New York Attorney General Moves to Replace Independent Monitor at Troubled Woodbury Nursing Home

The New York Attorney General’s Office is seeking to replace the independent health monitor overseeing a Long Island nursing home that has faced years of scrutiny over neglect, fraud, and poor resident care.

According to court documents filed in Nassau Supreme Court on September 19, 2025, the Attorney General’s Office has asked to remove the current monitor at the facility—formerly known as Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation—and install a new, fully independent one.

The nursing home, now operating as Woodbury Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, has been under state monitoring since 2024 as part of a lawsuit settlement involving allegations of resident neglect and financial misconduct.

Background: A Troubled Facility with a History of Mismanagement

In 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the owners of Cold Spring Hills, alleging that they neglected resident care and violated state laws through a fraudulent business structure designed to enrich themselves at the expense of patients.

The case exposed what investigators called “a pattern of abuse, underfunding, and mismanagement” — with staff shortages, unclean conditions, and severe lapses in resident safety. As part of a 2024 court order resolving the lawsuit, the nursing home was required to operate under the supervision of a court-appointed independent health monitor tasked with ensuring compliance, maintaining safe staffing levels, and improving resident care.

That monitor, Lisa Wickens-Alteri, was installed at the recommendation of the Attorney General’s office in April 2024. Wickens-Alteri, a former nurse and deputy director of the state Health Department’s Office of Health Systems Management, was seen as a credible choice to help bring the facility back into compliance.

But the AG’s office now says that Wickens-Alteri’s continued service poses a conflict of interest after her consulting firm, Capital Health Consulting, was partially acquired by Abrams Fensterman, LLP, a law firm that represents minority owners of the nursing home in its ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

Why the Attorney General Is Seeking a Change

In her recent court filing, Special Assistant Attorney General Christina Pinnola argued that the health monitor must remain fully independent from any individuals or entities with financial or legal ties to the nursing home’s ownership.

“A health care monitor must be independent from the financial and regulatory interests of the for-profit nursing home industry, its owners, and related parties that have been sued by the Attorney General,” Pinnola wrote in her petition to the court.

Because Abrams Fensterman now holds a 50% indirect ownership stake in Capital Health Consulting, the Attorney General’s Office says the monitor’s impartiality is compromised. The AG is requesting that Vincent DiCianni, founder of Affiliated Monitors Inc. in Boston, be appointed instead.

Affiliated Monitors has experience working with the Attorney General’s office in other oversight cases, including a settlement involving Fulton Commons Care Center in East Meadow, which had also faced allegations of resident neglect and misuse of government funds.

The Facility’s Response and Ongoing Dispute

Representatives for the nursing home’s owners and legal team have strongly opposed the Attorney General’s request.

Howard Fensterman, managing partner of Abrams Fensterman, accused the AG’s office of acting “contrary to the best interests of the residents.” He argued that the Attorney General waited nine months after the ownership change to take action, despite having earlier opportunities to do so in bankruptcy court.

Fensterman also pointed out that the New York State Department of Health directed that Wickens-Alteri remain as health monitor while the nursing home operates under the receivership of Eliezer Jay Zelman, who is in the process of purchasing the facility. The Philipson family—the original owners who were sued by the Attorney General—still technically own the facility pending state approval of the sale but are not involved in daily operations, according to Fensterman.

The Attorney General’s Office, however, maintains that the delay was procedural, not strategic. It noted that the bankruptcy court does not have jurisdiction over the health monitor’s appointment and that the matter properly belongs before the state court.

The dispute now rests with Judge Lisa A. Cairo, who must decide whether the current monitor will be replaced.

Why This Case Matters for Nursing Home Residents Across New York

Beyond one facility in Woodbury, this case underscores a larger pattern of accountability battles in the nursing home industry.

Attorney General Letitia James has made elder care oversight a priority, bringing multiple enforcement actions against nursing homes accused of financial fraud, chronic understaffing, and resident neglect—often tied to complex ownership structures that obscure where public funds are going.

Cases like Cold Spring Hills highlight how profit-driven models can directly impact resident safety. When owners divert funds away from care, patients suffer—from untreated bedsores and malnutrition to fatal infections and falls.

This controversy over the monitor’s independence goes to the heart of that problem: ensuring that nursing homes are truly held accountable to residents, not just to their investors.

KBD Attorneys: Protecting Nursing Home Residents and Families

At Ketterer, Browne & Davani, LLC, our attorneys have represented families across the country in nursing home abuse and neglect cases, including those involving financial fraud, understaffing, and medical negligence.

We closely monitor developments like the Cold Spring Hills/Woodbury Heights case, because they reveal how systemic neglect can be hidden behind complex corporate structures. Families trust nursing homes to provide compassionate care — not to prioritize profits over safety.

If your loved one has suffered bedsores, dehydration, malnutrition, falls, or unexplained injuries in a New York nursing home, you have rights. Our firm helps families uncover the truth, demand accountability, and pursue justice through civil litigation.

Contact KBD Attorneys

The Cold Spring Hills case is a reminder that oversight and transparency save lives. Residents deserve to live in dignity, with proper care and protection — and when nursing homes fail, families deserve answers.

Call KBD Attorneys at (443) 731-0267 or visit kbdattorneys.com to schedule a free, confidential consultation.

We stand with families across New York and the nation in the fight against elder neglect, corporate fraud, and abuse in long-term care facilities.

Source: Newsday – “Court records: AG moves to replace Woodbury nursing home’s independent health monitor”