Alk

PASSING page 18

anced budget and not had to cut
services.
It hasn't always been easy. "As
people are elected, they don't au-
tomatically get wisdom," said Mr.
Robinson. "You have to deal with
dispositions and temperaments."
Although two Jewish council
members are leaving, Mr. Robin-
son does not think the Jewish
community in Southfield will suf-
fer. "Most of the council has been
sensitive to the fact that [South-
field has] a large Orthodox com-
munity and has been sensitive
to their issues," he said. "I think
that will probably continue."
Originally from New York,
Mr. Robinson moved to Detroit
in the 1950s and to Southfield in
the late 1960s. He and his wife
Zelda — a former member of the
Southfield school board — belong
to Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
Mr. Robinson, current council
president, said he will miss as-
pects of council life, and was non-
committal when asked whether
his retirement was an end to
public office or merely a hiatus
between jobs. "I'll miss that in-
volvement and the ability to just
swap ideas," he said. "I've
learned a tremendous amount
from city staff— they're bright,
nice people."
Don Gross, director of com-
munity development for the city,
spoke highly of both Ms. Gold-
stein and Mr. Robinson. "There
are big shoes to fill in both in-
stances," said Mr. Gross. "Both
have been very strong stalwarts
of the community, and they'll
both be missed." ❑

Fund Needs Infusion

Jewish Family Service has helped families cope
with catastrophic illnesses; now it needs a helping
hand.

JULIE EDGAR SENIOR WRITER

my X. has medical insur-
ance, a loving husband
and son, supportive par-
ents. Up until almost two
years ago, she made pretty good
money as a substance abuse
counselor.
Now, a debilitating illness has
left her physically shattered, and
she is broke. Medical bills have
drained her family's bank ac-
count. Her parents are in deep
debt after taking out loans to
pay for an in-home nurse for her.
Between trips to Cleveland
Clinic, where Amy is being treat-
ed for a disorder known as
takayasus vasculitis, a disease
of the arteries, her husband
brings home what he can from
his job as a machine operator.
If it hadn't been for the Emer-
gency Medical Care Fund of
Jewish Family Service, an al-
ready difficult situation might
have turned tragic.
Amy's mother, an executive
secretary for a local Jewish
agency, called JFS last year in
March after hearing that it as-
sisted sick people by picking up
some of their medical expenses.
JFS responded by helping Amy's
parents defray the cost of the

A

home-based nurse, who also
tended to Amy's 2-year-old son
and did a bit of housework, and
JFS covered food and child care
expenses when Amy went into
the hospital. The money enabled
Amy and her family to stay the
course while Amy applied for
disability and Medicaid.
"I also called a lot of non-Jew-
ish places to try to get help and
I didn't have too much success,"
said Amy's mother. "[JFS] is so
wonderful, the way they came
and talked to us and talked to
her and helped us. They were
like a beacon. They even got a
social worker to talk to her."
The fund was an impromptu
response to the donations that
poured in after a story appeared
in The Jewish News about the
plight of Michele and Bruce
Landgarten in mid-1993.
Michele was suffering from
breast cancer, but unlike Amy,
her insurance company refused
to cover treatments because it
considered them experimental.
JFS stepped in and helped de-
fray expenses.
"This story generated thou-
sands of dollars," said Debra
Edwards, intake financial as-

EXCUISITE
ILIACCES
134DXIES

Over 1J0 stvles to
choose from.

Cutts
always
3C% oft

and least able to cope. A lot of
times, it results in unemploy-
ment or a person needs to be at 2–'\
home to assist the ill person.
"It can happen to anyone. It's
not about money management.
It's not about not having a good
job and not having money," Ms.
Edwards said.
Through the Emergency Med-
ical Care Fund, JFS makes pay-
ments directly to the medical
provider, but the recipient di-
rects where the money goes.
As part of the process of pro-
viding financial assistance, JFS
helps families access resources
"All we can
they might not have known
about, screens them for eligibil-
do is ease
ity and makes referrals.
The JFS fund, which only cov-
the burden."
ers expenses incurred by cata-
— Debra Edwards strophic illnesses, has also
helped make contributions to
hospital donor search funds for
After the Landgartens' story people in need of a bone marrow
was published, the fund grew to transplant.
almost $73,000. Last year, JFS
Amy, who carries Blue Cross
contributed $6,000 from the but owes $9,000 in co-payments
fund but received less than $400 and deductibles, said she is sick
in donations. Today, there is un- at heart about the Emergency
der $100 in the fund, and Ms. Medical Care Fund.
Edwards is still taking calls from
"I feel bad because I'd like to
families in need.
see it there for other people. It
Most of the people whom JFS saved us. I don't know what we
has helped through the Emer- would've done without JFS. If I
gency Medical Care Fund are ever got rich, I'd give them a big
considered middle-class and are old donation." ❑
facing insurance co-payments
that gradually bury them in
0 To contribute to the Emer
bills.
gency Medical Care Fund,
"In a lot of cases, these were
make checks payable to Jew-
people who were managing un-
ish Family Service. For more
til this happened. It's difficult to
information, call Debra Ed-
ask for help and it's at a time
wards at (248) 559-1500.
when they're most vulnerable

sistance program manager at
JFS. "And because of that, Jew-
ish Family Service administered
the fund and was able to direct
the dollars to designated med-
ical treatments. Since then we
have helped 15 to 20 people (all
Jewish). It doesn't sound like a
lot, but when you consider the
amount of the assistance in-
volved, it really has made a dif-
ference."
Today, the Emergency Med-
ical Care Fund is essentially de-
pleted.

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