NY hospital CEOs jump
in to help Cuomo with nursing home scandal spin
By Bernadette Hogan, Carl Campanile and Bruce Golding
February 26, 2021 7:15pm
Updated
https://nypost.com/2021/02/26/ny-hospital-ceos-back-cuomo-amid-nursing-home-scandal-spin/
The CEOs of five major New York City hospitals came to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s aid by
issuing a statement in support of a controversial directive for nursing homes
to accept COVID-19 patients —
after their industry pushed for it.
A senior-care insider said Friday that nursing homes
weren’t consulted before the March 25 mandate was issued and that it “obviously
came from the hospitals.”
“Who else would come up with that, other than the
hospitals?” the source said.
Jim Clyne, president of Leading Age New York — which
represents nursing homes and other residential facilities for seniors — also
said, “No one talked to me” before the state Health Department issued the
directive.
In an 800-plus-word statement, the hospital CEOs said the
since-rescinded order was a “prudent and safe option” to free up beds at their
facilities during the first wave of the pandemic.
“It is an everyday practice for hospitals to discharge
stable, medically recovered patients to nursing homes so long as the nursing
home can safely care for the patient,” their statement said.
“This is true even of infectious patients who are medically
stable, if proper precautions are taken.”
The executives who signed the statement include Mount
Sinai Health System CEO Kenneth Davis, who The Post revealed was isolated in a waterfront
mansion near Palm Beach, Fla., at the time the mandate was
issued — and while desperate nurses at Mount Sinai West were wearing trash bags to
protect themselves from infection.
Also signing it were Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling
— a former state official and longtime Cuomo adviser — as well as NewYork-Presbyterian CEO
Steven Corwin, NYU Langone Health CEO Robert Grossman and Montefiore Medicine
CEO Philip Ozuah.
The CEOs’ retroactive prescription for the directive —
which critics blame for spreading infections among highly vulnerable seniors —
was made in a press release late Wednesday afternoon, ahead of Thursday’s
grilling of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker at a legislative budget hearing.
It also appears to have been part of a two-pronged,
public-relations blitz that involved a 1,700-plus-word statement and conference
call with reporters by Cuomo aide Steven
Cohen, who repeated many of
the governor’s talking points.
But the efforts didn’t inoculate Zucker against repeated
attacks from outraged lawmakers, including state Sen. Tom O’Mara (R-Elmira),
who demanded to know who
ordered that the total number of nursing home deaths from COVID-19 be kept from
the public.
Zucker declined to answer that question, citing an “ongoing investigation”
by federal authorities that was reportedly sparked by The Post’s revelation of the
cover-up.
Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Queens) — who has called for Cuomo’s
impeachment over the cover-up and demanded that he and the
state Democratic Committee return $10 million in donations from the hospital
industry — accused the governor of “hiding behind his loyalists.”
“The governor can’t gaslight the public out of this,” Kim
said.
“That is why we need an independent commission with
subpoena power to investigate the decisions the Cuomo administration made in
nursing homes.”
Assemblyman Tom Abinanti (D-Tarrytown) also said,
“Clearly, the Cuomo administration is attempting to justify a bad decision
after the fact, after it’s being criticized.”
“The mere introduction of COVID patients violates the
basic medical practice of keeping people safe,” said Abinanti, a member of the
Assembly Health Committee.
“There was not medical science to demonstrate that this
would do no harm and, after the fact, they’re scrambling to justify a decision.”
Cuomo hasn’t appeared in public since widespread, bipartisan outrage erupted
Wednesday over new sexual harassment allegations by former aide Lindsey Boylan,
now a Democratic candidate for Manhattan borough president.
The Greater New York Hospital Association — which
represents more than 160 hospitals and health system, including those whose
CEOs issued Wednesday’s statement — said, “As has been widely reported, GNYHA
sought assistance from the State on the proper discharge of COVID-19 patients
who no longer required hospital care.”
“This was requested against the backdrop of the State’s
directive that hospitals immediately and significantly increase bed capacity to
make room for an anticipated surge of critically ill COVID-19 patients,” the
GNYHA added.
Northwell Health declined to comment but neither Cuomo’s
office nor Mount Sinai, New York-Presbyterian, NYU Langone nor Montefiore immediately returned
requests for comment.
The Health Department said, “There are politics and there
are facts. This letter clearly outlines science-based conclusions from
leadership at some of the finest healthcare institutions in the world who did
everything they could to help lead this state through the darkest days of this
pandemic.”
Connecting
the Dots:
Andrew M. Cuomo was the New York state government governor, is Christopher Cuomo’s brother and Jennifer Cunningham is his political adviser.
Christopher Cuomo is
Andrew M. Cuomo’s brother and was an
anchor for CNN.
CNN Worldwide is a division of CNN.
Jeff
Zucker is the president of CNN
Worldwide and a director at the Robin Hood Foundation.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was
a funder for the Robin Hood Foundation.
George Soros was the
chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open
Society.
Steven A. Cohen is
a director emeritus at the Robin Hood
Foundation and a VP for the Steven
A. and Alexandra M. Cohen Foundation.
Steven A. and Alexandra M. Cohen Foundation was
a funder for the Robin Hood Foundation.
Kenneth G. Langone
is a director at the Robin Hood Foundation
and the chair for the NYU Langone Medical
Center.
Daniel S. Och is
a director at the Robin Hood Foundation
and a trustee at the New York-Presbyterian
Hospital.
Richard S. Fuld
Jr. was a director at the Robin
Hood Foundation and is a trustee at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Jeffrey W.
Greenberg is a trustee at the New
York-Presbyterian Hospital and was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Glenn H. Hutchins is
a trustee at the New York-Presbyterian
Hospital and a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was
a funder for the Brookings Institution (think
tank).
George Soros was the
chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open
Society.
Mark B. McClellan was
a senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Constance J.
Horner was a guest scholar at the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and is a director at Pfizer Inc.
Suzanne Nora
Johnson is a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and a director at Pfizer Inc.
Amy W. Schulman is
a trustee at the Brookings Institution
(think tank) and the EVP & general counsel for Pfizer Inc.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was
a funder for the Brookings Institution (think
tank) and the Robin Hood Foundation.
George Soros was the
chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open
Society.
Emma Bloomberg was
the chief of staff for the Robin Hood
Foundation, is a director at the Bloomberg
Family Foundation, and Michael
R. Bloomberg’s daughter.
Fiona
Druckenmiller is a director at the Bloomberg
Family Foundation and a trustee at the NYU Langone Medical Center.
Bloomberg Family Foundation was
a funder for the CDC Foundation.
CDC Foundation is a foundation
for the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Michael R.
Bloomberg is the founder of the Bloomberg
Family Foundation, Emma
Bloomberg’s father and was a donor for the Robin Hood Foundation.
Jeff
Zucker is a director at the Robin
Hood Foundation the president of CNN
Worldwide and was the president & CEO for NBCUniversal.
Robert C. Wright was
the chairman for NBCUniversal
and is a trustee at the New
York-Presbyterian Hospital.
CNN Worldwide is a division
of CNN.
Christopher Cuomo
was an anchor for CNN and is
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s brother.
Walter Isaacson was
the chairman & CEO for CNN
and is the president & CEO for the Aspen
Institute (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was
a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros was the
chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open
Society.
David
H. Koch is a trustee at the Aspen
Institute (think tank) and a trustee at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Mark Schwartz is
a trustee at the New York-Presbyterian
Hospital, was George Soros senior
adviser, and the president & CEO for Soros
Fund Management.
George Soros is the founder for the Soros Fund Management, Mark Schwartz was his senior adviser and
the chairman for the Foundation to Promote
Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was
a funder for the International Rescue
Committee.
Howard S. Jonas was
an overseer at the International Rescue
Committee and is a trustee at the New
York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Roman Martinez IV is
an overseer at the International Rescue
Committee and a trustee at the New
York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Resources:
Past Research
Another CNN Anchor
Faces Disturbing Sexual Assault Allegations — It’s Ugly (Past Research on Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Chris Cuomo & CNN)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2021/12/another-cnn-anchor-faces-disturbing.html
Presbyterian Church
(USA) votes to formally recognize gay marriage and allow same-sex weddings (Past Research on the New York-Presbyterian Hospital)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2015/03/presbyterian-church-usa-votes-to.html
Washington Post: Inside
Bill Clinton’s Nearly $18 Million For-Profit College Gig (Past Research on Steven Cohen)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2016
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2016/09/washington-post-inside-bill-clintons.htm
Ken Langone: ‘All in’
for Trump, Can Beat Hillary Clinton, ‘He’ll do a Hell of a Good Job’
(Researcher’s note: Ken Langone’s Kappa Beta Phi involved in Bailout Companies)
(Past Research on the NYU Langone Medical Center)
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2016/05/ken-langone-all-in-for-trump-can-beat.html
FORMER PFIZER EMPLOYEE: "CHECKMATE. GAME OVER. WE
WIN" (“Connecting the Dots”) (Past Research on
Pfizer & the FDA)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2021/08/former-pfizer-employee-checkmate-game_26.html
The CDC: A Truly
Corrupt and Dangerous Organization (Past Research
on the CDC)
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-cdc-truly-corrupt-and-dangerous.html
CNN to Republicans:
Drop Dead (Past Research on Jeff Zucker and Fake
News CNN)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2020/12/cnn-to-republicans-drop-dead-past.html