Bruderman Slams Possible Albany Takeover of Hospital. Says Politicians Trying to Prevent Him from Pulling Back the Curtain on Hospital Mismanagement
“NUMC has been neglected for decades. For years, elected officials stood by and did nothing, putting this medical center in peril and at-risk communities it serves along with it. Why now all of a sudden do they claim to care about solving the problem? The reason is simple – I’ve started to pull back the curtain and they don’t like it.
“On my first day at the hospital I was shocked to find they had no financials, no budget, and no Chief Financial Officer. Within hours I found tens of millions of dollars to help close the budget gap. The mismanagement borders on the criminal and it has already led to the filing of charges of embezzlement against one employee.
“First they tried to stop me with restraining orders and lawsuits. Then, together with their friends in the press, they tried to assassinate my character. On Friday, in front of the Legislature, they again tried to stop me with more lies and innuendo. They failed.
“Now they’re showing their desperation again by attempting to strip away local control of the hospital and hand it to Albany. They are trying to take the power away from the County Executive so they can continue to hide the workings of the political machine that threatens the existence of the hospital.
“I have the support of the unions, the doctors, the nurses and the staff who want to see the changes I am already looking to make. But the politicians don’t care. They want control at any cost, even if it means continuing to fail the lower income and minority communities that rely on the hospital. There will be accountability. I will expose the decades-long corruption and mismanagement. The politicians, the media, and the machine won’t stop me.”
NOTE: The comments made in this release by the NUMC Board Chairman are not being made on behalf of the entire board.
