Newsday: Inexplicable luxury purchases that were authorized by top NUMC officials

July 29, 2025

One word sums this story up: Outrageous.

This morning, Newsday pulled back the curtain on luxury purchases that top NUMC officials authorized - even as the future of our essential safety net public hospital teetered on the verge of fiscal ruin.

This morning, the Democratic Minority formally referred the issue to Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly because we all deserve to know that NUMC's future is solid, strong, and fiscally sound.

Nassau Democrats:

#Lobster and #wagyu beef for the outgoing directors - all as the ailing Nassau University Medical Center was on the verge of a state takeover to prevent its collapse.

During an 11 a.m. press conference at the Legislature, the Minority Caucus called out the Blakeman administration for the shocking revelations in this morning's explosive Newsday report.

"On their last day, they went to the city and celebrated with a lobster dinner and other activities and spent hospital money," said NIFA Chairman Richard Kessel. "This is a hospital with deep financial challenges — that's got very low cash — and these guys were supposedly working for the betterment of the hospital and the taxpayers."