East Meadow Herald 07-28-2022

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HERALD Be safe with fire pits and heaters

Kiwanis and Chamber picnic

Heat wave no match for E.M.

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Vol. 22 No. 31

JUlY 28 - AUGUST 3, 2022

$1.00

Hitting it out of the park Little League team makes it to state tourney By MAlloRY WIlSoN mwilson@liherald.com

Courtesy Shannon Necci

THE EAST MEAdoW 10U girls’ softball Williamsport team from East Meadow made it to the semifinals of the Williamsport tournament. The team was made up of four girls from three different travel softball teams in East Meadow.

After weeks of qualifying games, the 10-and-under softball team from the East Meadow Baseball and Softball Association took their shot at the New York State Little League Championship Tournament in Rochester. The East Meadow 2022 10U girls’ softball Williamsport team, made up of girls from three different East Meadow travel softball teams, reached the state semi-finals, losing only to a Staten Island team on July 25. “We had a good run,” head coach Benjamin Necci said. “They enjoyed themselves, and they learned a lot, so it was a really special experience.” The road to the state tournament started Continued on page 4

Saving NUMC, Long Island’s only safety-net hospital By MAlloRY WIlSoN mwilson@liherald.com

The public benefit corporation running Nassau University Medical Center has suffered an operating loss of $135.6 million in 2021, an audit revealed. The audit, requested by NUMC Board Chairman Matthew Bruderman, showed that NuHealth, which also operates the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility in Uniondale, is struggling. Auditors from the accounting company Grant Thornton said that the corporation “is dependent on the continuation of federal, state and local subsidies,

certain of which have or are scheduled to end or be reduced. These matters raise substantial doubt about NHCC’s ability to continue as a going concern.” The corporation’s operating deficit is up from last year’s number of $102.3 million. Dr. Anthony Boutin, chief executive and president of NuHealth told the Herald in a statement that, “the 2021 audited financials reflect the impact of a d r a s t i c a n d u n a c c e p t abl e decrease in New York State aid to Nassau Health Care Corporation from 2020 to 2021 …” “We have faced a range of complex fiscal and management challenges for many years and as

a result, NHCC’s new administration is in the process of developing a multi-faceted fiscal management plan to finally help strengthen the long-term financial health of the hospital. Boutin said continued state aid is critical to the viability of any public hospital, let alone the only public hospital that treats everyone regardless of their ability to pay in one of the nation’s largest counties. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman agreed with Boutin. “This is a hospital that is a Level One trauma center, that has an emergency room, that’s the busiest on Long Island that serves a population that’s eco-

nomically vulnerable,” Blakeman said. “I think basically, the state has an interest in closing the hospital, because I’m not sure that the state is willing to make an investment in people’s health and I think it’s a shame, and I’m going to fight it.” Bruderman said the main reason for the deficit is that NUMC is a safety-net hospital, meaning

the hospital provides services for those who are uninsured, on Medicaid, and Medicare and other vulnerable patients. “The fact is that all of the other hospitals are generally for profit,” he said. “This hospital is supposed to take care of people regardless of their ability to pay.” NuHealth’s operating revenue Continued on page 5


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