36 | FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 

BUSINESS

S

ince Sinai Hospital 
closed nearly 25 years 
ago, some might say 
Beaumont became the “de 
facto” Jewish hospital of 
Metro Detroit, with the lion’s 
share of Detroit’s Jewish 
community using its services 
and doctors. 
And over the years, the 
Jewish community has 
contributed millions of 
dollars to the institution, 
from Mickey Shapiro’s 
donation to endow the 
Sara and Asa Shapiro Heart 
and Vascular ICU to the 
Michael and Elaine Serling 
Fund for Colorectal Cancer 
to the Marcia and Eugene 
Applebaum Simulation 
Learning Institute to 
the Marvin and Betty 
Danto Family Foundation 
Comprehensive Program 
in Geriatric Emergency 
Medicine … The list goes on 
— too long to include here.
On Feb. 1, Beaumont 
Health and Spectrum Health 
combined to create a new 
health system, which will be 
temporarily known as BHSH 
System.
“We are grateful for all 
of our physicians, nurses 
and team members. Their 
compassion, expertise and 
dedication have saved many 
lives during this pandemic,” 
Tina Freese Decker, 
president and CEO of BHSH 
System, said. “As we launch 

our new health 
system, we have 
a bold goal 
to transform 
health and are 
thrilled to unite 
our two great 
organizations. 
Together, we will leverage 
our complementary 
strengths to innovate and 
make a positive impact for 
our communities and their 
health. We look forward to 
working with our physicians, 
team members, patients, 
health plan members and 
partners across our state 
to provide health care and 
coverage that is accessible, 
affordable, equitable and 
exceptional.”
And that means 
maintaining the close 
relationships to the Jewish 
community that Beaumont 
has built over the years, 
Freese Decker added during 
a phone call with the JN.

“The Jewish community 
has been very, very 
important to many of our 

Beaumont hospitals for 
many, many years. There’s 
been a lot of support they’ve 
provided to us, and we want 
to make sure we’re taking 
care of the community.”
She added that the 
merger of Beaumont and 
Spectrum will allow the 
new organization to do even 
more with innovative models 
of care as well as allow 
them to build on current 
partnerships such as the one 
with Oakland University, 
which allows Israeli medical 
students to come and train 
in Michigan.
Nancy Susick, interim 
president of 
BHSH Beaumont 
Health, added, 
“We are very 
grateful for 
the support 
of the Jewish 
community 
for Beaumont 
Health and healthcare in 
Southeast Michigan. The 
Jewish community has made 
a profound impact on health 

care. And we are very proud 
to take care of the people 
and families in the Jewish 
community as well.”
Susick added that the 
organization looks forward 
to continued partnerships 
and relationships. “We want 
to make sure also that the 
philanthropy given remains 
in the community to support 
the great work and the 
great care provided to the 
community.”

BHSH also announced a 
new board of directors for 
the new combined health 
system. “Because we feel 
the Jewish community is 
so important, we have a 
new board member from 
the community, who will 
certainly help give us his 
thoughts and ideas in terms 
of the direction we can take,” 
Susick said.
That new board member 
is Mark Davidoff, president 
and CEO of The Fisher 
Group as well as senior 
adviser to the Jewish News.
While Spectrum Health 
and Beaumont Health create 
this new health system, 
patients and health plan 
members are encouraged 
to access care in the same 
ways they currently do. All 
patients will continue to 
have access to their same 
sites of care, physicians 
and health providers, and 
insurance plans. 

Now known as the BHSH System, leaders will maintain 
close ties with the Jewish community.

Beaumont and Spectrum 
Health Merge

Tina Freese 
Decker

Nancy 
Susick

JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL

