metro »

continued from page 14

For Exceptional Stroke Care,
Visit St. Joe's

By Jack Weiner,
President and CEO
St. Joseph Mercy
Oakland

A stroke occurs when blood flow to a part
ofthe brain stops. A stroke is sometimes
called a "brain attack" and is considered
a medical emergency. When you or a loved
one has a stroke, call 911 and get to an
emergency room immediately.
If blood flow is cut off for longer than a
Ramesh Madhavan,
few
seconds, the brain cannot get blood and
MD, DM
oxygen, and can result in a stroke. A stroke
can take two forms: a clot or a bleed in the
brain and if not treated quickly, you can
suffer brain damage or death.
Pratik Bhattacharya
There is hope if you receive timely,
MD
specialized treatment. For the best,
technologically advanced stroke treatment,
come to the leader in stroke care—St.
Joseph Mercy Oakland (SJMO). As the home
base of the Michigan Stroke Network (MSN), SJMO has top stroke specialists—vascular
and neuroendovascular specialists, a neurointensivist, neurosurgical and neuroscience
nurses and other specialized clinicians or specialty clinicians—to treat your stroke and
restore your quality of life.
St. Joe’s stroke specialists use the latest treatments to resolve a stroke. In some cases,
a clot-busting drug can dissolve the stroke. In more severe cases, an interventional
procedure is performed using the latest technology, such as stent retrievers, to remove
the clot and restore blood flow to the brain.
In 2004, SJMO, a member of the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, became Michigan’s
first certified primary stroke center. This laid the foundation for the MSN, which was
launched in October 2006 by Trinity Health and SJMO. The MSN provides technologically
advanced stroke care not only at St. Joe’s, but also to more than 22 partner hospitals
throughout Michigan via telemedicine, using two-way, audio-visual robotics to provide
remote clinical health care. The MSN provides remote access to stroke care, ongoing
clinical trials and stroke education and support across Michigan
“To prevent a stroke, follow a healthy diet, reduce your sodium intake, keep your
cholesterol and blood pressure down, exercise and don’t smoke,” says Ramesh
Madhavan, MD, DM, an SJMO vascular neurologist and Medical Director of Telemedicine.
Dr. Bhattacharya, Stroke Program Director also advises for protection
from a stroke, know your risk factors and the signs and symptoms of stroke.
Visit www.michiganstrokenetwork.com to learn more.

2064320

16 June 30 • 2016

A ‘WINWIN,’ SAYS SCHOOL
Repeated emails and phone calls to
Cohen by the JN were not responded to
for more than six weeks, starting April
18. Jeff Brodsky, FJA board president,
also did not respond prior to his term
expiring recently.
On June 2, how-
ever, Cohen spoke to
the JN.
“If a donor came
to us and said I’m
interested in fund-
ing your school,
and if funds from
Federation can be
Rabbi Azaryah
reallocated to other
Cohen
needs or institutions,
it’s a win-win for everybody,” Cohen
said. “When it comes to donations or
donors, unless it’s a foundation grant,
generally if they wish to be anony-
mous, we respect that.”
He said he can’t answer whether
the allocation situation will continue,
but stressed the need to meet the
school’s financial strategic giving plan.
He also emphasized that the school’s
standing as a Federation agency and
Annual Campaign beneficiary had not
changed.
“We have a relationship with
Federation,” he said. “It’s a wonderful
opportunity for Federation to reallocate
where there’s a need. We continue to
partner wherever we can. I have a won-
derful relationship with [Federation
president] Larry Wolfe, who spoke
at both our Annual Dinner and
Commencement, and Scott Kaufman.
We work very closely together.”

TRANSPARENCY ISSUES?
Cohen did not explain why the alloca-
tion situation was not conveyed to FJA
parents.
When told about the allocation
returns, Jill Diamond Marx of West
Bloomfield wondered why the school
hadn’t shared the news with parents.
“Why not just say FJA is proud about
giving back to Federation for other
needs?” she asked. “The school should
feel proud about that and that they did
enough outside fundraisers to be able
[to cover things]. They could have just
kept the donor anonymous.”
Marx and her husband, Darrell,
have had four children graduate from
FJA, the most recent one in June.
Thinking about the situation a bit
more, she said, “I just wonder if it goes
back to that whole thing several years
ago when people were saying they
were getting money from Federation
and asking what kind of school it was.
Maybe they wanted to be more inde-
pendent to make the decisions they
want to,” said Marx, who says she was

not involved in the internal politics of
the school.
On June 27, 2013, the JN covered a
controversy about inclusiveness regard-
ing Reform students and a Reform
rabbi at FJA. At that time, the school
maintained its stance not to have a
Reform rabbi teach a Jewish studies
class about denominational differences
because he was not shomer Shabbat
(following the traditional rules of
Sabbath). The school has a significant
Reform student population and, in
2013, some students had complained
about being disrespected by more
observant students.
Since this 2013 article, FJA has
declined to comment on this issue to
the JN. Cohen says this issue did not
drive the allocation decisions.
“As far as I know, the Federation has
never — not with me, and I’ve been [in
this position] a year — dictated what
our policies should be,” he said.
“We have a diverse school population
and diversity among the teachers as
well,” he said. “There is no denomina-
tional requirement for teachers. The
same thing in Judaic studies. We expect
teachers to have expertise and to devel-
op positive relations with students.
“I do not ask about personal prac-
tice; I look at those qualifications I
mentioned, including pedagogy, pas-
sion and expertise in the subject mat-
ter,” Cohen said.
“The goal in the school is to work
with students, to inspire them to devel-
op a Jewish identity meaningful for
them. Because we have students from
every background, it’s different for
each student. That’s wonderful for the
school. I want students to be inspired
to be leaders throughout the school,
the Jewish community and throughout
the denominations.
“What’s really important is that we
all have the same intention regardless
of denominations. We want students
to have a Jewish identity and com-
mitment to Judaism that ensures the
Jewish community stays strong.”
Former FJA parent Lisa Lis of
Farmington Hills was vocal during the
inclusiveness controversy that flared in
2013.
“Frankel was meant to attract
students from the whole commu-
nity, to be pluralistic, and for years it
offended many in the community who
felt excluded because of the shomer
Shabbat policy for teachers to teach
Jewish studies and minyan,” she said
last week.
“I am a little optimistic with Rabbi
Cohen; he hasn’t made any tacit steps
to heal the rift, but he seems to cer-
tainly be more open than the previous
head of school.”

*

