The New Jewish Home (formerly Jewish Home Lifecare among other prior names) is an American
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
older adult
Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
system
A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...
based in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. The organization serves older adults of all religions and ethnicities at its three campuses in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
, and
Mamaroneck
Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States.
The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of M ...
in
Westchester County
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
. It provides
rehabilitative services,
skilled nursing,
senior housing
A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple i ...
, and numerous home health programs, including a certified home health agency and a home care agency. The organization was founded in 1848 by Hannah Leo of the
B'nai Jeshurun Ladies' Benevolent Society.
History
1848–1878: Foundation and the establishment of first home
Hannah Leo
and other women of the B'nai Jeshurun congregation founded the B'nai Jeshurun Ladies' Benevolent Society for the Relief of Indigent Females on November 21, 1848.
In its early years, the society struggled to accumulate funds for its philanthropic endeavors. Through various fundraising efforts, the society had accrued around $5,000 by the late 1860s.
The organization was officially incorporated on March 13, 1866.
On May 24, 1870, it opened a home for elderly women in a ten-room house it had rented at 215 West 17th Street in Manhattan. The home, also referred to as the Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews, initially housed four to seven women.
It was one of the first nursing homes or eldercare facilities of its kind. Founder Hannah Leo passed soon after the home opened, but her son, Simeon N. Leo, served as attending physician for many years.
In 1872, the organization was re-incorporated as the Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews.
In March 1872, the home was moved to a building on West 32nd Street and served 14 women at that time. Accommodations proved inadequate there, and, in May 1873, the home was moved to a 5-story building on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street that was capable of housing 50 individuals. At the time, the home housed 28 women and 6 men, all of whom were elderly or ill.
In 1875 or 1876, the institution acquired a mansion at Avenue A and 86th Street that had previously been used as an eldercare facility.
1879–1922: Moving to main campus and subsequent growth
In 1879, administrators began coordinating with the
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...
service organization about the prospect of finding a plot of land to build a new facility.
The two organizations agreed to a partnership to build a new home in January 1880.
Later that year, 8 adjoining lots on 105th and 106th Streets in Manhattan were purchased. The cornerstone on the new building was laid in May 1882, and it was completed in 1883 at a cost of $200,000, much of which was paid via donations.
Nine more adjoining lots were later purchased. The construction of an annex on that land was completed in November 1889. The apartments in the annex were reserved for the most ill residents.
Another adjoining property was purchased in 1894, and construction of a new wing began in 1895. At that time, the home had 163 residents.
The new wing and a general expansion of the facility were completed in 1896, increasing the capacity to 300 residents.
In 1902, the association had paid off all debts, and around 220 people were living at the facility.
A 4-story extension to the campus was approved in 1907.
Since its founding in 1917, the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York (now, the
UJA-Federation of New York
UJA-Federation of New York (United Jewish Appeal – Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, Inc.) is the largest local philanthropy in the world. Headquartered in New York City, the organization raises and allocates funds annually ...
), has continually supported the work of the home. A few years later in 1920, the home celebrated its 50th anniversary. At the time, Dr. Simeon N. Leo was still the attending physician and surgeon, and the facility housed 350 residents.
In 1921 Dr. Frederic D. Zeman, a Mount Sinai physician, developed the first patient-centered model of care at Jewish Home, where he also served as Medical Director for 45 years. In January 1922, a 4-story addition that could house up to 75 new individuals was completed.
1922–1987: Hospital accreditation and continued expansion
After Dr. Simeon N. Leo's death in the 1920s, the facility added full-time medical staff.
In the 1940s, the organization received accreditation as a hospital from the
Joint Commission
The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majori ...
and was one of the only geriatric hospitals of its kind in the United States.
To address the shortage of institutional care for the aged, in 1948 Jewish Home became the country's first organization to provide home care for older adults helping them remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
In June 1950, the Kingsbridge House annex located at Kingsbridge Road and University Avenue in the Bronx was completed at a site that was once the
Hebrew Infant Asylum. The six-building facility was capable of housing around 100 individuals (all of whom could receive care from their own private doctors) and cost roughly $3 million to build. That amount was largely paid by the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York (now, the
UJA-Federation of New York
UJA-Federation of New York (United Jewish Appeal – Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, Inc.) is the largest local philanthropy in the world. Headquartered in New York City, the organization raises and allocates funds annually ...
).
Upon the completion of the annex, the home became the "largest nonprofit voluntary agency serving the needs of older persons in the U.S."
Around 1964, the home changed its name to the Jewish Home and Hospital for Aged. A new facility—called the Friedman Building after former trustees Sol and Amelia G. Friedman—was completed on West 106th Street in November 1967. The 8-story building featured an auditorium, physical medicine and recreational therapy departments, club rooms, a synagogue, and conference and teaching rooms, among others.
In 1970, a modern senior housing facility called "Kittay House" (now, Kittay Senior Apartments) was opened on Webb Avenue in the Bronx. These apartments, which are
Mitchell-Lama independent living residences, did not have 24-hour nursing care, but emergency medical help was available as needed.
In September 1972, a new addition to the Jewish Home was completed. The Greenwall Pavilion—named after philanthropist Frank Greenwall—was capable of housing 320 additional residents and cost $12 million to complete.
By 1979, the Jewish Home was caring for over 1,800 elderly people.
In 1983, under the direction of
Leslie S. Libow (professor of geriatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the medical director at the Jewish Home), the country's first geriatric fellowship program was established. The program with
Mount Sinai Hospital allowed doctors to conduct joint research and to teach and train as geriatric specialists.
In 1987, the Kingsbridge facility in the Bronx developed a program for aiding blind and vision-impaired individuals.
1988–present: Modernization and relocation attempts
In 1991, the Sarah R. Neuman Nursing Home in Mamaroneck, New York was purchased by the Jewish Home and Hospital for Aged.
In 1997, the Jewish Home's Bronx campus at Kingsbridge Road and University Avenue underwent a major expansion with support from the
Dormitory Authority of the State of New York
The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY ) provides construction, financing, and allied services which serve the public good of New York State. More specifically, as a New York State public-benefit corporation, DASNY provides servi ...
and a donation from the
Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation of
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
.
In the same year, Jewish Home launched a Managed Term Care (MLTC) plan, pre-PACE program (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) with the support of Mount Sinai Hospital and the
Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty (Met Council) is a New York City-based non-profit social services organization. It offers many services to help hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in need.
History
The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Po ...
. The entity later became Senior Health Partners.
In the early 2000s, the organization's name was changed to the Jewish Home and Hospital Lifecare System.
In 2005, the Kenneth Gladstone Building, the second low-income senior housing facility constructed by the organization after the Riverdale House, was completed on University Avenue in the Bronx.
In 2006, to address the growing shortage of health care workers, Jewish Home established its Geriatrics Career Development (GCD) program. The donor supported program trains students ages 14 to 24, from “under-resourced high schools”. As early as 2007, there was a plan to demolish two buildings on the main campus in Manhattan and replace them with towers that would feature an increase in private suites, bathrooms, and kitchens.
Around 2008, the name of the network was changed again to Jewish Home Lifecare.
In June 2010, another affordable senior housing residence, Weinberg Gardens, was completed on Webb Avenue in the Bronx (near Kittay Senior Apartments, Riverdale House, and the Gladstone Building), making it the third Housing and Urban Development Section 202 supportive housing building for older adults.
A 72-unit assisted living residence (dubbed the "University Avenue Assisted Living Program") was opened in the Bronx in 2013. The facility provides affordable housing and care to New York state residents age 62 or older.
A new plan to relocate the Manhattan campus to a plot on West 100th Street was unveiled in 2011. The plan called for a 24-story building to be built using the "
Green House" model founded on "person-directed care" with apartment-like accommodations and shared living spaces.
An amended plan that called for a similar 20-story building on West 97th Street was approved by the New York Public Health and Health Planning Council's Committee on Establishment and Project Review in 2012.
Legal issues delayed construction of The New Jewish Home's Manhattan campus on 97th Street. In December 2015, The New York State Court of Appeals upheld the Appellate Division of The New York State Supreme Court's decision in favor of The New Jewish Home on a challenge to the environmental impact study of the 97th street site conducted by the Department of Health.
In a separate case in October 2018, however, the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court revoked The New Jewish Home's building permit for the 97th street site due to zoning issues. The court's unprecedented ruling overturned key decisions by two New York City agencies – the NYC Department of Buildings and the Board of Standards and Appeals.
In the fall of 2016, Jewish Home sold its skilled nursing facility at its University Heights campus in the Bronx to SentosaCare.
In June 2017, the organization signed a 20-year lease for modern office space at 1200 Waters Place in the Bronx adjacent to the
Montefiore Hutchinson campus. The goal of that facility is to consolidate the Jewish Home's Adult Day Health Care programs that resided at the Sarah Neuman Nursing Home in Westchester and its Kingsbridge facility in the Bronx.
In December 2017, Jeffrey I. Farber took over as President and
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
, replacing Audrey Weiner who had been CEO for over 15 years.
In October 2018, the state Supreme Court's
Appellate Division overruled the city's Department of Buildings and the Board of Standards and Appeals which had granted permits to The New Jewish Home to build its facility on West 97th Street.
Operations
The New Jewish Home operates across three campuses: a skilled nursing facility, short-term rehab, and Adult Day Program in Manhattan; Kittay Senior Apartments and independent and assisted living programs in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx; the Sarah Neuman Skilled Nursing Facility and Short-Stay Rehab facility in Westchester County; and an Adult Day Health Care facility off the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx.
The organization provides rehabilitative services, including a
substance abuse rehabilitation program, the first program to offer short-stay rehab patients substance abuse recovery services.
It also offers skilled nursing, independent and low-income senior housing, long-term nursing and home care, adult day health care programs, and other home care programs throughout the New York metro area. The organization serves over 10,000 older adults at its facilities and in patient homes annually.
References
External links
The New Jewish Home Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Jewish Home
American companies established in 1848
Non-profit organizations based in New York City
Medical and health foundations in the United States
Jewish organizations based in the United States
1848 establishments in New York (state)