JEWISH NEWS
Friday, December IL 1952

The Sinai Hospital Story

•

Questions and Answers Regarding the New Jewish Hospital f Detroit

Dear Friend:

The following question-and-answer "interview" with the
trustees of Sinai Hospital is being published for the information
of our community which has so generously supported the Hos-
pital, now about ready to open.
In the development of a great new community project,
particularly one complex as a general hospital in a metropolitan
community, it is impossible to keep everyone informed of all of
the important facts and features of the institution. We are issu-
ing the following material in the hope that it will answer any
questions existing about the operations and policies of Sinai
Hospital and provide authoritative bases for discussion of all of

Official Name: Many people knew the Hospital
through its organizational phase as the Jewish Hos-
pital Association. What is its official name?
The Hospital is incorporated under the state laws
of Michigan as the Sinai Hospital of De troit.

Management: By whom is Sinai Hospital run?

Responsibility for operation has been vested in a
Board of Trustees of forty representative people from
every walk of life. The Trustees carry out this respon-
sibility through a Director and appropriate board
committees.

Director: Who is the Director of Sinai Hospital?
The Director is Dr. Julien Priver, who was appoint-
ed in October of 1951. He was trained in hospital
administration at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in
New York and served for five years as Assistant, and
later as Associate Director, of The Mbunt Sinai Hos-
pital, also in New York.

Dedication: When will the dedication ceremonies
be held?
A Dedication Committee is now deliberating on
the exact date. It is likely that the dedication will
take place during the first week or two of January,
immediately prior to the opening of the Hospital itself.

Date of Opening : When is the Hospital going to
open?
It is anticipated that the Hospital will be ready to
receive its first patient during the latter part of Janu-
ary 1953.

Medical Staff: Have you picked your Medical
Staff?
Almost the entire Medical Staff has been selected
and the physicians will be prepared to carry out their
. duties and responsibilities for the bringing in of pa-
tients and treating them by the time the Hospital
opens.

Method of Selection: How were these doctors se-
lected?
The doctors were selected from among the many
physicians who applied for positions on the staff. A
group of eminent physicians was called upon-to assist
the trustees in making decisions as to the qualifica-
tions of the applicants. First step was to appoint
applicants to the positions of Chief in their respeCtive
specialties in Medicine and Surgery. As soon as sev-
eral well-qualified individuals had been appointed,
they were asked to advise the trustees in selection of
additional Chiefs. The Chiefs then began to meet
regularly in the .capacity of an Advisory Board and
were instrumental in the rounding out of the re-
mainder of the Medical Staff.

Interns : Are you going to have interns in the
Hospital?
We are, at this moment, considering several
applications for internships, and, beginning July 1,
1953, we anticipate having between eight and twelve
interns.

Nurses Recruitment: Will you be able to obtain
sufficient nurses?
-
The situation looks fairly good, although it is too
early to make a definite statement.

Teaching of Nurses: Are you going to have

school of nursing and a nurses' residence?
At the present time we will not, but we hope
that the future will provide us with such facilities.

Types of Nursing: Will you use nurses other than
registered nurses?
Yes. In our Department of Nursing, we will utilize
the services of practical nurses, ward aides, nurses'
aides and orderlies.

General Staff: You undoubtedly have a staff other
than physicians. How many people are necessary in a
hospital the size of Sinai?
The non-medical staff will consist of approximate-
ly 350 to 400 employees, on the basis of a ratio of two
employees for each general bed.

Salaries: How will salaries compare with other

hospitals?

We are doing everything in our power to obtain
employees at. the rates commensurate with those now
prevailing in other institutions in Detroit.

Volunteers: Will women volunteers serve in the
Hospital?
A Women's Guild has been organized and is .ex-
pected to serve the Hospital largely in the area of
volunteer work. There are many functions that these
volunteers can perform that will be a tremendous
asset to the Hospital.

the various conjectures that arise regarding such an important
community facility.
You will find, in the interview, statements regarding the
nature and extent of medical service, selection of staff, program
of free service, provision for deficit, rates, Kashruth, designation
of memorials, date of opening, and every other topic on which we
had received inquiries.
We hope that this material will help to create a body of
informed citizens who will help tell others in the community the
"Sinai story."
,Sincerely yours,
Max Osnos, President
Sinai Hospital

Gift Shop: Are you going to have a Gift Shop?
The Gift Shop, which is highly attractive, is lo-
cated in the main lobby and will be managed by mem-
bers of the Women's Guild.

Circumcision: What provision has been made for
ritual circumcision?
A' comfortable suite has been designed especially
to permit observance of this important rite.

Patients: How does a. patient get into Sinai Hos-
pital?
A patient will be admitted to Sinai Hospital upon
the recommendation of his or her physician, a member
of the staff.

New Features: What are some of the newer feat-
ures of the building?
In addition to all the most modern equipment,
we will have piped oxygen, a pneumatic tube system,
music throughout the corridors and areas such as the
laundry, cafeteria, and dozens of other devices that
will give us the finest building that good planning
and adequate financing can produce.

Bed Capacity: How many patients will the Hos-
pital care for?
There will be 211 beds for adults and children and
48 bassinets for the newborn.

Size of Wards: What is the size of your largest

patient accommodation?
Our largest accommodation is the four-bed ward.
In that area, each of the four patients will occupy a
comfortable space and the floors have been so laid out
that no patient will be given the feeling of overcrowd-
ing. In addition to these four-bed areas, we also have
two-bed units and private rooms. .

Food for Patients: How will your patients be fed?
We will have a certified food service. Food will be
prepared in the kitchens and sent to the various
floors by conveyor belts. The food trays will then be
brought directly to the patient's bedside by members
of the Hospital food service.

Kosher Kitchen: Are kosher facilities available?
Facilities for the provision for kosher food to every
person who wishes it are included in the Hospital.
There will be a double Kosher kitchen, with meat and
milk sections and with appropriate supervision. Every
person desiring Kosher food will be accommodated
with full respect for the laws of Kashruth.

Cafeteria: How will you feed your employees?
A sizeable cafeteria has been provided on the
ground level, where employees will be permitted to
buy food at the Hospital cost.

Patients' Library: What about a patients' library? -

A patients' library, also under the jurisdiction of
the "Women's Guild, has been provided on the sixth
floor. From this library, a member of the Guild will
bring books to the bedside of all patients desiring the
service.

Rates: What will be your room and board charges?
Our room and board charges will be in line with
those in other large institutions in Detroit and will
perhaps go slightly higher. It is conceivable that our
range may be from four-bed accommodations at $14
to $16 a day to some of the private accommodations
up as high as $28 or $30 per day.

Special Fees: Will there be any 'other charges?
It will be necessary to add charges for special
services, such as X-ray, laboratory, operating room,
anesthesia, electrocardiograms, basal metabolism tests,
units of blood, etc.

Blue Cross: Are you going to be a member of the
Blue Cross?

Yes, we have just received notice of our accep-
tance as a member agency of the Blue Cross of Mich-
igan.

Insurance: Will you accept commercial insurance
policies?
Any policy which can be substantial will, of
course, be acceptable to the Hospital. It may be neces-
sary to expect those patients carrying other than Blue
Cross policies to make a deposit at the time of ad-
mission.

Visiting: What will be your visiting regulations?
We intend to emulate those institutions permit-
ting the most liberal visiting privileges possible. It is
likely that we will allow general visiting by individuals
over 12 years of age from about 11 a.m. until at least
7 and possibly until 9 at night. There will be restricted
visiting in certain types of areas and under special
conditions, in accordance with the requirements of
the patients.

Research : Is research going to be done at Sinai
Hospital?
Yes, indeed. Several laboratories and other facili-
ties are included that will permit this institution to
produce original work and to further the extent of
medical knowledge. Many members of our staff are
eager to begin such work shortly after the doors open.

Laboratory Tests: Will you provide all the labora-
tory tests now performed in major hospitals?
We have a completely equipped X-ray laboratory
that can perform both diagnostic and theapeutic ra-
diology, for both reading X-rays and applying X-ray
treatment. We also will have completely equipped
chemistry, bacteriology and pathology laboratories,
in addition to special areas for other tests, and a
fullly-equipped blood bank.

Outpatient Service : Will there be an outpatient
department at Sinai Hospital?
Sinai Hospital will work with Noth End Clinic,
which will serve as the Hospital's outpatient depart-
ment. There will be a merger of the two agencies un-
der the central control of the Board of Trustees of
the Hospital.

Service for the Poor: Will Sinai give service to
those who cannot afford to pay?
The Board of Trustees has authorized the use of
thirty of the Hospital's beds for indigent patients,
above and beyond part-pay and free cases arranged
for through various sources.

Parking: Do you have parking facilities?

A large area capable of accomodating over 140
angle parked cars has been reserved on the east side
of the Hospital grounds.

Grounds: How large are the Hospital grounds?
The size of the Hospital plot is approximately 34
acres, extending from Outer Drive on the North, to
Lauder on the East, McNichols on the South and
Whitcomb on the West. In the words of Albert Kahn,
Associated Architects and Engineers, designers of the .
Hospital, the "Jewish community of Detroit is to be
congratulated upon having acquired a site for the
Hospital large enough to provide for all forseeable
needs in medical service."

CoSt of Hospital: What did the entire Hospital
cost?
The cost of the Hospital, including the land and
all the initial equipment, is slightly in excess of
$6,000,000.

Source of Funds: When did a drive for the crea-
tion of Sinai Hospital first originate?
We can trace activity back over forty years. His-
torians may amplify this answer. Approximately $2,-
400,000 was raised in a special campaign under the
direction of the Jewish Welfare Federation in 1944
and 1945. We also were included for $2,500,000 in the
successful citywide Greater Detroit Hospital Fund for
close to $20,000,000. A bank loan for most of the bal-
ance has been secured.

Memorials: Are there any memorial opportunities
remaining at the Hospital?
We are just in the process of completing the desig-
nation of areas being memorialized by the major con-
tributors of the Hospital campaign of 1944. However,
many areas remain for future memorialization of the
deceased and also in honor of the living.

Meals for Visitors: Has a place been provided
where a visitor may eat?
Yes. Visitors to patients will be permitted to eat
in. the Snack Bar, located on the ground level of the
Hospital.

Meeting the Deficit: I understand the Hospital
will have a deficit. If so, how will it be financed?
It is correct that any hospital of this type, which
performs a service for the community, m _ ust expect a
deficit. This deficit, fortunately, will be underwritten
by the Jewish Welfare Federation, through the Allied
Jewish Campaign.

Mother and Child: Will a mother be able to spend
the night in the Hospital if her child is a patient?
We are providing bed-chairs in each of the chil-
dren's rooms, so that, for a relatively small charge, a
mother may be able to spend the night with her child.

Information: If I have any other questions, with
whom should I communicate?
Please call Dr. Priver, at BRoadway 3-2260. We
are in a community business and our entire staff
stands ready to serve you.

