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West Bloomfield and Pola Friedman of
Farmington Hills, who helped create
the committee and has since been coor-
dinating all the Jewish community
activities.
As a result, patient referrals have gone
up — from 130 patients from August
1999-July 2000 to 253 patients from
February 2001-March 2002, says
Dorothy E. Deremo, Hospice of
Michigan president and CEO. "And we
know our program is working." -
Pleased with the success, she adds that
Hospice is extending a model of this
program into Latino, African-American
and Muslim communities, with particu-
lar variations.
In the African American community,
for example, there's a history of mistrust
of the health care system, Deremo says.
The Tuskegee Experiment, a federally
sponsored study to examine the impact
of syphilis in which black male prisoners
were given the disease without their
knowledge from 1932-1972, has lingering .
effects in that community.
When Hospice is first presented to
African Americans, it is often perceived
as a way of not getting the best care,
Deremo says. To overcome this miscon-
ception, Hospice is approaching African
American pastors, educating them to
Hospice's work, asking them how to
reach out to their community.
"End of life is a key time," Deremo
says. "Very important work is done
then, like reconciliations between the
patient and. family members, the ability
to say good-bye."
But, she warns, if there's pain or emo-
tional or spiritual suffering without peo-
ple trained who understand these needs,
the patient is unable to focus attention
on important business.
Other awardees at the ball,were Ford
Motor Company for Outstanding
Corporate Partner and Charity Motors
for Outstanding Community Partner.
Maggie Allesee of Bloomfield Hills was _
honored for donating $3 million to
endow Hospice's Center for Quality of
Life in Detroit.
Rabbi Marla Feldnian of the Jewish
Community Council of Metropolitan
Detroit set the stage for the evening with
her invocation.
'At a time when conflict and enmity
seem to be all that is deemed newswor-
thy," she said, "we gather to tell a differ-
ent story — a story of hope and dedica-
tion,_ a story of teamwork and coopera-
tion, a story where people of all races
and all creeds join together for the com-
mon purpose of caring for the most vul-
nerable in our midst." El

J 4$
4/26
2002

32

