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.