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