By: Hal C Clarke

Explosive allegations have erupted from Nassau University Medical Center, where interim leadership now claims former CEO Megan Ryan authorized millions in improper exit payments, pocketing at least $1 million herself in what they allege amounts to theft. The New York Post first reported on leaked documents detailing the charges, marking a dramatic escalation in the ongoing political and legal chaos surrounding the Long Island hospital.

In a letter obtained by The Post and sent Wednesday, interim CEO Dr. Richard Becker accused Ryan of approving approximately $3.5 million in payments to herself and a dozen other departing hospital executives. According to Becker, at least $1 million of that total exceeded what was legally owed for wages and accrued leave. “It has come to our attention that you authorized payments of approximately $3.5 million to yourself and 12 former employees,” Becker wrote. “It appears that at least $1 million of this amount was in excess.”

Becker’s letter concluded by formally firing Ryan, revoking her administrative leave status, and giving her until Friday to respond. The letter was leaked Thursday night by state officials, as Ryan was reportedly preparing a defense.

A representative for Ryan blasted the accusations, telling The Post they amounted to a “political hit-job,” engineered to discredit her and retroactively turn her resignation into a termination “for cause.” The rep also confirmed Ryan is preparing legal action against Becker and NuHealth, the public benefit corporation overseeing the hospital. The lawsuit, they said, will allege that NuHealth is manufacturing misconduct to sidestep its contractual obligations.

“This is an attempt to distract from the State’s own corruption in the handling of NUMC’s finances,” Ryan’s spokesperson said. “This leak came straight from the second floor of the governor’s office. The people who perpetuated the fraud fired the people who uncovered it—and now control the hospital.”

The former CEO has long been at odds with state officials, vocally opposing a state-engineered “takeover” of the hospital. According to The Post, Ryan is now involved in a federal investigation regarding her prior allegations of a $1 billion scheme to defund and destabilize the public institution.

Despite public reassurances from Albany, documents obtained by The Post reveal otherwise. A March 2024 letter from the New York State Department of Health, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul herself, described NUMC’s financial model as “unsustainable” and proposed downsizing the facility into a 120-bed behavioral health center—a sharp departure from its current operations, which serve nearly 300,000 patients annually.

In protest, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and the county’s GOP legislative majority announced they would withhold their four board appointments and instead sue Gov. Hochul to block what they call an “illegal takeover.”

The fallout has been swift. Since the takeover earlier this month, approximately 75 high-ranking employees have resigned, including the hospital’s chiefs of medicine, nursing, HR, and finance.

Sources within NUMC also told The Post that the new board may have violated state open meetings laws. On the day Ryan was removed, they allege the finalized board agenda wasn’t distributed until one hour before the meeting—a potential breach of transparency rules.

In another potential legal minefield, officials are accused of sidestepping state procurement protocols by quietly contracting Deloitte to manage the hospital’s operations and finances, without public disclosure.