CEO warns NUMC employees about threat of 'Albany takeover' 

Daily Point

Unsigned flyer signals management-union rift at hospital

As Nassau University Medical Center continues to deal with the fallout of board chairman Matthew Bruderman’s decision to fire chief operating officer John Donnelly this week, the battles inside the hospital haven’t been limited to the executive suite.

An apparent split is widening between many unionized employees and those nonunion staff who support current interim president and chief executive Megan Ryan. And Ryan herself has weighed in, too, in a lengthy letter to employees celebrating her accomplishments and warning about the "threat of an Albany takeover."

The uproar began when a group of mostly nonunion staff members met with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman last week to discuss the hospital’s future, sources told The Point. While at least one unionized employee was included, union leadership was not invited, sources said.

Then, a flyer began appearing on social media and elsewhere titled "NUMCNEEDSU," followed by the subhead "TRUTHS."

Officials from the Civil Service Employees Association, or CSEA, which represents 3,500 NUMC employees, said the flyer, which is critical of the union, did not come from them.

"This is coming from people who met with the county executive who were nonunion employees of the hospital who support Meg Ryan’s agenda," Ron Gurrieri, the president of CSEA Local 830, told The Point on Monday.

The flyer emerged as state officials have been discussing the possibility of taking over NUMC by installing a temporary operator to lead the hospital. State officials also have been talking with Blakeman in an effort to come to an agreement on next steps for NUMC.

In the wake of those discussions, Bruderman earlier this month attempted to gather the NUMC board for a meeting at which Ryan was potentially to be named permanent CEO. But the meeting was canceled hours before it was scheduled to occur.

The flyer focused on the most recent staff meeting with Blakeman, saying the county executive "was supportive of NUMC and its staff and stated Nassau County healthcare is always a priority."

Blakeman spokesman Chris Boyle did not return calls seeking comment.

While the flyer said there was no update regarding Blakeman’s conversations with state officials regarding NUMC’s future, it noted that the county executive "expects them to return with a proposal in 2 weeks."

"Since nothing was brought to the table as of yet, nothing is off the table," the flyer said, citing the possibility of the hospital’s closure or downsizing.

At the end of the unsigned flyer, which is being considered an effort to drum up support for the beleaguered Ryan, the "truths" included a critique of the CSEA.

"He was very concerned about the lack of interest from the Union and ‘The silence from the Union is Deafening,’" the flyer said of Blakeman. "He made suggestions for us to ‘Help Ourselves’ and ‘Fight for our Jobs.’"

In response, CSEA leaders sent a letter to its members saying rumors "aimed solely at discrediting the Union and creating unrest among the membership" were circulating. Rumors of the hospital’s closure or downsizing, "are patently false" the letter said.

"While the Union continues to advocate at every level of government for our membership, it is ultimately up to the leadership at NHCC to act responsibly and perform their duties in the best interests of the hospital," the letter said.

In her own letter to NUMC staff obtained by The Point, which was sent after the unsigned flyer and union response were released, Ryan said she was not involved in the Blakeman meeting, but that the "alternative futures for our hospital are, in fact real, and being driven by outside forces."

"The threat of an Albany takeover has in fact been levied even though it is not necessary or legally justifiable due to our reforms ..." Ryan wrote. "It is disappointing and frankly just sad that there are some who have their own agenda, who [sic] not supporting these efforts or even actively working against our work to save and secure this critical institution dedicated to our community’s most vulnerable."

"We now need our state funding. We are entitled to this funding," she added.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, the medical staff, led by medical staff president Dr. Elizabeth Cirincione, began a letter-writing campaign directed at Blakeman, focused on preserving the size and scope of NUMC, rather than addressing its future management and leadership.

"Mr. Blakeman, we urge you to take decisive action to maintain NUMC as a full-service medical and surgical facility for the people of Long Island, especially those who are most vulnerable and in greatest need of our services," the sample letter said.

Gurrieri told The Point that CSEA officials back Ryan right now because "she is doing a good job with no money."

But that, he added, isn’t sustainable in the long term.

"If at the end of the day it comes down to the governor sending money and putting in a temporary operator for my 3,500 members to survive, I’m all in," Gurrieri said.

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

Pencil Point

Blanking out

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Final Point

First-term congressman LaLota's 'sole' lesson and then some

First impressions are often telling in politics. That’s particularly true for newly elected members of Congress arriving in Washington.

Rep. Nick LaLota, who started representing the 1st Congressional District in January 2023, was most surprised by his colleagues’ footwear.

"That folks wear easy sneaker-shoes, rather than the fancy $200 loafers or whatever else," LaLota told The Point, referring to the fact that members of the House and their staffs do a lot of walking between their officers and the chamber floor.

"A lot of wear and tear on the knees, you know," LaLota said. "Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy at the time, you know, was wearing these Brooks Brothers-type of shoes with the soft sole, that was kind of fun."

His deepest and most lasting surprise, however, had to do with the conduct of his colleagues.

"The lack of professionalism and selflessness by members from both sides of the aisle is what disappointed me the most," LaLota said. "While I totally anticipated people being partisans and having different ideologies, that so many members think a win is a retweet, a bombacious interview, or a $5 donation based upon saying something wacky, that so many of my colleagues use that as their incentive, is the thing that both surprises and disappoints me the most."

When The Point noted that politics is like show business for some congressional folks, LaLota responded, "Hollywood for ugly people is what they call it."

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

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