A New Name for the Los Angeles Jewish Home: Los Angeles Jewish Health

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A New Name for the Los Angeles Jewish Home: Los Angeles Jewish Health

Jul 5, 2022

As it continues to build on more than a century of providing an array of high-quality residential living options and care for older adults in Southern California, the Los Angeles Jewish Home is unveiling a new name: Los Angeles Jewish Health (LAJH). The updated identity reflects our commitment to offering area older adults a full complement of exceptional programs and services and a comprehensive continuum of care – whether that care is at home, in the community, or on one of our beautiful campus settings.

With a new name and a continued focus on meeting diverse needs, Los Angeles Jewish Health meets older adults where they are in life, providing a customized experience.

“Over the years, as the needs of our community members have grown and changed, we have evolved, too, expanding the scope of healthcare services we provide. It is now the right time to transition to a name more reflective of the vast array of older adult care services and living options available through Los Angeles Jewish Health, while still remaining true to our mission and Jewish values,” says Dale Surowitz, CEO and President of Los Angeles Jewish Health.

The values piece is at the core of Los Angeles Jewish Health’s distinguished history of service, Dale notes, and nothing about that is changing.

“We are committed to our roots, and we’re the same organization we’ve always been, with rabbis on staff to help celebrate Jewish holidays, share Jewish teachings, and care for all those we serve with the same quality of care, respect, kindness, and compassion that has been the reputation of the Jewish Home for over a century,” he says. “But we also want to make sure people know that all are welcome here – that anyone can come and receive the kind of quality care, service, and attention we’ve always been known for.”

Shifting demographics mean Los Angeles Jewish Health is increasingly serving a more diverse population of older adults. By 2030, one in five Americans are projected to be older individuals. Older adults 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of this population and are expected to increase five-fold over the next 30 years, from four million in 2000 to 21 million in 2050. Los Angeles Jewish Health has kept pace with these trends: What began as a modest residential facility at the turn of the previous century has grown into a one of the nation’s leading health systems for older adults, providing for a rapidly expanding elder population with a broad range of geriatric and specialty healthcare needs.

“The Los Angeles Jewish Home name served us well for more than 100 years, but it doesn’t describe what we do now as an organization,” says Andrew Berman, chair of Los Angeles Jewish Health’s board of directors. “We are a healthcare organization for older adults, and although people do reside with us, we offer so many other services beyond what you would expect from just a ‘home.’ Our new name encompasses much more while also honoring and respecting the past and better describing who we are, what we do, and where we’re heading.”

Going forward, as we continue to reach new segments of the growing older adult population, the LA community will continue to benefit from the same remarkable, standard-setting care. “As we have for more than 100 years, we will dedicate ourselves to contributing Los Angeles Jewish Health’s extensive experience and medical expertise toward better health outcomes for all older adults,” Dale says. “At Los Angeles Jewish Health, that’s a promise!”

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Oct 2

Los Angeles Jewish Health Receives $1 Million Gift from Alfred E. Mann Charities

Leading foundation supports Southern California’s premier senior healthcare provider(LOS ANGELES, CA – October 2, 2024) Los Angeles Jewish Health has received a $1 million donation from the Alfred E. Mann Charities Inc., a prominent Los Angeles-based charitable foundation that supports scientific advancement, education, community development, and cultural initiatives. The gift will support the newest location of LAJH’s Brandman Centers for Senior Care, a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).Situated in the heart of L.A.’s Pico-Robertson neighborhood, the new Westside BCSC is a full-service adult day care center offering head-to-toe medical assistance, social activities, transportation, and home care services to eligible seniors. Through its 5,000-square-foot Wellness Center, the Westside BCSC’s coordinated team orchestrates comprehensive health services including medical and specialty care, behavioral health services, social work services, physical and occupational therapy services, home care services, prescription medications, and delicious meals. The Wellness Center is being named in the Alfred E. Mann Charities’ honor in recognition of its landmark gift, which will help advance the Westside BCSC’s work and play an important role in enabling the facility to serve more than 400 area seniors.“We are tremendously grateful to the Alfred E. Mann Charities for helping to further LAJH’s mission to provide excellence in senior care reflective of Jewish values for all,” said Dale Surowitz, LAJH’s president and chief executive officer. “Thanks to this gift, our newest Brandman Center will have critical resources to make a meaningful difference in seniors’ lives.”Each day, BCSC PACE offers a vital lifeline for frail, elderly adults still living in the community (more than 95% of program participants live outside of a nursing home). Most participants are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Once they enroll, the BCSC becomes their exclusive provider for all medical needs—coordinating their appointments and care and eliminating the need for them to pay medical bills.For the Alfred E. Mann Charities, investing in the vision of the BCSC continues a longstanding partnership with Los Angeles Jewish Health.“We are proud supporters of LAJH, a community where every individual is valued and treated with kindness,” said Michael Dreyer, president of the Alfred E. Mann Charities, and Anoosheh Bostani, the organization’s chief financial officer. “The team is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for seniors by providing exceptional medical care rooted in compassion, respect, and dignity.” The Alfred E. Mann Wellness Center in the Brandman Centers for Senior Care West Los Angeles LocationExam room at the Mann Wellness CenterTreatment room at the Mann Wellness CenterDental Exam room at the Mann Wellness Center

Los Angeles Jewish Health Receives $1 Million Gift from Alfred E. Mann Charities

Helping seniors stay in their own homes for as long as possible—while remaining as independent as possible—is a central goal of Los Angeles Jewish Health’s (LAJH) Brandman Centers for Senior Care (BCSC), a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). This fall, the Alfred E. Mann Charities Inc., a charitable foundation dedicated to improving healthcare and accelerating medical innovation, demonstrated its support for the program with an extraordinary $1 million donation to benefit LAJH’s newest PACE facility on L.A.’s Westside.Located in the heart of the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, the Westside BCSC is a full-service adult day care center offering head-to-toe medical assistance, social activities, transportation, and home care services to eligible seniors. Through its 5,000-square-foot Wellness Center, the Westside BCSC’s coordinated team orchestrates comprehensive health services including medical and specialty care, behavioral health services, social work services, physical and occupational therapy services, home care services, prescription medications, and delicious meals. The Wellness Center is being named in the Alfred E. Mann Charities’ honor in recognition of its landmark gift, which will help advance the Westside BCSC’s work and play an important role in enabling the facility to serve more than 400 area seniors.“We are tremendously grateful to the Alfred E. Mann Charities for helping to further LAJH’s mission to provide excellence in senior care reflective of Jewish values for all,” says Dale Surowitz, LAJH’s president and chief executive officer. “Thanks to this gift, our newest Brandman Center will have critical resources to make a meaningful difference in seniors’ lives.”Brandman Centers for Senior CARE PACE in West Los Angeles (left) and the Alfred E. Mann Charities Wellness Center Each day, BCSC PACE offers a vital lifeline for frail, elderly adults still living in the community. Most participants are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Once they enroll, BCSC becomes their exclusive provider for all medical needs—coordinating their appointments and care and eliminating the need for them to pay medical bills.For the Alfred E. Mann Charities, investing in the vision of the BCSC continues a longstanding partnership with Los Angeles Jewish Health.“We are proud supporters of LAJH, a community where every individual is valued and treated with kindness,” says Michael Dreyer, president of the Alfred E. Mann Charities, and Anoosheh Bostani, the organization’s chief financial officer. “The team is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for seniors by providing exceptional medical care rooted in compassion, respect, and dignity.” Treatment room in the Alfred E. Mann Charities Wellness CenterDental Exam room in the Alfred E. Mann Charities Wellness Center

Seniors and the Benefits of Social Connections

Los Angeles Jewish Health is dedicated to ensuring the wellbeing of thousands of seniors each year. Physical health is just one indicator of how older adults are faring; mental and social health are also critical markers. This was the focus of a recent event held at LAJH’s Fountainview at Eisenberg Village featuring noted scholar Lené Levy-Storms, PhD.An associate professor of social welfare and medicine/geriatrics at UCLA, Dr. Levy-Storms addressed a near capacity crowd in the Fountainview Theatre about the importance of nurturing and maintaining social connections. It’s a topic that is drawing more attention as researchers deepen their understanding of the ways in which social health impacts human lives.“It’s programmed in our DNA to be social,” Dr. Levy-Storms said. “In fact, scientific literature shows that not having adequate social connections can yield the same adverse health effects as obesity and smoking.”Dr. Levy-Storms addresses the crowd at the Fountainview TheatreThis year, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report detailing what he called the country’s current “epidemic of loneliness.” According to the report, too many Americans feel an acute sense of social isolation. Dr. Levy-Storms noted that shining a light on the problem is essential to fixing it, since lack of awareness has prevented the development of vital resources.“We don’t have a healthcare system designed to give us remedies when we’re ailing from social health issues,” she said. “Beyond the healthcare arena, there’s also a big emphasis in our society on building up financial capital, and especially saving for retirement and older age. But where’s our social capital? What’s going to sustain us to feel connected as we get older and start to lose some of the people in our lives?”Dr. Levy-Storms’ talk was part of LAJH’s larger efforts around assessing urgent community needs. “Part of being a licensed nonprofit hospital means continually gauging how best to serve the people who rely on our care,” says Ilana Springer, the CEO and administrator of LAJH’s Joyce Eisenberg Keefer Medical Center. “Our most recent assessment revealed that seniors are particularly susceptible to isolation and loneliness, with 20%-40% reporting feeling lonely at any given point in time.”The solution, in Dr. Levy-Storms’ view, is not just building new relationships throughout our lives—it’s also making sure they are meaningful ones.“What is a meaningful relationship? The key is to establish emotional connections,” she said. “This requires us to get into a mindset of finding common ground with other people. It’s easy to say, ‘I don’t have anything in common with this person,’ but we can change that through listening and connecting with them. Then, hopefully, we experience reciprocity, where the listening goes both ways.”At the conclusion of Dr. Levy-Storm’s talk, the audience moved outside to chat over brownies and lemonade, giving them a chance to forge new connections and put her advice into practice.