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Learning medicine through food class Zucker School of Medicine elective at Hofstra features hands-on training By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com Herald file photo
an alleged Medicaid fraud scheme at nassau university Medical Center re-surfaced in a letter by the House Oversight Committee. the committee is investigating allegations made against the state and requesting clarification for how funds from certain federal programs should be distributed.
Congress looks into alleged $1B Medicaid shortfall Letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz requests federal guidance in NUMC case By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com
Over a year has passed since former leadership at Nassau University Medical Center filed a lawsuit against New York state, alleging a decades-long Medicaid scam that deprived the largest safety-net hospital on Long Island of as much of $1 billion in aid. Fo l l ow i n g a t u r bu l e n t ye a r at NUMC, in which its board and leadership was ousted and replaced by mostly state appointments, the federal Committee on Oversight and Government Refor m is investig ating the same reports, according to a Jan. 16 letter sent to Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medical Services within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The alleged Medicaid scheme
In late 2024, Nassau University Medi-
cal Center and its parent public-benefit corporation, the Nassau Health Care Corporation, accused the state of withholding $1.06 billion, plus interest, in Medicaid payments that the hospital said it was entitled to receive. According to notice-of-claims documents distributed to reporters at a November 2024 press conference in the lobby of the East Meadow hospital, a dispropor tionately large share of patients served by NUMC are eligible for Medicaid. NUMC is one of three public hospitals in New York that serve all patients, regardless of their ability to pay for medical care. Because of the large number of Medicaid patients, the hospital receives federal funding through the Disproportionate Share Hospital program and the Upper Payment Limit program — both Medicaid programs authorized under the Social Security Act. In order to COntinued On Page 3
A group of fourth-year medical students from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell took part in the Culinary Medicine elective that integrates nutrition education with hands-on experience in a hospital kitchen. The program is designed to help future physicians better understand how food and dietary choices intersect with patient care. On Jan. 15, the students commuted to Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital for a pediatric nutrition session. They cooked in an active hospital kitchen while observing how meals are prepared for patients. Eva Sheridan, an assistant professor in the Department of Science and Science Education at the Zucker School, collaborated with Alice Fornari, a registered dietician and a professor of science education and family medicine at the school, to create the elective in 2020. “My sister is a [veterinarian], and she went to vet school back at the time, and as part of vet school, she had a whole semester where she was learning about the feeding schedule of the animals,” Sheridan recalled, speaking at the start of the program. “And I was kind of thinking, huh, when I went to school, and still, there was no learning about the feeding of human beings, and that is essential.” Sheridan joined the Zucker School
faculty in 2018 after working in psychiatry research, where she focused on mitigating weight gain often caused by antipsychotic medications. Her current role involves facilitating small-group learning throughout the medical school curriculum. The course uses Health Meets Food courseware, which integrates nutrition science, clinical cases and culinary instruction. When the elective first launched during the coronavirus pandemic, it was conducted remotely, with students taking part in case discussions and viewing live cooking demonstrations on Zoom. Once in-person learning resumed, the program moved into hospital kitchens. It is structured around selected nutrition modules, which have included protein intake, food allergies, weight management and pediatric nutrition. Executive Chef Russell Ficke, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, leads the hands-on cooking at LIJ Valley Stream. Ficke has worked for Northwell Health since 2004, and came to Valley Stream in 2021, after 17 years at Syosset Hospital. He has been involved with the Culinary Medicine elective for five years. “I think it’s great that … they know that we can help them help patients,” Ficke said of the medical students. “That’s what I really like about it, that I’m making a difference in my own little way through the back end.” During the session two weeks ago, COntinued On Page 5