Hours later, the county’s top officials suddenly fired him when it was revealed that the robber broke into the home of Matthew Bruderman, chairman of the University of Nassau Medical Center, and stole documents related to the federal corruption investigation.
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman pulled the plug during his three-year tenure on Thursday, which once appeared to coincide with Bruderman’s claim that hospitals had been stolen more than $1 billion since 2006 by state and previous county leaders.
County executives who helped launch a federal investigation by meeting FBI director Kash Patel on Long Island in early April refused to say that it would cause Bruderman’s firing, and often gave him wishes in his future efforts.
“I would like to thank Matt Bruderman for my service as president of the University of Nassau Medical Center. Under his leadership, NUMC was able to reduce the deficit with a significant margin and improve its rating,” Blakeman told the Post.
Nassau’s health committee member Dr. Irina Gelman has replaced Bruderman, whose term was originally scheduled to expire in 2027.
Blakeman praised Germain as “a healthcare professional who has demonstrated the highest level of professionalism throughout her career,” and she “has a unique qualification to lead the NUMC Board as both a member and its new chairman.”
Bruderman, who was unpaid in his position as chairman, told Post that he was shocked by his firing and was a victim of a political scandal.
“I was told that if I didn’t resign today, like a coward, I would be removed. I was told. [Gov.] Kathy Hochul wanted my head, who exposed the corruption and had previously supported Lee Zeldin. I was told I don’t understand how powerful these people are and the length they go to hurt me. I refused to resign and they had no choice but to get rid of me,” Bruderman told the Post.
“I repaired hospitals, exposed corruption, and people were buckled under pressure,” he added.
Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The shooting came about four hours after the post was reported as a breakdown in Oyster Bay home in Bruderman, and the only item photographed was a binder containing “sensitive” information related to an ongoing federal investigation, including documents and records relating to financial misconduct that claims to be reviewing the hospital’s finances.
The binder was later recovered by Centre Island Police to confirm that an aggressive investigation was ongoing, but refused to release further information or say whether anyone had been arrested.
Nevertheless, Bruderman said he is proud of the work he has accomplished while at the helm of the hospital, and he continues to commit to that mission.
Under his leadership, Numc was on track to earn around $11 million this year after being in the hall just two years ago, just two years ago.
“I shift my focus to protecting hospitals, their staff and patients from afar, and I see that the person responsible for corruption is accountable.
