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High school holds first cheer competition By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
Christine Rivera /Herald
The Malverne High School varsity cheer team hosted its first ever cheer competition at the high school on Jan. 24.
The Malverne varsity cheerleading team hosted its first home competition last Saturday. More than 25 schools took part in a day of events that featured flips, dances, cheers and stunt routines. “We were hosting a Section 8 cheerleading competition, and we got the pleasure to host it for the first time,” Nesha Sands, who has been coaching cheer in Malverne since 2016. “It seems to have gone seamlessly, so we’re super grateful with how everything has turned out.” The competition, which drew a crowd of over 200 people, gave the high school an opportunity to highlight its cheer team, which began competing in 2017. “Malverne hasn’t really been introduced to the different elements of cheer,” Coach Danielle Hinds said, referring to the district community. “They see cheer at games, but never come to our competitions to see ConTinued on page 10
NUMC receives nearly $110 million from the state By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Nassau University Medical Center has received $109.6 million in funding from New York state, an investment announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul in a Jan. 15 release. The release states the funding reflects the state’s “recognition of the hospital’s progress under new leadership and its commitment to stabilizing operations while preserving access to essential health care services for Long Island residents.” It’s been a turbulent year at NUMC, Long Island’s only pub-
lic hospital. It provides health care to all residents, including the undocumented and uninsured — regardless of their ability to pay. Due to provisions that passed in the state’s budget in 2025, the restructured board at the Nassau Health Care Corporation was implemented at NUMC, shifting control of the hospital from Nassau County leadership to Hochul and state Democrats. In addition, the state also granted the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a public benefit corporation, expanded oversight, including the ability to approve hospital contracts exceeding $1 million.
A majority of the new board members at NUMC were named by Hochul throughout last year, who also designated the chairman, Stuart Rabinowitz, a former president of Hofstra University. Thomas Stokes was tapped to lead the hospital as its chief executive officer in late-2025 and began his role earlier this month. With over 25 years of experience overseeing finance and operations in top-tier health care institutions, his appointment, according to a Jan. 1 release, “brings deep expertise and a longstanding commitment to public service” to the hospital.
The state’s Department of Health’s Vital Access Provider Assurance Prog ram, also known as VAPAP provided $82.1 million of the funding for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, which ends this March. VAPAP aids hospitals and health care providers facing financial distress. Another $27.5 million was provided through an Inter-Govern-
mental Transfer associated with enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage funding tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Of the VAPAP award, $25 million was received in August 2025, with the remaining $57.1 million anticipated in the first quarter of 2026. The $57. 1 milConTinued on page 11