospital. That's why NIFA must approve all contracts worth more than $50,000 — including those for outside attorneys the hospital recently hired, and one for newly appointed permanent chief executive Megan Ryan.
Bruderman's inability or refusal to paint a truthful picture of the hospital's reality, combined with his irresponsible behavior and crass treatment of anyone who disagrees with him, are reason enough to call for his removal. His insistence on hiring Ryan permanently, in direct defiance of the state, adds fuel to the fire. And his expectation that a $1 billion lawsuit against the state will answer the hospital's prayers seems questionable at best.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has the power to replace Bruderman immediately. Bruderman told the editorial board he wants "to leave the hospital" as long as it's in good hands. If Blakeman removes Bruderman, Blakeman should choose a new chairman with the institutional and specialized knowledge NUMC requires, someone who can manage the hospital in a thoughtful, forward-thinking manner while working with the county, state and NIFA. Ryan's appointment also was "subject to the approval of the county executive," state public authorities law says. Blakeman unwisely signed off on her appointment; he should have rejected it.
If Blakeman sticks by Bruderman and Ryan, Gov. Kathy Hochul should step in — quickly. Hochul and her team have for months discussed installing a temporary operator at NUMC to develop a plan for the hospital's future. The time for debate is over. If Blakeman won't act, Hochul must. State intervention at NUMC increasingly looks like the only way forward.
There's a lot riding on these decisions. The good of a safety net hospital must rise above politics, personalities or patronage. The people of Nassau County, employees of NUMC and patients who require its care are waiting.
Who will stand up for them?
MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD are experienced journalists who offer reasoned opinions, based on facts, to encourage informed debate about the issues facing our community.
