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HERALD Vol. 24 No. 49
Athletes help fight hunger
Holiday events in East Meadow
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Page 5 $1.00 $1.00
NoVEMBER 28 - DECEMBER 4, 2024
NUMC plans to sue state for $1.06 billion receive payments from the federal government, states — in NUMC’s case, New York — The Nassau Health Care must contribute their assigned Corporation and Nassau Uni- share, commonly referred to as versity Medical Center say they the state share or non-federal intend to file le gal claims share, to hospital funding. Typically, the state share against New York state for $1.06 billion, plus interest, for with- matches the federal contribuholding Medicaid payments tion. According to the notice-ofthat the hospital says it is enticlaims documents, tled to. in 2024 NUMC was According to due to receive DSH notice-of-claims payments totaling documents distribroughly $100.2 miluted to reporters at lion. a Nov. 20 news conThe federal ference in the lobby share of the DSH of the East Meadow payments was half hospital, a disproStEVE CoHEN of that total, portionately large around $50.1 milshare of patients Attorney lion, which was served by NUMC transferred to the are eligible for Medicaid. NUMC is one of State Department of Health for three public hospitals in New distribution. The state was York that serve all patients, required to provide the other regardless of their ability to $50.1 million from either state funds or local contributions. pay for medical care. Because of the large number The state was then required to of Medicaid patients, the hospi- combine the federal and nontal receives federal funding federal shares and wire the through the Disproportionate total to NUMC. The documents allege that Share Hospital program and the Upper Payment Limit pro- the state orchestrated a ruse to gram — both Medicaid pro- mislead the federal government grams authorized under the by requiring NUMC to front the Social Security Act. In order to Continued on page 4
By JoRDAN VAlloNE
jvallone@liherald.com
Courtesy NYS Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services & the EMFD
the east Meadow Fire department assisted in efforts upstate earlier this month, combating a massive drought-induced wildfire that spread in orange County. at the Jenning Creek wildfires were firefighter William guiliani, Captain Brian Messina, First assistant Chief Michael Wood, and ex-Captain edward Licciardo, along with about two-dozen additional volunteers from east Meadow.
From L.I. to Greenwood Lake: EMFD aids in wildfire response By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
As wildfires swept through Orange County, New York earlier this month, the East Meadow Fire Department joined efforts to provide much-needed aid to communities threatened by the flames. A team of volunteers from East Meadow traveled to the site of the Jennings Creek wildfires, which broke out on Nov. 9 near Greenwood Lake in the Town of Warwick, about an hour-and-a-half north of East Meadow. One of the region’s most significant wildfires since 2008, it burned over 5,000 acres in New York’s Hudson Valley and
New Jersey. Many Long Island volunteer fire departments, escorted by the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office, assisted in battling the blaze. Jeffrey Rosenthal, the third assistant chief in the East Meadow Fire Department, said the state implemented its fire mobilization and mutual aid plan, a statewide agreement for those in fire service to assist with large-scale fire incidents and natural disasters. East Meadow provided one truck, Engine No. 614, and 25 personnel on Nov. 14 for its first trip upstate, Rosenthal said. About 17 people joined the second deployment on Nov. Continued on page 12
I
t should shock every taxpayer.