NYC hospitals board member resigns over Caribbean residency deal

A board member of New York City's Health and Hospitals Corp. has resigned in the wake of a controversy over his role in bringing in a 10-year, $100 million contract for a Caribbean medical school where he has a paid position. The agency and the board member, Dr. Daniel Ricciardi, have faced withering criticism from officials of the city's medical schools for his part in getting the contract for the city's 11 public hospitals to provide clinical training to students from St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada.

Dr. Ricciardi, a longtime faculty member and dean of clinical studies of the school, proposed the deal, but said he had recused himself from deliberations. Under its terms, St. Georgi's agreed to pay $400 to $425 a week per student for the city's public hospitals to give its students clinical training. The contract provides training for up to 600 students a year for 10 years. Furious execs with the city's medical schools, meanwhile, argued that this system would force them to pay for clerkships, too--training that has traditionally been free--and possibly raise their tuition rates.

To learn more about the dispute:
- read this New York Times piece

Related Article:
In controversial deal, New York signs Caribbean med school for training