SAFETY-NET SUPPORT: Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie included $50 million in capital funding to struggling Nassau University Medical Center as part of a $254 billion state budget deal. The infusion of funds to help right the finances of the debt-ridden facility, the largest safety-net hospital on Long Island, comes with a restructuring that shifts power over appointments to the hospital’s top leadership from the county executive’s office, currently held by Republican Bruce Blakeman, to the governor.
FOOD FUNDING: The budget also includes millions of dollars of food assistance programs for low-income New Yorkers. The deal includes $23 million for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, which is intended to fill the gap for New Yorkers who do not qualify for federal nutrition benefits but cannot afford meals due to the state’s high cost of living. The budget also includes $5 million for the Nourish NY Program, which helps funnel produce from local farmers to emergency food providers, maintaining funding levels from the previous year.
