THE JEWISH NEWS
THIS ISSUE 60 4
SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY
APRIL 21, 1989 / 16 NISAN 5749
Home For Aged
Gets Financial Boost
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
The Jewish Home for Aged is ex-
pecting a temporary financial boost of
at least $500,000 from the govern-
ment, averting plans to bring down
the budget ax by the middle of May,
Home officials said Wednesday.
The money — to come in the form
of increased Medicaid and Medicare
reimbursements for the fiscal year
beginning June 1 — gives the Home
more time to weigh options for reduc-
ing its operating deficit, now at
$1.288 million.
Home for Aged Executive Vice
President Alan Funk recently learn-
ed that Medicaid reimbursements
will jump about 10 percent for the up-
coming fiscal year — increasing the
current $46-a-day reimbursements to
$50 or $51. He had projected a 2 per-
cent Medicaid hike.
In addition, he said, changes in
Medicare mean more money to the
Home. Funk said the number of
Medicare patients at the Home climb-
ed from 5 percent to 15 percent since
Jan. 1, when the Medicare
catastrophic illness law enabled eligi-
ble elderly to stay in skilled nursing
homes at the government's expense
for 150 days, compared with the
previous limit of 100 days.
Medicare reimbursements to the
Home are $80 a day. Estimated cost
for patient care at the Home for Aged
is $83 a day.
At a board of directors meeting on
Tuesday, members agreed to set up a
long-term planning committee ex-
pected to recommend one of three op-
tions at the quarterly board meeting
in September. Home President Daniel
Clark and Executive Committee
Chairman Paul Borman will meet
within the coming weeks to appoint
committee members.
Funk said any option will be tem-
porary for three to four years until the
facility moves to a new location. Plans
are underway for a West Bloomfield
facility to replace Borman Hall in
Detroit and Prentis Manor in
Southfield.
Options to be considered are:
• Across the board cuts at Borman
Hall and Prentis Manor;
• Phasing out Prentis Manor
through attrition. Prentis, with 100
beds, accounts for 60 percent of the
Home's deficit;
• Converting Prentis Manor into
a private-pay facility.
"We are alleviating a crisis-
pressure situation to do something
drastic and immediately, " Funk said.
"Our sentiments are all optimistic.
All are plans are short term. We are
not in a panic."
Brick Shatters
U-M Editor's Window
brick and note Friday morning and
called the police.
"The whole situation with the
The continuing debate over the Jewish community in Ann Arbor and
anti-Israel editorial policy of the the relationship to the Daily is get-
University of Michigan student ting more frightening. It's escalating,"
newspaper, the Michigan Daily, had Harmon said. She was particularly
another episode last week. A brick upset because she felt the incident
was thrown through the bedroom win- was aimed at her — a Jew — by other
dow of Amy Harmon, co-editor of the Jews.
The Ann Arbor Police Depart-
Daily's opinion page.
Attached to the brick was a note ment said on Monday that they had
which read: "Lest you forget your no suspects in the case. There is
people." It was signed "Fighters for speculation the incident is related to
vandalism at the Daily which occur-
the Freedom of Israel."
"It was terrifying, really frighten- red several weeks ago. At that time,
ing to walk into the room to find "Jew Haters Will Pay" and "Long
broken glass and a huge hole in the Live Israel" was painted on walls in
window," said Harmon, a junior ma- the Daily office. Rumors are cir-
joring in the social sciences. Harmon culating that Daily editor Adam
was not home when the incident oc- Schrager and opinion page co-editor
curred. Her housemate found the Continued on Page 16
SUSAN LUDMER-GLIEBE
Special to The Jewish News
FREEDOM
Editor Gary Rosenblatt's
first-hand report on the
thousands of Soviet Jews
stranded in Italy.