long island business news i september # # ##, 2020 i libn ... · joanna robinson articles ..... ##...

LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I September # # — ##, 2020 I LIBN.COM I 35

Tuesday, September 15, 202011:30AM - 1PM

Virtual Panel Discussion

Co-Presenting Sponsors:

STATE OF THE NOT-FOR-PROFIT INDUSTRY IS A LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS EVENT

36 I LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I September # # — ##, 2020 I LIBN.COM

100 Sunnyside Blvd. Ext.Suite 200Woodbury, NY 11797

Brian D. Sackstein, CPAT: 212.643.0099/Ext. 10553E: [email protected]

We understand that to best serve you, we must understand you. At Prager Metis, we do more than just talk about being there for our not-for-profit clients. We believe that such a specialized industry requires the dedication of resources to fully understand and work successfully within the area.

AsAs a Top 50 accounting firm with offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, Prager Metis has experts around the world that can provide the level of expertise you need to make your world, worth more.


Moderators ............................................................................ ## Alexander G. Bateman, Jr. Brian D. Sackstein

Panelists ................................................................................ ## Tracey Edwards Herrick Lipton Joanna Robinson

Articles ........................................................................... ## - ## IntheNewCOVID-19World,Not-forProfitsHaveTwoChoices: Change or ‘Close Permanently’ Nonprofitcommunityonfrontlinesofpandemic,socialinjustice

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The INN would like to thank all of the caring and generous Long Islanders who have made it possible for the Mary Brennan INN to be able to continue to safely serve outside more than 100,000 meals thus far since the pandemic started.

We also thank Long Island Business News for their consistent efforts and support in supplying critical information on both print and social media platforms to keep everyone informed.

Together we shall overcome these challenges, but only united in our shared humanity and recognizing we are all in this as one family.

With love and gratitude,

Board, staff and volunteers of The INN

The INN would like to thank all of the caring and generous Long Islanders who have made it possible for the Mary Brennan INN to be able to continue to safely serve outside more than 100,000 meals thus far since the pandemic started.

We also thank Long Island Business News for their consistent efforts and support in supplying critical information on both print and social media platforms to keep everyone informed.

Together we shall overcome these challenges, but only united in our shared humanity and recognizing we are all in this as one family.

With love and gratitude,

Board, staff and volunteers of The INN


MODERATORS

Alexander G. Bateman, Jr. is a former Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney, which is where he developed his extensive trial and investigative expertise, in among other things, health care fraud and abuse. His work involves representing health care professionals and companies in the areas of investigations by federal and state agencies; Medicare/Medicaid fraud and abuse matters; professional disciplinary proceedings before the Office of Profes-sional Medical Conduct (“OPMC”) and the Office of Professional Discipline (“OPD”); the Federal Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration; billing and coding issues including demands for repayment and initiation of litigation by

insurance companies; termination of physicians by payors; restriction and suspension of medical staff privileges; corporate compliance and impaired physicians who participate in MSSNY’s Committee for Physician Health. Bateman is also active in developing and imple-menting corporate compliance programs for health care providers and facilities.

In addition to serving as co-chair of our Firm’s Health Law Department, Bateman is also chair of Ruskin Moscou’s White Collar Crime and Investigations Group where he focuses his attention in the criminal defense of health care fraud and abuse on the state and federal levels and other criminal matters.

Alexander G. Bateman, Jr. PartnerRuskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C.

Brian D. Sackstein is a Partner of Prager Metis, a member of Prager Metis International Group.

Sackstein specializes in providing audit, tax and consulting services to clients in the health-care and not-for-profit industries, and has been a practicing accountant for almost 25 years.

Sacksteinhas a strong expertise in providing auditing, accounting and management advisory services for his clients. His responsibilities include the planning, coordination, and review of accounting and auditing projects, the preparation and review of financial statements, coordination of audits in accordance with Uniform Guidance, and the presentation of audited financial statements and reports to management and boards of directors. Sackstein also super-vises and reviews the preparation and the impact of client cost reports, as well as specific reports required by a variety of agencies at the local, state and federal level.

Sackstein’s services also include reviewing existing operations to improve efficiencies, per-

forming financial budgeting and cash flow projections, internal control reviews, training clients’ staff and Board of Directors in the areas of federal audits and reimbursement analysis. He also conducts project feasibility studies, assists with developing new programs, reviews operations and rates to support reimbursement and advises on rate reimbursement appeals.

Sackstein is a noted author and speaker and has presented to numerous professional asso-ciations on financial matters. He enjoys helping his client develop events, and has hosted the “State of the Not-for-Profit Industry” event for Long Island Business News.

Sackstein is an active member of the Long Island community. He serves on the Healthcare Committee of, and is a consultant for, Action Long Island. He is affiliated with the Healthcare Financial Management Association and serves on the Not-for-Profit Committee of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a past member of St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Community Action Board.

Brian D. Sackstein PartnerPrager Metis

PANELISTS

Herrick Lipton is the Chief Executive Officer of New Horizon Counseling Center, a non-profit comprehensive behavioral health-and-wellness organization. New Horizon serves over 15,000 New Yorkers annually. With an annual budget exceeding $45 million and with 700 employees, New Horizon provides diverse services throughout New York State. Its services em-power individuals and strengthen communities through the programs that are offered.

Lipton is an accomplished healthcare executive in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, with over 20 years of experience in the provider and payer organizations, including all segments of behavioral health, acute care, primary care, long-term care, home-care and healthcare con-sulting.

Since he assumed his leadership position in January 2013, Lipton has led New Horizon to a

300% growth in the organization’s revenues and a 125% increase in clinical services. He has directed the opening of new outpatient clinics, the transition of the case man-

agement model and the opening of New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) programs.

Lipton has also introduced a business development function in the organization, and led the team in cultivating over 100 referral sources and approximately 2,000 new admissions to which much of the organization’s growth can be attributed. Under his leadership and with a strong focus on quality management, New Horizon has received license renewals, commenda-tions, and governmental citations for excellence.

Herrick LiptonChief Executive OfficerNew Horizon Counseling Center

On June 26, 2019, Tracey A. Edwards was appointed Commissioner of the New York State Public Service Commission, working to ensure affordable, safe, secure, and reliable access to electric, gas, steam, telecommunications, and water services for New York State’s residential and business consumers, while protecting the natural environment.

Edwards also serves as Long Island Regional Director of the NAACP, supporting 10 branches in Nassau and Suffolk focused on education, voting rights and civic engagement, pub-lic safety, and criminal justice, economic empowerment, health, and environmental justice.

Additionally, she serves as the Secretary of the United Way of Long Island, was Past Presi-dent of the Melville Lions Club and is on the Board of Directors of New Hour for Women and Children.

Edwards also boasts decades of experience as a corporate executive, including 37 years serv-

ing as Region President at Verizon Communications. There, she led a team of 4,000 employees responsible for field operations of voice, broadband and video services across the state. Prior to moving to field operations, Tracey was Vice President of Staffing and Diversity.

In 2012, Edwards was elected to the Huntington Town Council, where she spearheaded the creation of the Huntington Opportunity Resource Center in partnership with Suffolk County. Her many legislative accomplishments include championing legislation that strengthened the Town’s Ethics Code incorporating the New York State Comptroller’s model code of ethics and working with the county to develop clean water legislation.

In 2012, she was appointed by Governor Cuomo to serve on the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. She is formerly Executive Director of Habitat of Humanity of Suffolk.

Tracey A. EdwardsLong Island Regional Director, NAACPCommissioner, New York State Public Service Commission

Joanne Robinson is a Registered Nurse with a Master’s Degree in Public Health. She has had extensive experience consulting with and managing federally funded community health centers (FQHCs) including the management of one of the country’s largest FQHCs in Sunset Park,

Brooklyn and the establishment of a start-up FQHC in Corona, Queens. Robinson serves as Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of The Interfaith Nu-

trition Network (The INN.) Since joining The INN in 2015, she has focused on establishing the Center for Transformative Change - a social services center located directly adjacent to Long Island’s largest soup kitchen. The Center’s goal is to transform the lives of individuals chal-

lenged by hunger and homelessness.Robinson has significant experience in developing and operating health care delivery

programs for underserved populations, including a mobile health program operating in under-served communities and a unique insurance enrollment program for the uninsured. Robinson also has significant administrative experience in the area of ambulatory care, including man-agement of the largest county health center in Suffolk County, development of Cancer Services programs for the uninsured, Prenatal Care Assistance programs and Patient Centered Medical Home designations.

Joanne RobinsonChief Operating Officer, Managing DirectorThe Interfaith Nutrition Network


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The Cancer Center for Kids at NYU Winthrop Hospital

As Nassau County’s largest outpatient facility for treating children with cancer and blood disorders, the Cancer Center for Kids (CCFK) at NYU Winthrop Hospital continues to offer transformative, integrated patient care during a time that none of us could have ever imagined.

This is our moment to grab our crayons and draw outside the lines, as we meet the challenges of COVID-19 and champion a mission that empowers our patients and families through superior medical expertise and nurturing psychosocial support. We aim to inspire our children to shine like stars, lighting a hopeful tomorrow.

To find out more information about or to support the CCFK, visit www.nyuwinthrop.org/cck or call 516-663-9400

The Cancer Center for Kids at NYU Winthrop Hospital 120 Mineola Boulevard, Suite 460 • Mineola, NY 11501


BY BRIAN D. SACKSTEIN, CPA

Here is a headline that ran with an article I wrote for Long Island Business News in September of 2019, just one year ago:

“The Argument for Not-for-Prof-its to Change Everything.”

As it turns out, not-for-profits (NFPs) didn’t have to change every-thing. COVID-19 took care of that. But the advent of the pandemic gives even more urgency to that original headline. Not that NFPs have to change everything, but if they want to remain relevant, meet their mission, in fact, if they want to survive, they may need to change, and maybe a lot.

Before we talk about what may need changing and how to change it, let’s revisit a point I made in that original article. “Not-for-profit” is something of a misnomer. That is, NFPs operate similarly to for-profit businesses—they have revenue streams, promotion and marketing to increase revenue, and the same expenses as any business, from of-fice rent to copier ink.

Like a for-profit business, they also work very hard to make sure revenue outstrips expenses, and when it does, they earn, yes, a profit. But, unlike a for-profit business, any revenue left over after expenses does not go to owners or sharehold-ers, but back into the organization to expand its services and meet its mission. Those are all givens, but as the National Council of Nonprofits declares on its website: “We’re in a new world now.”

How new? Here is just one exam-ple from the publication Nonprofit Quarterly with a story headlined: “Is It Time to Break the Lease and Imagine Shared Spaces?” As the ar-ticle states, “The pandemic and our digital age have combined to make now a good time to evaluate the operating costs and overhead sav-ings of eliminating your NFPs office space, which could ease cash flow and reduce expenses.”

And how vital might easing cash flow and reducing expenses be to an NFP? A survey on the National Council of Nonprofits website asks NFPs for their “stories” and it gives

us a glimpse of what’s changed, and needs to change for NFPs. A question that asks “How has the pandemic affected your non-profit?” offers a dozen choices, from “Moved fundraising events online” to “Furloughed or laid off staff” to, sadly, “Expect to close perma-nently.”

Of course, NFPs come in an end-less variety with unique challenges. One look at this year’s “State of the Not-for-Profit Industry on Long Island Panel,” which includes the CEO of a behavioral health orga-nization, a L.I. Regional Director of the NAACP and the COO of an interfaith nutrition network, bears this out.

But while there is variety, in a time when some NFPs “expect to close permanently,” there are also certain constants of business plan-ning that an organization like ours would advise any NFP to imple-ment. In fact, there are five. And while they may not mean changing everything, they may require a

change in thinking about “the way we’ve always done it.”

1. Let’s begin with the very first question we would ask: “Do you have a well-thought-out strategic business plan?” Never forgetting that an NFP is a business, step one is reviewing your current financial situation, both debt load and per-haps unexplored options for fund-ing.

2. We would consider each of your activities—client services, donor outreach, membership growth, etc.—as a separate program, like a business-within-a-business. Focusing on each separately will more readily reveal weaknesses.

3. Next, we would exam each program’s financials and evaluate fiscal strengths and weaknesses. What is the P&L for each program? Is there a surplus of funding? Is there a debit because of underfund-ing, or lack of efficiency? And, can the success of one program be du-plicated in another?

4. Since NFPs tend to be labor intensive, with the full range of po-sitions, from CEO to direct-to-cli-ent employees to a receptionist, we would look at staffing as a separate entity. If cuts in funding mean, or have meant, cuts in staff, how is/has that been accommodated—without affecting level of service?

5. And finally, the strategic busi-ness plan that results would be put into an action-document, with spe-cific recommendations and the tim-ing of each action to be taken.

In a weird way, the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a positive to NFPs, and for-profit entities as well. It has prompted them to think dif-ferently about their businesses, and to some extent even forced them to re-imagine what they do and how they do it. In good times, if we encourage an organization to im-plement that five-step plan, we may get pushback, “Oh, I don’t think we need to do that.” But since we really are in “a new world now,” the push-back has all but disappeared.

In the New COVID-19 World, Not-for-Profits Have Two Choices: Change or ‘Close Permanently’


By: ALEXANDER G. BATEMAN, JR.

As we began the preparation for this, our third annual program on the State of the Not-For-Profit Industry, the two topics we knew needed to be addressed were never in doubt: the effect of COVID on nonprofits, and the role of non-profits in bringing about social justice.

As the expression goes, the story wrote itself, in every head-line, text group among friends and family and what passes for talk around the office water cooler these days. What took me a little longer to consider was the over-lap between these two topics. The connectedness is both subtle and glaring at the same time.

No matter what the particular mission statement of the many nonprofits on Long Island may be, there is no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has in some way impeded all of their efforts to serve the communities and causes

to which they are committed. All of the adverse effects and chal-lenges to operations, staffing, and fundraising are too numerous to list here, but they are known all too well to everyone attending our virtual symposium. Likewise, no Long Islander has been immune to the effects of COVID-19 com-pletely. The losses and pressures created in everyone’s personal and professional lives are undeniable, and they certainly have not ended yet.

At the same time, however, the effects of COVID-19 have been felt so much worse among our most vulnerable communities. The very communities many of the nonprofits we are affiliated with are charged with serving every day. The challenges Long Islanders have been confronted with by this pandemic have not hit everyone the same. It’s been clear since the springtime that the pandemic has effected economi-cally challenged communities and

communities of color substantially worse. There are many reasons for this disparity, some due to the inequity in healthcare services and education, as well as deep rooted socio-economic inequities.

Nonprofits have always been on the front lines serving our neigh-bors most in need and proactively striking at crisis and injustice, and this crisis is no different; or is it? Many of the nonprofits Long Is-landers have looked to for services and support in the past find them-selves dealing with unprecedented need while also addressing their own financial and personnel pres-sures, the likes of which have not been experienced before.

We hope that this years’ sym-posium will allow many of those executives who are facing these challenges to share ideas and strategies which have proven ef-fective in protecting their organi-zations and their invaluable and committed staffs while continuing to serve those most in need on our

Island.The story of 2020, however, is

not merely one of a worldwide pandemic. The cries for societal change have been heard loud and clear. Not just as a result of the tragic killing of George Floyd, but because of so many similar victims before and since his tragic death now seen by so many on video. One cannot be unaffected by these tragedies, but will we be truly changed by it, and will such inter-nal change manifest itself in be-havior and advocacy? That’s the question which we also hope to address among this year’s panel. The nonprofit community has historically been on the frontlines of the battle for racial justice and equality and once again they have entered the frey, while simultane-ously fighting for their own sur-vival from the COVID-19 virus. The role that nonprofits and their supporters have played historically in this fight for justice is informa-tive. Understanding the role they can and must play now is critical. Frankly, the instinct to retreat to each of our tribal corners and merely recite old and tired de-fenses until this moment passes is strong and exists on both sides of the discussion. A brutal national political campaign may only make it worse. Oddly, it is in part the shutdowns and social distancing restrictions of the COVID crisis which have provided so many of us with more time to follow the tragic events like George Floyd’s death, and the resulting protests, demonstrations and sadly riots. Let us take that increased atten-tion and focus and begin an hon-est and productive conversation about why these tragedies happen and what can be done to prevent them in the future. We obviously will not solve these issues today at the symposium. However, we who are supportive of and com-mitted to the change nonprofits can achieve can take todays con-versation and use it as a spring-board for real dialogue and more importantly real reform.

Thank you all for joining us again this year.

Nonprofit community on frontlines of pandemic, social injustice


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