INCORPORATING THE WEST HEMPSTEAD BEACON VOL. 75 No. 24
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Cooking up the competition at LIJ VS
‘Chopped’-like event exposes students to preparing meals in a hospital setting tal. While most are on a healthcare azingariello@liherald.com track, many are already certified in areas such as phlebotomy, electrocardioLong Island Jewish Valley Stream gram and medical assisting, that Thurshosted Academy Charter School seniors day’s session was a departure from the from the Uniondale academy for a clinical focus. Instead, students explored hands-on event that had the students to the role of food and nutrition within a exploring the hospital’s Food and Nutri- hospital setting. Students are able to explore different tion Services department through a sensory tasting and a cooking competition roles within the hospital beyond the styled after a popular television show usual clinical settings. By connecting format as part of the MedVoyage pro- their classroom knowledge and certificagram. tions with real-world The LIJ pro g ram, activities, they got a developed in collaboraclearer picture of how tion with the Center for teamwork plays a vital Lear ning Innovation, role throughout healthbe g an at the Valley care, including areas Stream hospital in like food services. December. It provides Director of Food and students with monthly Nutrition Services Joe immersive experiences Dobias, who has i n va r i o u s h o s p i t a l appeared as a contestant departments. Past seson the “Chopped” a realsions have included ity TV show, organized imaging, respiratory TATIANA RODRIGUEZ the event. He designed and perioperative ser- Project manager at LIJ Valley the activity to be intervices. The goal is to Stream active and team-driven, expose students to a introducing the sturange of healthcare careers and give dents to the kind of collaboration and them a clearer idea of their future pro- sensory awareness required in a hospifessional paths. tal kitchen. “They’re prepared for the future, “I basically wanted to just bring them which is something that the school has in and show them, kind of, a condensed done an amazing job in investing in form of what we do in a day, without borthem,” Tatiana Rodriguez, project man- ing them to death,” Dobias said. ager at LIJ Valley Stream, said at the “Because a lot of times when you come May 29 event. “Then us doing the part to the hospital, it’s like lectures and where we’re showing them the different slides and all that kind of stuff. And I modalities and different careers that you think that just kind of throwing them can have in a hospital, coupling those into the mix and showing them how we together, really, really, I feel like will interact on a daily basis. solidify what they want to do in the There are tons of communication future.” going on all the time. People need to rely During each visit, students spend on each other a lot in teamwork,” he about two and a half hours at the hospiCOntinued On Page 4
By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO
Luke Feeney/Herald
the state has begun to restructure the nassau university Medical Center board, with gov. Kathy Hochul appointing four members on May 31. these changes are part of reforms that were passed as provisions in the state budget.
‘Takeover’ takes shape at NUMC
Hospital board restructure implemented By JORDAN VALLONE and LUKE FEENEY of the East Meadow Herald
New York state has begun the transition in leadership at Nassau University Medical Center, following the approval last month of a $254 billion budget package for fiscal year 2026 that included several provisions affecting NUMC, including a “takeover” of Long Island’s largest public hospital system. State lawmakers approved the changes on May 7, shifting control from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Democrats. The changes — which took effect June 1 — seeks to enhance state oversight and set a path toward financial improvement and operational stability at the East Meadow hospital and its extended care facility in Uniondale. In addition, the state has granted the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a public benefit corporation, expanded oversight, including the ability to approve hospital contracts exceeding $1 million. The hospital’s public benefit corporation, the Nassau Health Care Corporation, is also required to conduct a study on strengthening NUMC by Dec. 1, 2026. A newly restructured NUMC board will see six members appointed by the governor — including one recommended by the state Assembly speaker and state Senate president — two appointed by the Nassau County executive, two by the
county Legislature’s majority, and one by its minority. On May 31, Hochul announced her appointments, including Stuart Rabinowitz, former president of Hofstra University in Hempstead, designating him chair of the 11-member board. Rabinowitz, a longtime leader in higher education and public policy, now serves as senior counsel at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone in Mineola. He described the hospital as a “critical safety-net institution that has suffered from years of dysfunction and mismanagement.” “I’m grateful to Gov. Hochul for the trust she’s placed in me,” Rabinowitz said in a news release, “and I’m eager to get to work with my fellow board members to restore public confidence, implement long-overdue reforms and put this hospital back on a path to stability and excellence.” Hochul’s other appointments to the board included Amy Flores, community manager at JPMorgan Chase; Dean Mihaltses, a veteran health care executive and licensed pharmacist; and Lisa Warren, president of Placid, LLC, a Long Island-based real estate investment and management firm. “These new appointments, and the new authority granted to the state and NIFA, will help ensure accountability, responsible fiscal management and highCOntinued On Page 5
“T
hey’re prepared for the future, which is something that the school has done an amazing job in investing in them.”