Nassau University Medical Center's new board chairman, Stuart Rabinowitz, says he will "move ahead" with plans for a forensic audit to dive more deeply into the East Meadow hospital's finances and launch a national search for a new CEO, despite resistance from County Executive Bruce Blakeman who alleges an "illegal state takeover" of the board.     

Rabinowitz, 79, of Woodbury, who led Hofstra University for more than 20 years, says he hopes to turn the page on Nassau's only safety-net hospital with help from local and state Republicans and Democrats, but won't shy away from offending others in the name of getting the hospital back on strong financial footing. And leaders across Long Island say Rabinowitz — appointed by Gov. Hochul a week ago to help revive the institution following a state takeover of the board — may have the connections to fulfill the mission.

"If you listen to some of the politicians, this is a battle where the only thing at stake is control. Well, that's not what's at stake. What's at stake is treatment of the people who are ill and need medical care and can't afford it," Rabinowitz told Newsday in an exclusive, sit-down interview this week. "To distract from that over who controls what is a waste of time and resources in my opinion."    

Blakeman, a Republican, is battling with Hochul, a Democrat, over legislation approved in the state budget that gives the majority of the board's appointments to the governor and state lawmakers. He refused this week to fill member vacancies on the hospital board (state law allows the county executive to appoint two members to the board).

Nassau Health Care Corporation, the health system that runs NUMC, was reported to be $1.4 billion in debt in a draft financial statement obtained by Newsday last month. State officials said any public bailout would only come after revamping leadership they believe is partly responsible for widening the hospital's operating losses through mismanagement. 

Former board chairman Matthew Bruderman, a Blakeman appointee and major GOP donor from Centre Island, was reluctant to step aside and comply with state officials. He waged a public campaign against the governor, rejected a national search for a new CEO and made unfounded claims about the hospital closing if the state took a more prominent role.    

Many this week have said NUMC gets a seasoned and savvy leader in Rabinowitz, ready to make hard decisions in an apolitical fashion, with connections to lawmakers, health care giants and philanthropic donors. 

"I want the hospital to be strong and viable and to not only survive but to enhance its operations," Rabinowitz said. "But it can't do that if it's on the brink of bankruptcy every year."

Rabinowitz said he believes "in order to look under the hood" he will propose retaining independent experts to look at the finances to produce detailed and objective reports while at the same time engaging with a national executive search firm to find a new CEO who will manage the health system, as suggested by the state health commissioner. He and new board members also will decide what to do about a $1 billion lawsuit the hospital initiated claiming state officials withheld money intended for NUMC for treating a large percentage of low-income patients, he said.

As President of Hofstra University in Hempstead for more than two decades, Rabinowitz partnered with Northwell Health to build the Island's first new medical school, an award-winning nursing school and a physician assistant program. He grew the university's endowment from $90 million to nearly $900 million and led a rebranding effort that included bringing global media attention to the Hempstead campus as it hosted three presidential debates, including a historic 2016 showdown between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

But his tenure was not without some controversy. 

He took the heat over university trustees' decision to discontinue Hofstra's Division 1 football program early in his tenure and through the years suffered blowback from contentious collective bargaining negotiations with university labor unions. He navigated thorny campus issues such as student protests over historic statues and led the community through the aftermath of a tragic, friendly-fire shooting of a young, female student in off-campus housing.    

Tracey Edwards, Long Island Regional Director of the NAACP, who has worked closely with Rabinowitz on various boards and events, said "he is innately qualified" to turn around the hospital.

"Stu is one of those professionals who calls it like it is. If you want straight facts, he is professional and ethical and calls balls and strikes as he see them," Edwards said. "I have had direct communication with Stu for many years on topics that impact minority communities and low-income residents. He is compassionate and thoughtful and he’s no BS. He’s going to be honest and think about. He’s the right one."

Rabinowitz retired from Hofstra in 2021 but remained active in various private and public sector endeavors. He recently stepped down as one of five members of the state's Gaming Facility Location Board, which is expected to grant three licenses for live-table game casino developments in the downstate region. 

For more than 10 years, while he was Hofstra's President, Rabinowitz was co-chair of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, part of an initiative of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to award competitive public grants to projects in various regions across the state. Rabinowitz, a graduate of Columbia University School of Law, spent much of his career in academia as a law professor and then dean of Hofstra's law school.

Kevin Law, who partnered with Rabinowitz as co-chair of the council, said he has "seen him treat Republicans and Democrats, elected officials in general, without favoritism. He knows what he's getting himself into."

"The attorney in him is always probing and asking questions," said Law, now executive vice president at a real estate development company. "He understands that there's a lot of inequity on Long Island when it comes to housing, food insecurity and health care on Long Island." 

Law said over the years the two developed a close friendship and he believes Rabinowitz developed a "good political antenna" having dealt with the influences of both Republicans and Democrats in the center of Nassau County. 

"He'll be able to talk to Bruce," Law said, referring to Blakeman. "He's hysterically funny and a likable guy. Both sides like Stu." 

As perennial Nassau County figures, Rabinowitz and Blakeman have known each other for three decades. This week Blakeman called Rabinowitz "a friend" but declined to congratulate him on the new appointment.

Brad Gerstman, a lawyer, lobbyist and ex-football player at Hofstra isn't a fan. He said he never understood why Rabinowitz couldn't keep the football team and build a medical school and host debates at the same time. He said he thinks Rabinowitz is a competent leader but falls short of being "transformational."

"You have to ask what did he do for the 10,000 undergraduates who are the bread and butter of the school," Gerstman said, noting the focus on graduate programs and hosting debates that few undergraduates were able to attend. "In a lot of ways I think he set Hofstra back." 

Mark Lesko, former U.S. attorney and Brookhaven Town supervisor whom Rabinowitz tapped to start Hofstra's Center for Entrepreneurship before becoming the school's vice president for economic development, said he has seen Rabinowitz stand up to political pressure before. 

"Stuart is a man who puts his mission and his obligations above his own personal goals. If he needs to take a stand on a particular issue, he is the type of leader that will come into conflict with political leaders — honestly he'll threaten to resign if he has to — he believes very strongly in his convictions." 

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.