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SosnIrsk Award Winnpr

JFS' Project Chessed grows to serve needs of the Jewish uninsured.

they receive care. Other than a $5 co-pay
for prescriptions, no payment is required.

Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor

W

hen you live in Metro Detroit,
you inevitably are touched by
the economic depression that
has settled over the state. You probably
know at least someone who has been laid
off, someone who is trying to sell a house
so they can move elsewhere, someone
having difficulty making ends meet each
month.
Detroit's Jewish community is not
immune to these hardships.
Of 3,200 Jewish households in Metro
Detroit, 5 percent of families are medically
uninsured; another 5 percent are underin-
sured. That estimate of about 2,000 people
may seem a small number compared to
the 46 million Americans nationwide
without health insurance, but if you fall
into that category, the results could be
catastrophic.
In June 2005, Jewish Family Service
in West Bloomfield began an innovative
program called Project Chessed that helps
connect uninsured Jewish adults (ages 19-
64) to volunteer providers. The number of
recipients has grown steadily since 2005.
So far, 877 individuals have been served,
with an estimated $5 million in health
care provided free by 561 volunteer physi-
cians, 60 dentists, three pharmacies, five
optical shops, 12 specialty medical groups,
nutritionists, an acupuncturist, a physical
therapist and 10 local medical institutions.
The current list of active patients is about
450.
This "clinic without walls" is "an inspi-
rational example of a community coming
together to care for its most vulnerable
people in a coordinated, comprehensive
and compassionate manner:' said Karen
Sosnick Schoenberg as she presented
Project Chessed on Dec. 11 with the
Jewish Fund's Robert Sosnick Award of
Excellence. Schoenberg is a fund board
member and chairs the award committee
named for her father.
The award came with $25,000 to go
toward the program, which is headed by
JFS' Rachel Yoskowitz. The Jewish Fund
gave a $239,000 start-up grant, now in its
fourth year, and also a one-year $50,000
grant to cover prescription medication
costs.

Heeding The Call

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Dr. Doug Woll, Project Chessed steering committee member; Rachel
Yoskowitz, Project Chessed director; and Dr. Steve Dunn, chair,
Project Chessed steering committee, with the Sosnick Award.

"How do you accept recognition for
doing the right thing for the community?"
Yoskowitz said. "In receiving the Sosnick
Award, I realize it's an honor, but it comes
with an obligation and
responsibility to move the
program forward to new
levels of excellence that will
continue to meet the stan-
dards of the award and to
bring honor to the Sosnick name.
"As a community, we are committed to
covering the uninsured with dignity and
chessed, acts of loving kindness, as long as
the need persists."

Chessed care coordinators work closely
with clients to manage their care, ensure
understanding of their treatment plan,
monitor compliance with that plan and
help them with other needs
beyond health care. An
electronic record-tracking
program adapted to meet
the project's needs aids in
documenting outcomes
and in better management of the overall
referral network.
To ensure dignity, each patient receives
a Chessed card, much like an insurance
card, to use at doctors' offices or when

ED

"The providers are the heart and soul of
the program:' Schoenberg said. "Their gift
of time, talent and compassion is simply
amazing."
Dr. Douglas Woll, chief medical officer
and senior vice president of Blue Care
Network of Michigan, is one such provider.
"Project Chessed is one of those unique
programs that creates real value for indi-
viduals, families and communities," he
said. "Access to health care is one of the
most critical determinants of well-being.
Chessed facilitates this in a thoughtful and
prudent manner and in a way that sup-
ports the dignity and preferences of those
it attempts to help. I am proud to be asso-
ciated with such a wonderful program."
Dr. Michael Dorman, a dermatologist,
put it this way: "This program summariz-
es Jewish values. We teach our kids about
giving back to the community. This is a
great way for us to show them how — and
for us to give back."
Anonymous patient testimonies prove
Project Chessed is working.
"Project Chessed is a lifesaver for me.
It's helping me go through the tough time.
Thank you:' wrote one patient.
Another wrote: "The program is excep-
tional and beyond any expectations I had.
The services and the providers are profes-
sional and empathetic. Thanks to you for
helping me get back on my feet during
this upheaval."
This year, dental and vision plans were
added. Next year, staff will focus on wider
recruitment of providers, improved acces-
sibility to cost-free medications and out-
reach to the eligible target population.
Project Chessed partners include
William Beaumont Hospitals, Botsford
Health Care Continuum, Detroit Medical
Center, Henry Ford Health System,
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute,
Millennium Diagnostic Center, Providence
Hospital & Medical Center, St. John
Macomb, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and
Straith Hospital.

For a confidential screening, call Project

Chessed at Jewish Family Service, (248) 592-

2321.

December 27 • 2007

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