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There's lithe movement on Sinai's affiliation plans
as the year nears its close.

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

F

PHOTO BY GLENN TRIEST

The first director of a
consortium of Federation
agencies has been hired to
smooth out the care
continuum for older adults.

JULIE EDGAR STAFF WRITER

I

ntegrating care options for survey said they didn't know
the Jewish elderly in an era how to access them, Ms. Blum-
of lean and mean is the pri- berg noted. They also told Fed-
mary challenge facing Lin- eration that they wanted better
transportation services and
da J. Blumberg.
As the first director of the greater access to social and cul-
Commission on Jewish El- tural activities. She plans to ad-
dercare Services (COJES), a con- dress those needs for individuals
sortium of agencies affiliated living independently and in
with the Jewish Federation of skilled nursing facilities.
Ms. Blumberg, who has a
Metropolitan Detroit, her job is
to bring together all the dis- master of social work degree,
parate programs available to the noted that demographic and
economic shifts have
Jewish elderly in metro
brought about a sea
Linda J.
Detroit and to develop
Blumberg:
change in the way older
new ones.
Bringing
adults receive care. Peo-
COJES, the fruit of a
programs
ple are living longer and
two-year study on the
together.
the over-65 population is
needs of Jewish seniors
rising sharply. With
in the area, will encom-
pass other Federation agencies managed care replacing tradi-
that currently serve older Jew- tional private insurance pro-
ish adults. They include Sinai grams, and shifting funding
Hospital, Jewish Home for Aged, priorities, people are growing old
Jewish Vocational Service, Jew- in their own homes and could
ish Family Service, Jewish Fed- tap into services like in-home
eration Apartments and the care and adult day care.
With fewer state dollars avail-
Jewish Community Center —
all of which rely heavily on gov- able for older, poorer adults and
only two Federation-affiliated
ernment funds.
Ms. Blumberg, who started in nursing care facilities remain-
her official capacity on Wednes- ing in the city, COJES plans to
day, previously served with the broaden the reach of Federation
Council for Jewish Elderly in to embrace services available to
Chicago — a central coordinat- the general community.
"The state is looking at man-
ing agency for eldercare services
— and more recently in the so- aged care options and we want
cial work department at Henry to be a part of the dialogue.
When you look at partnerships
Ford Hospital.
While myriad services for old- outside the community, I think
er adults exist, many of the se- there are possibilities out there,"
niors interviewed for the COJES she said.

And COJES plans to target
the 600 or so older Jews who live
in nursing facilities that are
not affiliated with Feder-
ation. Already, in fact, a
chaplaincy program is un-
der way to serve residents
of facilities other than
Menorah House. Rabbi
Irving Schnipper, recent-
ly retired as rabbi at Beth
Abraham Hillel Moses, is
serving as interim chap-
lain to Jews living in
Arnold, Heartland and
Cambridge South.
The Council for Jewish
Elderly in Chicago pro-
vides kosher food and in-
tergenerational programs
to Jews in non-Jewish
nursing care facilities, Ms.
Blumberg said.
"The homes [in metro
Detroit] would be open to
that because they'd like to
attract as many people as
they can," she said.
Attorney Michael Perlman,
who will serve as co-chairperson
of COJES with Ellen Labes,
added that a key function of CO-
JES is to inform the public of the
options that already exist.
"One of the things we want to
do as COJES is educate the Jew-
ish community on what elder-
care services are available so
they can, access the system. Most
people start looking for eldercare
services when they're desperate
GRAY GRID page 22

or many whose profes- but would not list the hospi-
sional lives are tied to tal systems that remain in the
Michigan's only Jewish running.
Rumors regarding affilia-
hospital, the wait until
an affiliation partner is an- lion have pinned Sinai to the
nounced is like an anxiety- Detroit Medical Center, a po-
tential partnership that has
fill ed and pregnant pause.
The birth of such an affili- been on-again, off-again since
ation may not come on its due the late 1980s.
The last talks broke off in
date of Jan. 1, a date which
Sinai's Chief Executive Off- 1991 when Sinai doctors
cer and President Phillip balked at the DMC-Sinai
Schaengold set earlier this merger. One fear at the time
fall. A spokesperson for the was that the hospital would
hospital said discussions with be closed by DMC in an effort
various institutions may not to thin the field of inner-city
conclude by the end of the hospitals competing for the
year. same Medicaid dollars.
"That is still the time line," Mr. &Mussel said this time
said Rose Hirsch. "We are try- around physicians have been
ing to determine with which involved in the decision mak-
institution we will affiliate or ing process at all levels.
"We have involved a broad
merge, or not, by the end of
base of physicians and our
the year."
Mark Schlussel, president professional and lay leader-
of Sinai's board of directors, ship in helping us to deter-
said the decision will be made mine the best course for the
in the near future. hospital's future," he said.
Despite the involve-
ment, some remain con-
cerned over recent moves
by DMC. Within the past
month, DMC announced
plans to consolidate ser-
vices of Hutzel Hospital
and the Rehabilitation In-
stitute of Michigan into
the services already pro-
vided by some of its oth-
er member organizations.
Grace Hospital, a DMC
health care provider a few
miles from Sinai, is slated
to remain open.
Shari Cohen, director of
public relations for DMC,
would not confirm the
g talks between the hospi-
tals.
"The Detroit Medical
Center
is discussing po-
8
=
G- tential joint ventures and
0 ffiliations with a number
of local health-care orga-
"This prop,OF
nizations and health-care
needless to say, is
is plans," she said. "But noth-
complex, and we set ADili
no arbitrary dead- an NOIR, ng has been finalized, and
effort.
there simply is nothing we
lines that would re-
strict our ability to do can comment on beyond
the best job of decision mak- that at this point. It would be
ing possible," he said. "Despite inappropriate to speculate on
that, we would like to make what could occur."
Sinai's Ms. Hirsch, howev-
that decision as expeditious-
er, confirmed reports that
ly as possible."
Ms. Hirsch said there has DMC "is one of the systems
been a slight narrowing of the we are talking to."
field of potential candidates STALLED page 22

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