Monday, October 12, 2026
New York state has begun the transition in leadership at Nassau University Medical Center, following the approval last month of a $254 billion budget package for fiscal year 2026 that included several provisions affecting NUMC, including a “takeover” of Long Island’s largest public hospital system.
State lawmakers approved the changes on May 7, shifting control from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Democrats. The changes — which took effect June 1 — seeks to enhance state oversight and set a path toward financial improvement and operational stability at the East Meadow hospital and its extended care facility in Uniondale.
In addition, the state has granted the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a public benefit corporation, expanded oversight, including the ability to approve hospital contracts exceeding $1 million. The hospital’s public benefit corporation, the Nassau Health Care Corporation, is also required to conduct a study on strengthening NUMC by Dec. 1, 2026.
A newly restructured NUMC board will see six members appointed by the governor — including one recommended by the state Assembly speaker and state Senate president — two appointed by the Nassau County executive, two by the county Legislature’s majority, and one by its minority.
On May 31, Hochul announced her appointments, including Stuart Rabinowitz, former president of Hofstra University in Hempstead, designating him chair of the 11-member board.
Rabinowitz, a longtime leader in higher education and public policy, now serves as senior counsel at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone in Mineola. He described the hospital as a “critical safety-net institution that has suffered from years of dysfunction and mismanagement.”
“I’m grateful to Gov. Hochul for the trust she’s placed in me,” Rabinowitz said in a news release, “and I’m eager to get to work with my fellow board members to restore public confidence, implement long-overdue reforms and put this hospital back on a path to stability and excellence.”
Hochul’s other appointments to the board included Amy Flores, community manager at JPMorgan Chase; Dean Mihaltses, a veteran health care executive and licensed pharmacist; and Lisa Warren, president of Placid, LLC, a Long Island-based real estate investment and management firm.
“These new appointments, and the new authority granted to the state and NIFA, will help ensure accountability, responsible fiscal management and high-quality care for the communities NUMC serves,” Hochul said.
In response to the state’s approval, Blakeman announced on June 3 that the county plans to file a lawsuit against the state in a bid to overturn it, calling it a “power grab” and an illegal move. During a news conference held outside the hospital’s main entrance, he said he refused to name his appointments to the board.
“We will not roll over and play dead,” Blakeman said. “We intend to pursue our rights with respect to the agreements that are in place.”
Blakeman also criticized Hochul for prioritizing spending to meet the needs of recent migrants over the needs of Nassau County residents. He argued that despite Nassau and Suffolk counties contributing billions more to the state than they receive in return, the state has failed to provide funding support for NUMC.
Dr. Irina Gelman, the county’s health commissioner and chair of the board at the hospital prior to June 1, said “employee morale is at an all-time low.”
“There has been a complete lack of communication from New York state,” she said. “There’s an absence of a transition team from the state and absolutely no transition planning has been provided from the state. This is a travesty.
“Their silence has been deafening,” she added. “Failing to plan is planning to fail. It is time to put patient care and safety before politics.”
Specific information about the lawsuit was not provided.
Gordon Tepper, Hochul’s Long Island press secretary, said Blakeman’s “assertions are ridiculous.”
“The board’s restructuring is unequivocally the best possible news for anyone who relies on NUMC,” he said in an email to the Herald. “Due to years of gross mismanagement under his watch, the hospital is in financial peril. This is a desperately needed intervention. The state’s priorities for NUMC have always been ensuring quality patient care and achieving financial stability. The actions taken by the hospital’s leadership and County Executive Blakeman suggest that these priorities are not shared.”
County Legislator Seth Koslow, a Democrat who is running against Blakeman for county executive, slammed Blakeman’s refusal to appoint members.
“While Bruce Blakeman throws another tantrum, our legislators are focused on saving lives,” Koslow said in an emailed statement. “We intend to make our appointment to the NUMC board because we follow the law and put patients before politics. Blakeman’s refusal to name board members isn’t a protest — it’s a blatant refusal to do his job. His administration drove NUMC into financial and operational chaos. Now the state is stepping in to stop the bleeding, and instead of helping, he’s walking off the field. Nassau residents deserve leadership, not a disappearing act.”
