Advance Einstein Fall 2011

Barry R. Freedman

Stephanie Corp Maguire

President and CEO

Interim Vice President for Development

Dear Friends: Our donors are a dedicated group, who have supported a wide range of causes throughout our history. Recently, we have seen a surge in your catalytic giving that has helped us aid the most vulnerable among us. In addition to your ongoing financial support, your actions have given us the means to tackle social problems and realize goals by forging alliances with like-minded entities. You have been proactive and accountable for the changes we seek. By educating others about our causes, you are fostering a better understanding of them, while facilitating changes in attitudes and thinking.

In this issue, we honor you, our donors, and your catalytic giving.

Your caring is evident in the Einstein-launched Victor Center for the Prevention of Jewish Genetic Diseases, which is working with rabbis, colleges and genetic labs to eradicate these illnesses throughout the country and, more pointedly, in its newest target area of Atlanta. Your compassion is clear during a free-to-the-public film screening and panel discussion that encouraged understanding of and consideration for those with behavioral health illness. This is a sampling of your support that has changed the world we live in through your expertise, enthusiasm and commitment.

Philanthropy is always welcome and much needed, but catalytic giving enables us to offer better care in the present for those in need while promising a better future for all. We celebrate and thank all of you for your dedication to positive change. Your giving paves the way to fulfilling our mission to provide exceptionally intelligent and responsive healthcare and education for as many as we can reach.

Mary Webb, RN swaddles newborn

Cover: A digital composite of the Albert Einstein bust at the main entrance, Tower Building, Albert Einstein Medical Center. Sculpted by Henry Van Wolf, donated by The Segel Foundation.

In this issue...

Office Of DevelOpment

Einstein Society 2 Albert Great minds think alike

Issue No. 8 Fall 2011

A Magazine for Donors & Friends of the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network

10 New Digs...

Moving closer to opening day

Publisher

Barry R. Freedman President and CEO

the Distance 12 Going Not just a walk through the park

Editor-in-Chief

Stephanie Corp Maguire Interim Vice President for Development

Executive Editor

into Focus 14 Coming Film shows life with possibilities Center 16 Victor National growth spurt

Joan Boyce

Managing Editor

M. Renee Simmons

Address Changes and Correspondence

Albert Einstein Healthcare Network Office of Development 5501 Old York Road Philadelphia, PA 19141 Phone: 215-456-7301 Email: simmonre@einstein.edu

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Being Community Better health for men

Website: www.einstein.edu Advance Einstein is published by the Office of Development of Albert Einstein Healthcare Network Š copyright 2011

Design/Writing/Major Photography

20 The Miracle Workers

Raising money for pediatric causes

22 Photo Album

A snapshot look at our events

accent communications, inc. philadelphia

Great Minds Think Alike ThE AlBERT EINSTEIN SoCIETy (AES) SuPPoRTS INNoVATIVE PRoGRAMMING AND RESEARCh — TuRNING IDEAS FRoM ITS TEAM MEMBERS INTo REAlITy AES has been encouraging out-of-the-box thinking from those in the Einstein family since its inception in 1972. AES has awarded millions of dollars over the years to the great minds that are paving the way to better healthcare and a brighter future. These more recent recipients are no exception to the excellence of those who came before them.

Swaddling no longer under wraps

Bency Thomas, RN, BSN demonstrates swaddling for new parents

G

etting a worry-free, good night’s sleep keeps the senses sharp.

Between job stress, mortgage payments, and errands galore, one thing parents should not be anxious about is their baby’s bedtime.

“Swaddling is a way of wrapping a child in a blanket that has been shown to make them more content while sleeping, less likely to be startled and awakened, and it is soothing to them overall,” says pediatrician Barbara Kelly, MD, Director of Einstein’s Term Nursery. “If we can get more parents to swaddle their children, we believe that more babies will be likely to sleep on their backs and in their own crib or bassinet. In the U.S., we’ve seen fewer cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) since the institution of the ‘Back to Sleep’ campaign in 1994 by the National Institute of

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Child Health and Human Development; however, SIDS continues to be a problem particularly among African American populations.” The risk period for SIDS is the first year of life

with the peak danger zones during the second to fourth month.

Dr. Kelly and Matilda Irigoyen, MD, Chairman, Department of

Swaddling Step by Step...

1 Pediatrics, were interested in exploring the tie between swaddling and safesleep practices. AES found their idea compelling and awarded them a grant to begin their project. The research team for the project also included Pediatric Residents Monique Mondesir, MD, and Natalia Isaza, MD. The first phase of the study asked 121 parents, who were visiting the Pediatric Clinic primarily from the urban communities surrounding Albert Einstein Medical Center’s campus, their attitudes towards and knowledge of swaddling, an age-old practice that consists of snugly wrapping an infant in a blanket — described by some parents as in a cocoon or burrito. The second phase of the study put the practice and its outcomes into motion with the help of 70 parents of newborns from Einstein’s Nursery.

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2 “We gave the parents a Miracle Blanket and taught them how to use it,” says Dr. Kelly. Cameras were also provided so the parents could document their experiences. They were encouraged to call the research team with any questions.

“We followed up with the parents in one to two weeks, then at two and four months. What we found is, when swaddled, 95 percent of the infants slept on their backs, 90 percent of

them slept in a crib or bassinet and a majority of the mothers — 74 percent of them — swaddled their babies for at least six weeks after leaving the nursery.

“Parents are encouraged to put a child to bed without toys, pillows and other crib clutter, but many don’t know about swaddling,” says Dr. Kelly. “When taught about it, our study suggests parents are more likely to follow safe sleep practices for their baby.”

“What we found is, when swaddled, 95 percent of the infants slept on their backs...”

- Barbara Kelly, MD (L to R) Term Nursery Director Barbara Kelly, MD confers with Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Chairman Matilde Irigoyen, MD and Pediatric Researcher Monique Mondesir, MD

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Neurosensory Sciences Department Chairman and Stroke Program Director George Newman, MD, PhD discusses educational materials with (L to R) Nithya Molakala, MD, Patrice Carr, RN, MSN and Lisa Rodzen, RN, MSN, MBA

Stroke Alert!

Don’t stall, make the call...save a life stroke is sophisticated and complex.

A There is no other bodily attack that can obliterate sight, taste, hearing, communication and motor skills in a matter of seconds.

Taking action immediately when the symptoms strike is critical to limiting the damage.

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“People having a stroke do not realize they are having a stroke and it is never that person who calls 911,” says George Newman, MD, PhD, who is Chairman of Einstein’s Department of Neurosensory Sciences and Director of the Stroke Program. “It made me realize educating the stroke-prone was inadequate. It’s more effective to educate the entire population.”

Stroke Alert Day, held the first Tuesday in May, is dedicated to making people aware of the signs and symptoms of a stroke.

Radio, TV and print announcements, health screenings at high traffic areas like Philadelphia International Airport and the

“Stroke recognition depends on everybody.

That’s the point of the day and that’s what it’s all about.”

- George Newman, MD, PhD shopping mecca One Liberty Place, help get the message out to the masses.

“Strokes are unlike heart attacks, where there is a crushing chest pain.

With a stroke, it’s difficult to get people to react to the individual symptoms. A stroke should be considered right away if any of the changes come

on suddenly,” says Dr. Newman. An observer seeing a quick onset of slurred speech, immobility or sleepiness must immediately call 911 to get to the closest emergency room. The slogans “Stroke Strikes Suddenly,” along with “Don’t Stall, Make the Call,” have become important and easy-toremember adages for Stroke Alert Day. Dr. George Newman, Stroke Program Director

Although Stroke Alert Day is 100percent volunteer run, the AES grant was used for materials like bookmarks, pamphlets, posters and the hiring of a coordinator in 2007, its initial year.

“The AES funds were invaluable in getting us started. The grant gave us our calling card. You can’t walk into a room with an empty plate. AES gave us something to bring and put on the table when approaching other organizations,” says Dr. Newman.

Stroke Alert Day, held the first Tuesday in May, is dedicated to making people aware of the signs and symptoms of a stroke.

(L to R) Stroke Coordinator Patricia Hushen, RN, MS; Neuroscience Unit Director Jonathan Dissen, MD; and Caitlin Dawson, RN, BSN

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Teen Clinic Director Kelly Bethea, MD and Program Coordinator Ronald Regans chat with a male adolescent at LaSalle University’s gymnasium

The man in the mirror T when it comes to personal percephere are self-fulfilling prophecies

tions. If failure is constantly the focus, then the person must be a complete failure.

Kelly Bethea, MD, Director of Einstein’s Teen Clinic, wants to change that focus. An AES innovative program grant awarded last summer for her Male Adolescent Health Initiative (MAHI) has allowed Dr. Bethea to begin the process of altering people’s thinking.

MAHI looks at the strengths, rather than the weaknesses, of the young urban males living in the communities surrounding Einstein in an effort to better their overall health and wellbeing.

This is the first program in the country to use this approach of comprehensive care for patients age 12 to 21.

“We are trying to provide a service to young males and to look at health outcomes to see if they make a difference in their health and life,” says Dr. Bethea. “Are they being more 6

responsible, reducing risky behavior, eating better and taking care of chronic illnesses? Those are the questions MAHI wants to answer.”

Young males have poor health outcomes when compared to females in the same age range. For example, a review of trends over the last 20 years shows no real change in the rate of sexually transmitted diseases or smoking when using traditional intervention models.

“We are at a stagnant point,” says Dr. Bethea, “and we want to counter that by talking about strengths and build on those strengths.”

Dr. Bethea and her staff recruit young males for the project through Einstein’s Pediatric and Adolescent Care Center, as well as through health fairs, group homes and abuse assistance programs.

When they come in, the young men are given a questionnaire on their health and behavioral habits; home, community and school life; and their attitudes and feelings of self-worth. Upon completion of the questionnaire, Dr. Bethea or a member of her team chat with the young man, discuss his answers and suggest next steps. Many in the project have been referred to general educational development (GED) programs and the

Boys and Girls Club of America to facilitate some of their sidetracked ambitions.

“How do you work towards the good about someone if it is all about the bad things that they do?” Dr. Bethea asks.

“MAHI recognizes there is still time to give these young males a chance to change their lives.”

“We are trying to provide a service to young males...look at health outcomes...see if they make a difference...”

- Kelly Bethea, MD

Health Educator Savoeun Krich, MA counsels a young man at Einstein’s Pediatric and Teen Care Center

New splint allows patients to...Get a grip

hand of a stroke or brain-injury patient to have a functional grasp and release seemed like a miracle.

T begin with life, starting when a

ouching and holding practically

newborn wraps its whole hand around an adult’s finger. When a stroke takes away the ability to grasp objects, it can be frustrating on a primal level.

Using the RELEAS, patient learns to grasp everyday objects with stroked-affected hand

While on vacation, Occupational Therapist Joe Padova came up with a way to give this ability back to some of his patients at MossRehab. An ice-fishing pole he spotted was thin and narrow, durable yet flexible.

MossRehab’s Stroke Upper Limb Maintenance Program had been living with the use of only one hand since his stroke five years earlier and had a very tight hand. He tried the splint and was able to open his hand to grip and drop small, thin things, like playing cards.

He took it home. He was hoping it was his to keep,” recalls Mr. Padova with a laugh. This was the prototype for the Release Einstein Low profile Extension Assist Splint (RELEAS).

“The fishing pole became the plastic piece that holds the index and long fingers open. It took about six months to come from the plastic one to the current model,” says Mr. Padova. The splint’s ability to allow the unopened

AES awarded a research grant two years ago to demonstrate that the splint can be another option to improve the function of the hand affected by a stroke. Since then, the device has been patented. “To our knowledge, this is the first splint of its kind in the world that helps stroke patients use their hand during activities of daily living. The idea is a completely new concept,” says Mr. Padova. The production of the black Neoprene glove that covers the hand and supports the thumb and the splint components was awarded to Tiburon Medical Enterprises Inc. with distribution capabilities globally.

“RELEAS is different,” says Mr. Padova. “Many other devices are used for training only in therapy sessions, not for everyday use. Because of AES, people are getting the RELEAS along with the experience of using it at MossRehab. Our next steps are to train therapists at our satellite facilities within the Einstein network and then expand awareness about the splint and training throughout the U.S. Eventually, we would like to see RELEAS used to help stroke patients all over the world.”

Adjusting the RELEAS

Mr. Padova realized its potential in improving the hand splint he had been working on for his patients.

Joseph Padova, OT works with patient to use the RELEAS

“Before that vacation, I had made my first version of the splint out of plastic. One person I worked with in

Because of AES, people are getting the RElEAS along with the experience of using it at MossRehab.

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American DanceWheels Foundation Master Teacher Melinda Kremer training physical therapists for dance instruction with wheelchair users

No wallflowers allowed — we are all dancing to the same beat D

ancing is much more than hearing music and moving to it. It creates intimacy, gets the heart pumping, and enriches fun-filled experiences.

Simple pleasures like these may seem lost when a wheelchair enters a person’s life and their able-bodied partners share their isolation.

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Former MossRehab patient Diane Murphy did not think staying on the sidelines like a wallflower offered wheelchair-users a full life.

She heard of Wheelchair Dancing a few years ago and contacted the MossRehab Recreation Therapy Team to tell them about a great form of exercise and a way to keep a wheelchair user physically and socially connected to his or her

“Wheelchair Dancing is something our patients can do after being discharged from our care.”

- Anne Wieland, MossRehab

(L to R) Former MossRehab patient Diane Murphy reviews Wheelchair Dancing class schedule with MossRehab Recreation Therapy Leader Anne Wieland

partner and others. The benefits for body and soul convinced AES to award a grant to make Wheelchair Dancing classes accessible to patients in MossRehab’s rehabilitation therapy programs.

MossRehab Physical therapist experiences dancing while in a wheelchair

“Wheelchair Dancing has been proven to be cathartic and a way for the able-bodied and the disabled to come together,” says Anne Wieland, Recreation Therapy Team Leader at MossRehab.

Classes began last September and the upcoming fall classes for the Rumba, Fox Trot, Swing, Salsa and that classic 1970s club dance, The Hustle, are filling up fast. American DanceWheels Foundation instructors teach the couples the American-style of social dancing, where the man leads his partner whether he is seated or standing.

“The classes are about connection to another person. It is a language you teach, so partners can follow each other using eye contact if the hands are being used to assist wheelchair movements,” says Melinda Kremer, Executive Director and Master Teacher of the American DanceWheels Foundation.

“The environment fostered at Wheelchair Dancing is to have people become less self-conscious about their wheelchair in social settings.

The goal is to make them feel comfortable dancing at clubs and weddings and approaching people — if they don’t already have a dancing partner — to get one,” says Ms. Kremer.

For more information about the Albert Einstein Society and how you can support Einstein’s innovative programs and research, please contact Caren Moskowitz, Senior Director of Development at 215-456-7211.

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Breaking ground for new hospital (L to R): Montgomery Healthcare System Board of Directors Chairman Jef Corson, Einstein Board of Trustees President Richard Sheerr, Montgomery Health System President and CEO Timothy Casey, Senator Robert Casey, Jr., Einstein President and CEO Barry Freedman, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, and U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach

New Digs...

MEDICAl CENTER IN EAST NoRRIToN MoVES CloSER To oPENING DAy

It

is a fact of life that medical emergencies happen. When a broken finger or overall strange feeling hits, driving 35 minutes away for help is not the better option.

Yet, that is what 60 percent of central Montgomery County residents have to do when they need certain types of specialty healthcare.

Wayne Kimmel, Einstein’s Board of Trustees Development Committee Chairman at Groundbreaking Ceremony

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People in the East Norriton area can expect state-of-the-art care when Albert Einstein Healthcare Network’s (AEHN) newest addition opens its doors next year.

AEHN and Montgomery Healthcare System (MHS) began talks in 2005 about forming a partnership to build what will become the Philadelphia area’s first completely new hospital in a decade.

Five years later, on September 13, 2010 the partnership culminated with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new, world-class hospital.

MHS officially joined the Einstein family this spring. “Bringing together two organizations with such a strong history of providing exceptional care is good for patients, our employees, and the community,” says Barry R. Freedman, Einstein’s President and CEO. “From the beginning, we have focused on creating a partnership and a new hospital that will provide advanced healthcare services and enhance the quality of life for families in the region for generations to come.”

The 146-bed hospital will remedy the need to seek advanced medical care so far from home by offering a

full complement of medical services, including a round-the-clock emergency room, the latest diagnostic imaging, an obstetrics unit, smart beds that monitor patient data and da Vinci surgical robots for intricate procedures.

“Being involved at Einstein for the last ten years, I’ve learned so much about the healthcare industry,” says Wayne Kimmel, Chairman of the Development Committee of Einstein’s Board of Trustees. “Barry [President and CEO] and his amazing leadership team are doing great things.”

“The new hospital has been years in the planning and now it's a reality.”

- Richard J. Braemer, Esq. member of Einstein Board of Trustees

The final steel beams were welded into place in the spring of 2010. The exterior concrete walls are in place, the roof and windows have been installed and the building has been weatherproofed — just in time for fall’s cooler climate. Building the hospital’s interior is the next step.

Einstein and MHS doctors and caregivers were invaluable in creating the look and feel of the new facility.

Mock-ups of patient rooms, as well as labor, delivery and operating rooms, were constructed and teams of employees who will be using them in the future were invited to tour and provide their feedback. More than 300 suggestions from 200 members of the Einstein family were made during the months-long assessment that put everything from equipment location to lighting to beds under the microscope.

“We wanted people to evaluate the spaces based on the type of work they do and the tasks they would be likely

Vice President and Project Executive Rich Montalbano providing updates on the new hospital for friends and donors

Mock-up patient room for new hospital

to perform there,” says Vice President and Project Executive Rich Montalbano.

Doctors, nurses, staff, and friends were impressed with what they saw of the inside, and the outside is proving to be just as extraordinary.

“The new hospital is proof that Einstein is becoming a more expansive organization that’s serving the greater population,” says Richard J. Braemer, Esq., a member of Einstein’s Board of Trustees.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania gives a $6 million Best Big Picture Award to AEhN The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has deemed Einstein’s new medical center in Montgomery County a plus for the region even though its doors have yet to open. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement Program (IFIP) awards millions to projects that economically enhance an area. In January of this year, $6 million was awarded to Albert Einstein Healthcare Network (AEHN) based on the jobs, tax revenue and business for local merchants the new 360,000-square-foot hospital will generate. The money will be paid out over 20 years and will offset some of the interest fees AEHN incurred in financing the project.

The new hospital will not be completed until the fall of 2012, but a strong economic picture already is developing. Six hundred construction jobs were created to build the facility and its 75,000-square-foot medical office building, while approximately eight hundred positions will transfer from Montgomery Hospital Medical Center (MHMC) to the new facility when it opens. Another 300 to 400 positions are expected shortly afterwards. Local businesses will reap financial benefits when the medical center shops for the essentials that will fill its new home— everything from computers to appliances to food will be needed to make it fully functional.

Central Montgomery County residents currently travel 30 minutes or more in search of specialty healthcare, but now will find it closer to home.

“The new hospital is in a wonderful location. It is right off the Schuylkill Expressway and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It is on Germantown Pike, which is a major thoroughfare,” says former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan A. Saidel, Esq. A medical facility in the heart of the county will contribute to the area time and again by attracting people to its state-of-the-art care from throughout the region, as well as from its own back yard.

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Going the Distance Not Just a Walk Through the Park

MoNTGoMERy hoSPITAl MEDICAl CENTER’S WAlK ThRouGh ThE PARK RAISES ThouSANDS oF DollARS EACh yEAR FoR ThE hoSPITAl ’ S CANCER PRoGRAMS

T

he song The Fountain in the Park really isn’t known by that name at all, but its lyrics, “While strolling through the park one day, all in the merry month of May” is a phrase familiar to countless children who watched Bugs Bunny. The tune is brought to life each spring by Montgomery Hospital Medical Center and becomes a reality when hundreds of people turn out for the Medical Center’s Walk Through the Park.

The Walk has been held the Saturday after Mother’s Day for eight years, and has always raised money for the Medical Center’s cancer programs. “Sometimes the proceeds go towards something specific, like a digital mammography system; other times for something broader, such as funding our cancer education, outreach and support groups programming,” says Laura McFarland-Bickle, the Medical Center’s Director of Marketing and Communications.

As the building of the new Medical Center in Montgomery County draws closer to fruition, the commitment to the cause of fighting cancer and to its surrounding community becomes even more evident.

“The Walk and the momentum it generates grow every year. The participants are also watching us grow.

Through the green trees in the park, everyone could see the new hospital being built and all the new things that are coming,” says Ms. McFarland-Bickle. “Walk Through the Park is just a really great coming together 12

“Given that the battle against cancer affects friends and family, the Walk is a reminder that we are all in this together and part of a team."

- laura McFarland-Bickle of Montgomery staff and Einstein staff, community members, business people, cancer survivors and family members affected by cancer.”

“The Walk’s first year was very modest with about 50 people, but there are more walkers each year,” says Pete Scattergood, Vice President, Montgomery Hospital Foundation, and the Medical Center’s Vice President of Development.

“Hospital departments, family members and groups of community members form teams to participate in the event.”

This year, four hundred walkers raised thousands of dollars when they traveled the three-mile route through Norristown Farm Park. On average, $15,000 is brought in each year through registration fees, team sponsorships and donations.

Every year, the event honors those who have moved past their disease and remembers those who fought until the end. Although the purpose is a serious one, the day is festive. There is time to catch up with friends, music flows through the air and there is plenty of positive energy.

““Given that the battle against cancer affects friends and the “It turns into a party every year,” saysfamily, Ms. McFarland-Bickle.

“There is always such a greatis vibe.

Lots of childrenthat participate Walk a reminder and many babies are in strollers. “Children are more exposed than ever to knowing people with cancer and seeing the ones at the Walk. we survivors, are allsuch in asthis Fighting back sends an important message.” together and part Those who have beaten cancer orof areainteam." treatment are regulars

at the yearly ritual. “They count their survivor years by the Walk. They mark their years by it and they -take pride in laura their participation,” says Ms. McFarland-Bickle. “The Walk is McFarland-Bickle definitely helping us reach into the community as we continue to provide exceptionally intelligent and responsive healthcare.”

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Panel: (L to R) Douglas Cosgrove, MD Acting Medical Director, Belmont Center for Comprehensive Treatment; Edie Mannion, Co-Founder and Manager of the TEC at the Mental Health Association of Southeastern PA; Bud Clayman, Writer, Director, Principal Subject, Oc87; and Kathleen Cantwell, Coordinator, Family Resource Network

“My recovery is about acceptance and getting on with my life.”

- Bud Clayman

A life Coming into Focus FoR ThoSE STRuGGlING WITh BEhAVIoRAl hEAlTh ISSuES, FIlM ShoWS lIFE WITh PoSSIBIlITIES The crowd of 130 people that watched “Oc87: The Obsessive Compulsive Major Depression Bipolar Asperger’s Movie” had their eyes opened to meaningful insight. That night, everyone could see how behavioral health issues can stop a life in its tracks and how help and understanding are integral to dealing with the issues and leading a productive life.

Project Transition representative shares information with Oc87 screening attendees

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Belmont Center for Comprehensive Treatment and Freda Kraftsow Sacks Family Resource Center hosted a screening of the documentary film about Bud Clayman. Mr. Clayman, who also wrote and co-directed the film, says, “I want people to

“We wanted to show people dealing with behavioral health issues what is possible in life...The goal was to look at people as people."

- Eve Barnett

understand that there is more to mental illness than pain and problems. My recovery is about acceptance and getting on with my life.”

Onscreen, Mr. Clayman is candid about how he copes with behavioral health issues, the derailment of his acting dreams due to them, and each painful step back to a full, socialized life. “The film resonates with people,” says Mr. Clayman. “Many have said it opened their eyes, and has given them hope, or it changed their lives.”

Many emotions were shared as audience members told of their own experiences with behavioral health issues during the post-film panel discussion. Panel members consisted of Mr. Clayman, Douglas Cosgrove, MD, Belmont’s Acting Medical Director, Edie Mannion, Co-Founder/ Manager of Training and Education Center at the Mental Health Association of Southeastern PA (TEC of MHASP), and Kathleen Cantwell, Coordinator of the Family Resource Network. Some people questioned the panel with the telling of their own personal struggles, while others addressed the hardship of having family members with behavioral health issues.

Belmont Staff and Supporters: (Front Row) Eve Barnett, LCSW, Assistant Director, Social Services; Ron Stewart, Peer Specialist; Freda Kraftsow Sacks and Einstein Board Member Ellen Kraftsow-Kogan; Denise Ashton, Business Development; Nancy Beck, Director of Rehabilitation Services. (Back Row) Joseph Pettinati, AVP, Clinical Services; Margaret Meshok, Director, Social Services; Jamie Johnson, School Counselor; Sharon A. Bergen, Chief Operating Officer, Belmont Center for Comprehensive Treatment

to look at people as people. Some issues are more culturally prevalent, like depression. Beyond that, people struggle with understanding. If you’ve never experienced symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome or obsessive compulsive disorder, it’s difficult to grasp.”

“An event like the film screening provides information about mental illness, debunks myths about it, reduces its stigma and gives permission for people to come forward with their own stories,” says Dr. Cosgrove, who is board certified in general adult psychiatry.

Removing the screening from a clinical setting and making it free to the public made it and the message of understanding and healing accessible to the masses.

“We chose the International House of Philadelphia and served popcorn and soda so it was just like going to any other movie,” says Ms. Barnett.

“We wanted to show people dealing with behavioral health issues what is possible in life,” says Eve Barnett, Assistant Director of Social Services at Belmont. “The goal was

Unlike a night at the multiplex, there were booths full of information on dealing with behavioral health issues from event partners including the Family Resource

Network, Horizon House, Project Transition, TEC of MHASP, Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of Pennsylvania and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“Everybody at the screening needs to carry the work forward to make behavioral health issues understood. There is still a stigma about mental illness,” says Ms. Barnett. “We need to keep behavioral health in the forefront and support the voice of people with mental illness.”

"The film resonates with people...and has given them hope..."

- Bud Clayman 15

National Growth Spurt ATlANTA, GEoRGIA AND CyBERSPACE ARE ThE MoST RECENT SToPS IN ThE VICToR CENTER FoR ThE PREVENTIoN oF JEWISh GENETIC DISEASES’ ExPANSIoN Lois B. Victor, Founder of the Victor Centers for Jewish Genetic Diseases

was David, then Eden. They both suffered from T here genetic diseases that afflict the Ashkenazi Jewish population, whose ancestors hail from Central and Eastern Europe.

David had Familial Dysautonomia, which causes malfunctions of the autonomic and sensory nervous system.

After 18 years of devastating seizures and lung infections, he died in 2009 when his body could no longer take a breath.

Eden has Mucolipidosis Type 4 (ML4), which leaves her Debby Hirshman, Victor Center National Director with muscle weakness and degenerative eye conditions. By age three, she has endured surgeries, endless doctor visits and 15 hours a week of therapy.

Although she is moving forward, the prognosis for ML4 is not good: Eden may never walk or talk and most likely will be blind by age ten.

David and Eden did not know each other, but their lives are familiar to hundreds of thousands of people through the Victor Center for the Prevention of Jewish Genetic Diseases’ publication of their stories. Each imparted the cautionary lesson that a simple blood test can give people information about the 19 preventable Jewish genetic diseases they may unwittingly pass on to their children. All of these diseases have significant burdens to the child and family and some are fatal in childhood like Tay-Sachs disease.

Atlanta is the Victor Center’s most recent focus for awareness and screening of the genetic conditions that affect one in five Ashkenazi Jewish persons. Bernard Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot Inc., heard about Eden’s family. He was so deeply moved by her story that he awarded a two-year grant of $1.5 million through his Georgia-based Marcus Foundation, for the Victor Center to partner with the Foundation to launch an awareness and screening program, which is now called the Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen.

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“New diseases are available for screening. Therefore, information can be out of date in less than a year. What happened with Eden and her family shows how important updated testing is. Although the parents were screened, the panel did not include all of the tests which were available at the time,” says Victor Center National Director Debby Hirshman. “Her parents felt they were doing all the right things. They went to the rabbi and the doctor, but no one advised them to screen for the [then-] 16 genetic diseases with a high carrier rate in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.”

A comprehensive panel of 19 diseases is one tool in the Victor Center and Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen’s battle for education and screening.

The use of insurance to cover testing, affordable self-pay rates for those who have no coverage for screening, coupled with financial assistance for those with financial hardship, helps us to fight the battle one person at a time. Getting the proper information into the hands of rabbis and doctors could impact even greater numbers.

The Victor Center, which was launched at Albert Einstein Medical Center in 1999, and the Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen are working with the medical and religious Victor Center educational literature communities to create a standard of testing. “There is sometimes debate about which diseases should be included,” says Einstein obstetrician/gynecologist and Victor Center Advisory Board Chairman Arnold W. Cohen, MD. “The Victor Center Advisory Board offers ethical, medical and genetic recommendations in those cases.”

As a result of the work of the Victor Center programs, more consumers and physicians are educated about the diseases and the need for testing. In addition, Jewish organizations are aware and are pushing for education. “The internet has made

a huge difference in awareness,” says geneticist Adele Schneider, MD, who launched the Jewish Genetic Disease program with an Albert Einstein Society grant in 1999. Smart phones and the internet make reaching as many people as possible in as many ways as possible attainable. Apps for iPads and iPhones are in cyberspace and offer a list of genetic diseases, as well as a map of where they are most prevalent— at a person’s fingertips.

The learning experience is extending to the clergy, as well. “The Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen launch started on the High Holidays,” says Ms. Hirshman.

“We contacted all of the rabbis and they put the pamphlet for Eden’s story in the hands of 17,000 people observing Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.”

The Victor Center itself launched when Dr. Schneider was asked to start a program with some relevance to the Jewish community. “At that time, screening for diseases was becoming more common with cystic fibrosis as the prototype,” says Dr. Schneider. “In the Jewish community, Tay-Sachs testing had been going on for 20 years and had been very successful.”

Dr. Schneider’s work got the attention of philanthropist Lois Victor, who had lost two daughters to a Jewish genetic disease. She made it her mission to see that no one else, be it parent or child, had to suffer in this manner. “She didn’t want anyone else to experience what she had experienced,” says Dr. Schneider.

A little more than a decade later, the Victor Center has branched out from Philadelphia to Boston and Miami and forged relationships with labs and screening programs in the Bronx, Chicago and Phoenix.

Now, the Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen and cyberspace are destined to further the Victor Center’s efforts to wipe out these diseases.

Victor Center Advisory Board Chairman Arnold W. Cohen, MD discusses Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen with Jeffrey Korotkin, MD

BuIlDING A STRoNG FouNDATIoN Bernard Marcus has been helping people build better lives for more than 30 years with his “do it yourself ” empire, The Home Depot. It was only a matter of time before he began helping people build better futures.

Mr. Marcus put his childhood lessons to give back to the community into motion with The Marcus Foundation, serving as Chairman of the Board for the 20-year-old Bernard Marcus, Chairman of the board of The Marcus Foundation philanthropic organization that focuses on Jewish causes, children’s needs, and medical research.

One story that combined all three of these focuses, hit close to his heart and spawned the Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen in the Newark, New Jersey native’s adopted hometown of Georgia.

After hearing the heartbreaking tale of a child born with an illness that only afflicts Jewish people of Central and Eastern European heritage, Mr. Marcus sought out the Victor Center for the Prevention of Jewish Genetic Diseases to bring its alreadyexisting campaign of education and proactive testing to his beloved Atlanta. The Victor Center, which was launched at Albert Einstein Medical Center, raises awareness of and screening for 19 Jewish hereditary diseases.

“I was not aware there were more than five genetic disorders for Ashkenazi Jews and I was shocked at the fact there were as many as there are,” says Mr. Marcus. The Victor Center's work along with $1.5 million from the Marcus Foundation gave birth to the Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen. “Because Atlanta is our home, many of the grants we make are given here,” says Mr. Marcus.

Physical wellbeing isn’t his only focus, although Mr. Marcus had childhood dreams of becoming a doctor and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from Rutgers University. His efforts to aid communities in the United States and abroad, including his creation of the Israel Democracy Institute think tank in Jerusalem, haven’t gone unnoticed. Mr. Marcus and his wife, Billi, were honored with The Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service and other honors include the USO Patriot Award, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Lifetime of Achievement Award and the SeaKeeper Award for his work protecting the world’s oceans.

“With each of our grants,” says Mr. Marcus, “we try to fill a need we have been made aware of and get others involved with making sure the need is met.”

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being community let me Count the Ways…

KNoW youR NuMBERS

MAKES ThE RoAD To BETTER

hEAlTh FoR MEN AS EASy AS oNE, TWo, ThREE

N but they can mean different

umbers are a universal language,

things to different people. A mathematician can use them to unlock the secrets of the universe. An accountant may use them as the key to financial stability. Everybody, though, can use numbers as the gateway to better wellness by learning their meaning in the context of a healthy lifestyle.

Know Your Numbers! A Men’s Health Initiative was a mass education for the more than 1,200 males who registered for the Einstein-sponsored day of games, barber services and, most importantly, health screenings and education about fundamental wellness.

Einstein and the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, which hosted the event, easily fulfilled the goal of being the largest men’s health screening event in the Philadelphia area. A visit from Mayor Michael Nutter during the morning sessions confirmed the impact this event had in Philadelphia.

“Never on a Saturday did we dare to hope it would be this large,” says Rev. Leroy Miles, Associate Pastor/Pastor of Counseling who heads Enon's Health Ministry. “It went beyond our expectations."

Every man in attendance was weighed, had his height measured and body mass index (BMI) calculated,

Einstein Medical Community Outreach Director Donee Patterson, MD counsels participant in triage area

and was privately tested for HIV, hypertension, hyperglycemia, cholesterol and prostate cancer. Once the results were in, the lessons began on how these digits are body barometers and how risky it is if they are too high or too low. “We may never know the final impact of the day, but the Rev. Dr. Alyn E. Waller, who spearheaded Know Your Numbers, has extended lives — as a result of this event, mothers have their sons longer, children have their fathers longer,” says Donee Patterson, MD, Director of Einstein’s Medical Community Outreach.

Dr. Patterson, Einstein’s Department of Medicine Chairman Steven L. Sivak, MD, and several other Einstein physicians volunteered in the triage area where they counseled men whose tests produced shocking figures. The men that were sent to them needed immediate attention. The doctors averted potential heart attacks and strokes by sending a few men to Einstein’s Emergency Department.

“What the men learned about their health will make a difference in their lives,” says Dr. Patterson.

(L to R) Rev. Dr. Alyn Waller, Pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church; Nurse Practitioner Angela Stewart, CRNP; Rev. Leroy Miles; and Rev. Blane Newberry

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Other Einstein physicians volunteered their services in conducting prostate cancer screenings and filled in the gaps in health education during

the open seminars. Topics were wideranging and included Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer with William Tester, MD, FACP, Director of Einstein’s Cancer Center, and So You Want to be a Weekend Warrior? Come Learn More About Bone Health with Einstein’s Orthopedics Surgeon Eric Williams, MD.

Arthur Chernoff, MD

Endocrinologist Arthur Chernoff, MD, pulled no punches about how to conquer a raging glucose level to a room full of curious men during his Beating Diabetes presentation. “When your blood sugar is too high, it is a poison to your body and it can cause damage to your organs,” Dr. Chernoff told the crowd. “If you are at risk, you need to do something now, not when you are diagnosed.” The men got the skinny from Dr. Chernoff on how diet, exercise and food and drink in moderation will yield better numbers next time.

Building on a two-year partnership that launched Einstein at Enon, an onsite healthcare clinic, Pastor Waller approached the event with a very clear vision. “Know Your Numbers is geared to men’s health because the average guy simply does not know what his blood pressure or blood sugar levels are,” says Rev. Waller. “Enon is a comfortable environment for many of the men in the community.”

At Enon, there was more freedom to create a fun environment with games, refreshments and other activities to go along with the screenings and seminars.

Dubbing the event as “the man cave to celebrate health” Rev. Waller worked closely with Einstein’s Vice President of Physician Services LuAnn Trainer, Assistant Vice President of Physician Services Michael George, and Dr. Sivak to make the event a reality.

(L to R) Michael George, AVP of Physician Services; LuAnn Trainer, VP of Physician Services; and Steven Sivak, MD, Chairman of the Department of Medicine

Einstein Medical Assistant Kendra Hawkins screening for hypertension

Participants play a game of chess in between screenings

All of the men left with a printout of their individual screening results, as well as a Know Your Numbers card.

This card entitles them to discounts at many local businesses that partnered with Enon and Einstein to support the health and wellness of the men in their community.

Jerry Pendergrass, an Enon member who is already health conscious due to his years in the military, joined the sea of men at the health screening and was happy to hear his tests were solid. He knew that may not be the case for the other men in the room.

“Being aware of your numbers can mean the difference between life and death...Einstein and Enon saved a lot of lives today.”

— Jerry Pendergrass , Know your Numbers participant 19

The Miracle Workers

SMAll MIRAClES GolF TouRNAMENT’S VoluNTEERS ARE PASSIoNATE ABouT ThE GoAl oF RAISING MoNEy FoR PEDIATRIC CAuSES

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Einstein Vice President for Facilities Management Bruce Bashwiner putting

The Small Miracles Golf Tournament has a bevy of true believers who are faithful to its mission of raising funds for the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network’s pediatric programs.

Hundreds of golfers, guests, and countless volunteers turn out the first Monday of every May for the daylong outing that has raised more than $3 million since 1988. This year’s figure alone was $275,000.

“Small Miracles has been committed to helping children for 23 years. It’s a cause that people want to be involved in,” says Tournament Committee Co-Chairman Jarrett Wells, Esq.

Proceeds from the tournament have supported a multidisciplinary Autism Clinic, an educational asthma program, renovations to the Adolescent Unit at Belmont Behavioral Health, as well as the Newborn

“We are in this together.

It’s our common bond.”

- Terance Matalon, MD

Small Miracles Tournament Co-Chairmen: (L to R) Richard Fine, MD; Terence Matalon, MD; Adam Rosenfarb; and Jarrett Wells, Esq.

Nursery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Albert Einstein Medical Center.

The first ones to sink some putts for Small Miracles were the avid sportsmen, clubhouse chums and fans of the outdoors. That modest group has grown beyond golfers and their friends to become the engine that keeps the tournament going despite what many consider the country’s worst financial straits since The Great Depression.

“The tournament and its supporters have done a great job of raising money in a difficult economic time, but what makes this special is that it’s like a family. Being part of Small Miracles comes from the heart,” says Rick Fine, MD, Chairman, Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Fine, a Committee Co-Chairman, has been involved with the tournament for 17 years.

(L to R) Caren Moskowitz, Senior Director of Development and Kimberly Gross, Director of Special Events & Volunteer Relations

Another Small Miracles long-timer is Linda Lostracco, who has been a member of the Einstein family for 38 years and a golf outing volunteer since day one. She has done just about everything and anything there is to do to get the event going — and she always is looking for more ways to lend a hand.

“One year, I gave out the prizes to the golfers. I’ve stuffed goodie bags and sold raffle tickets — I’ll help with whatever it is that needs to be done,” says Ms. Lostracco.

“People come out, rain or shine. It’s a time to socialize and meet new people from different Einstein departments. There are always new faces.”

The uninitiated may run into a supervisor or two, but Small Miracles creates an even — and green — playing field. “People from every segment of the Einstein workforce, from the upper echelon to the frontlines, come out for this,” says Committee Co-Chairman Terence Matalon, MD, Chairman of the Department of Radiology.

“We are in this together. It’s our common bond.”

Einstein Safety Coordinator Linda Lostracco directing Small Miracles volunteers

“There is not any one type of person that participates, but they are all willing to give their time,” says Committee Co-Chairman Adam Rosenfarb. “We still sell out. We still fill both courses at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.”

For avid golfer Kimberly Gross, Director of Special Events and Volunteer Relations, Small Miracles is the most exciting event to plan each year. “It’s hard work, but in the end we raise a lot of money for our children’s projects, and it always brings out the Einstein family for a great day of fun and camaraderie,” says Ms. Gross.

Support for the Small Miracles Golf Tournament is strong, volunteers remain committed and there are no signs of passions waning as its 24th year approaches.

“There is not any one type of person that participates, but they are all willing to give their time...”

- Adam Rosenfarb

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Einstein Photo Album

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR NEW HOSPITAL

Ivan and Ruth Gabel

(L to R) HHS Region 3 Director Joanne Grossi, Einstein Chief Administrative Officer John Finger, and Betsy Sheerr

Robert Czincila, DO gives tour of mock-up rooms for new hospital

(L to R) Robert and Susan Hyman, Elaine and Sidney Grobman, MD

DONOR APPRECIATION AT NEIMAN MARCUS

ALBERT EINSTEIN SOCIETY

Carolyn and Samuel Frieder

(L to R) 2011 Honorees Richard Fine, MD and Susan Bernini, COO with Einstein Board President Richard Sheerr Arthur Gershoff, MD, Grace Loewenstein, Rosa and Alberto Esquenazi, MD

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HARVEST BALL

Gilbane Company

Dancers having fun

BREAST CANCER ACTION GROUP SPRING SYMPOSIUM

(L to R) Ann Waldman, Eileen Seskin, Randi Rosenberg, Janet Lewin

Check presentation to the Breast Cancer Action Group from Pink Ribbon Journey

(L to R) David Rosenberg and Robert Seskin

2011 SMALL MIRACLES GOLF TOURNAMENT First-place prize winner on the Wissahickon course

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