Borough Park, NY – Maimonides Hospital Needs A Management Shake Up. Video By Rabbi Levin

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    Borough Park, NY – Maimonides Hospital in Borough Park, Brooklyn has a long, distinguished and unique record of service to its community. Founded in the early part of this past century, it quickly became a neighborhood institution.

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    And, as America changed, the hospital not only changed with it, but perhaps even led the way.

    Today, Maimonides may very well be the United States’ most multicultural medical center, unabashedly and regularly trumpeting the fact that interpreters for close to the fabled shivim lashonos are available for patients.

    Maimonides is America in microcosm, for better—and for worse. Small wonder that award-winning author and investigative journalist Julie Salamon chose Maimonides of all places to spend a full year probing modern American medicine’s state of affairs in her recent book Hospital.

    Because while it is here that top-quality doctors and surgeons saved lives in innovative and dramatic ways in years and decades past, it is also here that callous nurses and inattentive staff give patients experience after nightmarish experience.

    for decades stories abound in the Borough Park Chasidic community of neglect and even abuse of their own when brought to Maimonides for treatment. And the best—or worst—example of this is Maimonides’ dreadful emergency room, where patients have been known to wait 48 hours for treatment, where gurneys are sometimes lined two or three deep along walls and where patients have nearly died—or tragically have died—because they were simply ignored.

    Controversial activist and self proclaimed Rabbi Yehudah Levin, never one to shy away from communal woes and expressing his opinions thereof, recently stated that Maimonides’ relatively new, multi-million-dollar cancer treatment center is underused and over-prioritized, opining that the monies used to compete with the more glamorous medical institutions of Manhattan should have better gone to overhaul the hospital’s emergency room and waiting facilities.

    While Rabbi Levin is perpetuating with the myth of his own importance and the one who has never accomplishment anything, except to be the gloom and doom rabbi, we believe the rabbi is right this time. But what he’s saying is only one piece of the puzzle. Here’s why:

    Across America, for at least the past 25 years, the practice of medicine has been a business, not a profession. Beset by a growing number of problems, including unprofitable socialized medicine, corporation-like “mega-hospitals” in pursuit of profit, and the ever-looming threat of lawsuits, medicine has changed profoundly in a generation. And Maimonides is most symptomatic of that all.

    Want to know what’s wrong with Maimonides? Just ask anyone in Borough Park. Want to know what’s wrong with modern medicine? Just look at Maimonides.

    Of course we need to end the problems at Maimonides—the corruption, the bribery, the brown-nosing of the hospital by community organizations and activists, and the medical-care horror stories.

    But like the medicine Maimonides seeks to provide, those are mere symptoms—treat the cause, and the symptom goes away.

    America needs to rebuild its medical establishment from the ground up. And what better place to start than Maimonides?

    See below a 10 minute video speech given by Rabbi Levin in front of Maimonides hospital.

    For those who read Yiddish, an interesting extensive researched article appeared in this past weeks Yiddish magazine ‘Tizeitshrift’ about Maimonides hospital. see below we uploaded in images for easy read


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    73 Comments
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    lavdafka
    lavdafka
    15 years ago

    I understand his point, but the way he goes about it, in my opinion, may need some tweaking and a little more finesse.

    deepthinker
    deepthinker
    15 years ago

    Maimonides has evolved from a Hospital primarily serrving the Jewish community in Borough Park into a virtual Tower of Babel,serving–or rather not serving–everyone and no one.

    Theere is no firm management on the tiller. It’s a “HefKer Veldt”–doctors and nurses can do whatever they please with little or no accountability.

    If you’re lucky enough to get a good doctor, the nurse could mess you up–a very dangerous situation for anyone who must rely on the Hospital.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    go out an get the new book- it speaks for itself

    lavdafka
    lavdafka
    15 years ago

    This 2008 world we live in .. Today with all the internet technology it has helped in becoming a very transparent world. Unfortunately for Maimonides, they can only TOSS UNDERNEATH THE CARPET all the corruption and mismanagement SO MUCH!! NOW IS THE DAY FOR TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    What Book is #3 are you talking about?

    DumDum
    DumDum
    15 years ago

    By saying “America needs to rebuild its medical establishment from the ground up”, you make it sound as if this is a national problem. While national medicine may need fixing, the Maimonides problem is in a class for itself. Anyone who has experienced medical care in any other NY hospital, can attest to this. Of course medical errors happen everywhere, but nowhere are you treated with such contempt as in Maimonides.

    deepthinker
    deepthinker
    15 years ago

    The book on Maimonides is called “Hospital” by New York Times reporter Julie Salamon, who spent a year in Maimonides Hospital to do research on the book.

    zelig
    zelig
    15 years ago

    B”H

    Four years ago my newborn einikel sheyichye was believed tio need care in the NICU of Miamonedes. We had the most horrible experience, B”H it is history, but I really wanted to sue them. The Dr. actually threatened us if we choose not to subject the baby to a certain medical procedure.

    The Shabbos we spent there was just as difficult halacha wise. There is no Shabbos enterance to the NICU, no Shabbos paper towels after you wash your hands, no toilet paper for Shabbos, even the sinks inside the NICU opearte electronically. When the baby threw up, the nurse told the new mother to wash him under the sink. She explained that she can’t use it because of Shabbos, to no avail. The new kimpeturin had no choice but to walk out, leavivng the baby. That was the only way she could be sure they would wash and change him. For sure she never went back to such a place…

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Zelig- Pekuach Nefesh supercedes all the examples you provided. If the infant was is the NICU, everything can be done for the child.

    zelig
    zelig
    15 years ago

    There was no reason for a new mother to do that-it is befeirush the nurse’s job! She was a rabid antisemite through the entire Shabbos, that was just the cherry on the cake..

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    IMPORTANT !! Maimonides ta a TAX-EXEMPT non-profit institution. In order to justify the exemption, Maimonides is REQUIRED by law to provide millions in charity care.

    All patients have to be informed that it is available and be evaluated to see if they qualify. If you are currently being billed by Maimonides , or have received a notice from a collection agency, and were not made aware that you may qualify for charity care, you must either notify Maimonides or file a complaint with the NYS Dept of Health.

    Shlomo Radomsker
    Shlomo Radomsker
    15 years ago

    MMC is caught in a squeeze that is common all across the USA. Caught bewtween large teaching medical centers like NYU, Columbia, etc. and abanding the old community role. I can’t speak for the management issues at MMC but the key to getting improvements at MMC lies with getting the admitting docs (the frum ones) to place pressure on MMC to improve the quality of care in all areas. They have a lot of clout with the administration by threatening not to admit their patients to MMC and to go elsewhere.

    Take a page out of the late Moshie Sherrer Z’L book- calm behind the scenes pressure works best.

    Houlihan
    Houlihan
    15 years ago

    Whoever said that Maimonides had excellent doctors? Many of us would never go there.

    deepthinker
    deepthinker
    15 years ago

    dear anonymous:

    The only charity cases at Maimonides are the CEO, who makes a very charitable salary of over $800,000 per year (plus benefits) and the remaining 17 top execs who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year each.

    There is no charity left for the poor, because all the profit has been consumed by the rich.

    ryan
    ryan
    15 years ago

    There is no doubt that Maimonides has saved lives and helped deliver many Yiddishe kinderlach b’h.

    Right now , do we have better like Coney Island Hospital (oy vey!)???

    I believe after spending much time there, that Dr. Levins claims regarding nursing care is justified. A good part of the nurses are anti-semitic as well as general staff. One can see it in their eyes. I believe that management needs

    to do a much better job of personnel education and general care of patients. They are there to serve their patients not the usual “doing u all a favor”

    attitude prevalent among most personnel. The permeated attitude ” it’s another Jew!” comes thru in the care given and the attitude of most nursing staff at Maimonedes. Have u ever seen the attitude of out of town staff at their hospitals??? While

    there are always complaints, the nursing and general care at Maimonides have the sinas chinom on their faces!! Ask any rational person who spent time there? We are at their MERCY AND HASHEMS GOODWILL! VEE AHEEN ZOL ICH GEIN?

    deepthinker
    deepthinker
    15 years ago

    dear Ryan:

    You touched a raw nerve with me. There is a culture clash at Maimonides. The Left/Liberal Jews who run the Hospital view the Hasidim and the Orthodox with contempt. They consider them throwbacks to the Middle Ages.

    How can you expect compassionate care and a commitment to excellence when the administration can barely control their hatred of everything you stand for.

    The contemptuous attitude of the nurses is simply a reflection of the attitude at the very top of the chain of command.

    Compare with Lutheran and Methodist Hospitals in our neighborhood–which are not even Jewish–and you will notice the difference.

    They will show you more respect and care than your “Jewish” hospital.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    hunestly is lutheran or methodist really better

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    THIS MAN IS 100% RIGHT MY WIFE GAVE BIRTH THERE A MONTH AGO AND SHE WAS PLACED IN THE HALL WAY AND THAT IS WHERE SHE GAVE BIRTH AND SHE HAD NO PILLOW BECAUSE THEY SAID THEY WERE OUT OF PILLOWS NOW SO DO ME A FAVOR WHO NEEDS A WHOLE BUILDING FOR CANCER PAICIENTS RACHMANA LITZLAN WHEN YOU COULD USE THIS WHOLE BUILDING FOR AN E R ROOM AND FOR BIRTHING ROOMS I DONT KNOW IF ANYONE KNOWS BUT ABOUT A MONTH AGO THEY BROKE THE RECORD OF GIVING BIRTH TO 61 BABEIS IN ONE DAY !!!

    shmuel
    shmuel
    15 years ago

    MMC should pump million of $$$ into their nursing staff thats about that should solve all their problems

    Think about it 75% the people in the ER can be fixed in 15 minutes instead they wait an hour hoping someone is going to come give them a wrist tag

    For anyone who has bin to the MMC ER think about!

    Ah Chosid
    Ah Chosid
    15 years ago

    (2’nd try)

    I was born there, I grew up and lived many years just around the corner of Maimonides, our family has our own book of horror stories of Maimonides.

    No each visit to the hospital was near-tragic, e.g. the crazy long waits in the Emergency room was many times only nerve wracking, not life threatening.

    But we knew that if and when ch”v anything is serious DO NOT GO TO Maimonides, we would at times of emergency rather take a taxi (even on shabbos) to Manhattan, rather then get admitted to Maimonides, and oh yeah this practice saved many lives in our family from the butchers of Maimonides

    When my mother was hospitalized on emergency and nearly died there,waiting for teetment in the emergency room, screaming in abnormal pain, we dragged her out of there only half alive and took her to Colombia Presbyterian where they b”h saved her.

    Shame on Maimonides, and thanks to all who speak out against this Pikuach nefesh problem that’s been going on for decades, and nothing has been done about it.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Yehudah levin should not be the spokesman in the forefront of these issues- Kshoit Atzmechoh!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I had a stent put in two years ago. This guy was flirting with this blonde nurse and quite vulgur while they were preping me. They even lied to me as to which Dr would be placing the stent and made me sign a release without any discussion.

    After the stent was placed this blonde nurse complained to the Dr that she did not my sister to come and see me in recovery room. This was for no reason and pure rishus. The next day, I was released by one Dr. I got dressed and and was about to leave when another Dr said that i needed to stay and called “patient care”. This guy comes to force me to stay. I was told that i would stay only an extra day but ended up staying an extra three days for no reason. I have proof of two sets of discharge papers. They just wanted to bill the Insurance company the maximun allowed for this procedure.

    I would file a complaint but am afraid that it would come back to haunt me if I needed the hospital again. They have everything on computer.

    OBER CHUCHIM
    OBER CHUCHIM
    15 years ago

    we should make a class action suit

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Go to Manhattan, it’s cleaner, more professional and better care… Brooklyn Hospital are equivelant to third-wrold hospitals… EVEN HARRIS (CRMC) IS BETTER THAN MMC.

    deepthinker
    deepthinker
    15 years ago

    Anonymous:

    “KaBel Ess HoEmes MiMi SheOmRo!”

    A Yiddene
    A Yiddene
    15 years ago

    I had a simple D&C done and the care i received there was a total nightmare.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    To Yiddene:

    What’s a D&C?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Levin is a clown!

    anonymous@vosizneias.com
    15 years ago

    i have also terrible story from 6 month ago from ER. it should live by it name – Maimonides. its is a sloater house. they don’t care about anyone – not administration, not drs not nurses. the hospital is very corrapted. it is not even a business it worse than communist countries.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    D & C is “female surgery”

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    i think this entire conversation is nothing more than a sack full of hot air

    FACT maimo is one of the best rated hospitals in cardiac

    FACT maimo is on of the best rated in critical care

    FACT maimo has the buisest maternity department in new york

    FACT maimo has on of the best stroke programs in new york

    so everyone please stop kvetshing and just take a moment to look around you and say thank you maimonides

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    The only way these complaints can have any effect on improving patient care is by filing formal complaints with the NYS Department of Health.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    sorry to bust you bubble but most of these complaints are unfounded

    a yeshiva melamid
    a yeshiva melamid
    15 years ago

    Mr FACT – Maimo does NOT have one of the best stroke centers

    FACT just because you have a busy maternity ward doesn’t make you a good department

    FACT Cardiac is very good from the surgon’s perspective – follow up treatment and care is terrible – people die due to neglect post surgery

    etc etc

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    MMC like a big yeshivah. You are going to have the best and the worst.The hospital has so many people that come in all the time and is by far one of the most active ERs in the city, this is the reason why if you take a look at the percent of people vs. the complaints that there is you still will see that IZ is a good hospital. True they have issues with the nurse staff, but hey what do you expect when there’s a shortage out there.

    I have seen dedication on the doctors end, they put up with a lot. Everybody that walks in there thinks that they own the place and this upsets the staff as well. How so u expect them to work if you will always make a remark like “hey I know Doug or the Rabbi”. Its not the way things should be done. In all hospitals people wait for care. I have wintnessed many other Brooklyn hospitals who don’t give the slightest respect to our community. So let’s all be thankfull that we can have such a hospital in our area.

    And last but not least we can work together to fix the issues they have.

    deepthinker
    deepthinker
    15 years ago

    dear mr. FACT:

    Here is a FACT for you: Mr father-in-law was taken to Maimonides with a heart problem. He was put into the heart unit. At night, he was unable to get the sleep he so desparately needed, because the TV’s were blasting away from the other patients in the room. The nurses refused to help.

    This is a way to run a hospital?–Are you kidding?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    anybody can say whatever they want,but lets see who could back up there claim

    Maimo has won award after award for the cardiac,stroke and critical cared departments from many differnt groups and org. i highly dout that they are all blind

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Maimonides doctors almost killed my mother by taking her off a medication-for the convenience of the nurses-without consulting her doctor why she is on it.

    A dept head rebuked me, for lack of a better word, for not allowing my father to die -as he is already brain dead-(wasn’t true)”HE IS COSTING THE HOSPITAL MONEY” (HIS WORDS)- That wasn’t true either, by the way

    deepthinker
    deepthinker
    15 years ago

    dear all you anonymouses:

    I guess we’re all imagining things. Nobody got kiled at Maimonides; nobody got maimed, this woman we’re all sying Tehillim for today didn’t go into a come because Maimonides gave her a fault epidural…etc.–Everything is just fine and dandy. We should all shut up and be happy.

    Let me repeat that famous quote, which applies here:

    There are three kinds of lies:

    1. Plain Lies

    2. Damned Lies

    3. Statistics

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Another issue is the Kashrus of their kitchen.

    They wash dairy amd meat dishes in the same dishwasher.

    I’d like to see Rabbonim involved in the kashrus, paying surprise visits to the kitchen checking ingredients, methods of checking vegetables and inspecting what happens there.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Everyone is so eager to dump on Maimo but this stuff happens everywhere. My gandmother in her 90s was admitted to NYU for dehydration and they forgot to start an IV on her. When my mother asked why she didn’t receive an IV, the nurse insisted that the doctor didn’t order one, which turned out to be false. and oh yeah, they were also out of pillows. A subsequent experience at MMCs cardiac center was unevenful and she received the care she needed.

    Ah Chosid
    Ah Chosid
    15 years ago

    I guess it this article and the comments has been brought to the hospital administrations attention and they are working hard to post those comments that all of our complains are lies

    you know what, that just proved our point that u dont care what the patients and their families are saying

    you are so arrogant, as when people write their personal expirances of nightmares at meimonidies, you dont even need to excuse your self, you just plain deny it with a straight face.

    its all lies? we are all dreaming?

    huh?

    there is peoples health and their families well being in concern here, you don’t even budge… its all lies.

    you are unbelievable!

    lets hope that the community will start talking out and uncover the true face of this horror house called Maimonides.

    Justshmooze.com
    Justshmooze.com
    15 years ago

    I dont know whether or not mmc has problems, but i know that this levin guy is a dope, and SHOULD NOT be speaking on behalf of the jewish community.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    there is a lot of truth to it

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    FACT IS: THEY CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST CARDIC CENTER! there is no real org who rates hospitals only privat org. like “health grade” who for a few bucks would give it to the worst hospital. so if “health grade” rates a hospital it means nothing!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    the person on the vidio his name is “yhuda levine” and the writer in of the artical in “TZEITSHRIFT” is “RAV USHER LEVINE”. not to be mistaken.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    as a frum Nurse, I can tell you that the attitude the frum and frim yidden have is shameful. They feel that they need open visiting at all hours both night and day. While they visit they feel that they know better than all the nurses in the hospital. There is an attitude that the nursing staff owes them something above and beyond. Until the visitors are as qualified as the nurses are, please do not display arrogance. If all the people would try this in a city hospital, they would be thrown out. Just yesterday i explained to an irate family member who wanted me to sedate his father because he was moving his arm to scratch his nose. If he would have asked politely I may have reacted differently, but he was belligerent to the point that he knew better than me and I had neglected his father. Does this man think that the nurse taking over for me will care for this patient while needing to put up with this guys nonsense?

    Then you have the other type of people who Hatzolah brought in with CHF and water in the lungs, who is in ESRD and the family expects that if MMC doesnt get this person home as good as when they were 20 years old, that we “Butchered” the patient.

    It is very easy to speak from the outside, but until you understand what you are critiquing, “Learn To say Thank You”

    That thank you may be, the best thing you can do for your family member.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    regarding the FACT. about the stroke center can you please tell us what is their stroke program response do they have a stroke Dr. there or available to come in at minutes notice round the clock? where is the stroke ICU located in MMC? and please tell us what award they won in stroke?

    the answer is that there is no real stroke program at MMC

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    There is a wonderful organization who is working very hard to change the problems that are in our local hospitals.This organization is the Va’ad L’tzorchai Refuah. If you would hear the calls that come in on a regular basis no one would go to MMC. Ratings are NOT independently gotten and therefore are totally worthless!!

    The ER is a horror, the nursing staff is totally uncaring- you wonder why someone who doesn’t care about people would become a nurse?!

    We really need to improve MMC because it is our local hospital and whatever it takes to bring the problems to the forefront should be done. Hopefully by recognizing problems along with community involvement we can bring about some real improvement!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Hey -I agree woth a lot of the postings Maimonidies needs to shape up- however easier said then done. At least if you have connections in Maimonidies you will get descent treatment.

    NYU for everones info is run by the nuses period. All the machers there can’t do for you anything besides advise you what to do and where to go

    For the money we are charged to visit a hospital this is rediculous

    For hospitals that complain about money just take patients with insurance rhere are plenty paying people out there