To Life!

Sta ff pho tos by Ang ie Ba

AROUND TOWN

Mingling
Over
Martinis

New CEO shares his vision
for Henry Ford Hospital's
West Bloomfield facility.

T

Nicole and Rick Kovacs of West Bloomfield

Beth Kohn of Farmington Hills and Carla Lisa Chaben of West Bloomfield and
Schwartz of West Bloomfield
Susie Sills of Bloomfield Hills

Mario Scott of Birmingham and Rena Matt and Julie Sosin of Franklin and Jeff
Barker of West Bloomfield
Garden of Bloomfield Hills

reating patients like welcome
guests is the goal of Gerard van
Grinsven, the new president
and CEO of Henry Ford West Bloomfield
Hospital. Van Grinsven, a for-
mer vice president of the Ritz-
Carlton Hotel Co., plans to put
the "hospitality" in "hospital
stay" when the new four-story,
$310 million facility opens in
March 2009 on West Maple Road
(between Drake and Halsted).
In the meantime, the native
of the Netherlands is making
the rounds, getting to know the
community he'll be serving. Van
Grinsven mingled with more
than 70 guests June 14, includ-
ing many local Jewish couples, at a sum-
mer soiree where partygoers enjoyed mar-
tinis, hors d'oeuvres and desserts along
Pine Lake in West Bloomfield.
The event, held at a privately owned
7,500-square-foot, custom mansion over-
looking the lake, also gave the new CEO
the opportunity to share his plans.
"Gerard's vision is groundbreaking; this
is really going to revolutionize the hospi-
tal industry," said Rick Kovacs of West
Bloomfield.
He co-chaired the parlor meeting/party
along with his wife Nicole, David and
Ilene Techner of Birmingham, and Pete
and Barb Schneiderman of Bloomfield
Hills.
The new hospital will feature private,
family-oriented rooms with beds, tables
and kitchen facilities. Patients also can
expect to find luxury amenities includ-
ing flat-screen TVs, Internet access and
homey furniture. But what van Grinsven

really wants to be known for is excellent
service and an environment that promotes
health and well being.
"It's much more than a community
hospital; it's an entirely new,
innovative way of pro-
viding health care said
Jeanne Katz Maxbauer
of Bloomfield Hills, senior
major gifts officer for Henry
Ford West Bloomfield
Hospital.
The metro area is very
lucky to have this facility in
its backyard',' added Kovacs.
"The same way people hear
Rochester, Minnesota, and
think of the Mayo Clinic,
I really believe people are going to hear
West Bloomfield, Michigan, and nation-
wide they're going to think of this facility."
Among those spotted in the crowd min-
gling over martinis were: Elian and Tamir
Oppenheim, Valerie Schanes, Steve
Goren, Randal Golden, Lisa Chaben,
Rabbi Levi Shemtov, and Debbie and
Michael Berger, all of West Bloomfield;
Lynne and Dr. Jeff Obron and Susie
Sills, all of Bloomfield Hills; Julie and
Matt Sosin of Franklin; Debra and Dr.
Steven Stein of Sylvan Lake; Hadas
Bernard of Birmingham; Mark Haron,
Judith Newman and Peter Trepeck, all of
Farmington Hills.

To learn more about the new facil-
ity, go to: www.henryford.com and
type "West Bloomfield Hospital" in
the search box at the top right of
the screen to see a virtual tour and
other information.

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July 12 . 2007

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