Caring for At-Risk New Yorkers for 115 Years
MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care Enhancing quality of life for patients and families
As one of the largest and most respected not-for-profit hospice and palliative care programs in the region, we are proud to have earned Joint Commission accreditation. MJHS is committed to delivering compassionate, expert care, as well as offering patients and their families peace of mind and comfort. Our exceptional team includes: hospice nurses, social workers, physicians, therapists, clergy, bereavement counselors, paraprofessionals and volunteers. Our hospice program offers: • Creative Arts Therapy : Includes music and art therapy to help reduce stress and anxiety, elevate mood and allow patients and families a creative outlet for expression of feelings. • Caregiver Support: Offers support groups and an opportunity for caregivers to take a break from daily tasks and share information, strategies and encouragement with each other. • Bereavement Support : Provides bereavement education and support to family members of all ages for thirteen months after the death of a loved one. • Special Care Programs: We understand that each family has its own special needs and sensitivities based on past experiences, family structure and religious beliefs. Through continuous education, training and partnerships, we have developed standards of care that help address the needs of patients and families, including: – We Honor Veterans : Developed jointly between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization with the mission of better addressing veterans’ needs at this important time of life. It includes compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment of their service. MJHS was the first greater New York Hospice to earn Level 5 Partner status in the We Honor Veterans initiative. – LGBTQ Sensitive Care : With partnership and education from SAGECare, our hospice team seeks to meet and exceed industry standards in caring for the LGBTQ community. MJHS has been awarded Platinum status, the highest distinction, for the past five years. – Holocaust Survivor Care: Provides gentle, loving and peaceful care, in accordance with our patients’ spiritual and religious beliefs, from staff who are sensitive to the impact of past trauma, and as part of this program, we also created an award-winning toolkit.
Personalized Hospice Care Wherever It’s Needed Our hospice services are provided in a variety of settings to ensure patients have access to them when and where they need them most. Care is provided at home, in hospitals, assisted living communities, our own Muriel and Harold Block Hospice Residence and nursing homes across New York City and Long Island, including the MJHS Mollie and Jack Zicklin Hospice at Menorah Center.
MJHS Home Care Providing a smooth transition from hospital to home
Our goal is to support a safe recovery for our patients in the comfortable surroundings of their own homes and to avoid disruptive and costly rehospitalizations. Our team of skilled professionals provides a range of services from rehabilitation, blood pressure monitoring, medication and pain management, to wound care, education and coaching. Leading the way in innovation, MJHS Home Care is accredited by The Joint Commission, an organization dedicated to improving the safety and quality of patient care, and was the first home care agency in the country to receive their respected certification for Heart Failure Disease Management.
MJHS Advantage Program Brings Together Expertise from Across MJHS Health System to Help Our Patients Offering our patients an added level of care
It’s easy to feel out of control when managing a complex medical condition. To help our patients and their families deal with the everyday realities of a serious or terminal illness, the MJHS Advantage Program was created to make it easier to access the right people, understand options, make choices and treat symptoms. The MJHS Advantage Program offers patients with serious or chronic illness an added level of support and care coordination, including at-home palliative care. Patients who are eligible may also receive both in-person and telehealth visits. Our expert team includes: physicians; nurse practitioners; social workers and others who work in collaboration with the patient’s personal physician. Care and support are provided for three months or longer based on the needs of the patient and their family. • Patients being discharged from the hospital with chronic heart failure may be eligible to receive visits from MJHS Home Care to: reduce the stress of transitioning home from their hospital stay; promote medication adherence; facilitate adjustment to their new condition as well as provide tools to help manage their symptoms. High-need patients living at home may also be eligible to receive both palliative care services and telephonic nurse case management. • Patients with a terminal illness may receive specialized care and support from the MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care team to assist with: a smooth return home after a hospital stay; comprehensive home-based services; expert symptom management; psycho-social and spiritual support; as well as setting up community-based programs. With the MJHS Advantage Program offering a higher level of care wherever a patient calls home, we continue to be a leader in this area of health care.
MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care Advancing innovation, quality, education and research
Established in 2014, The MJHS Institute is a Center of Excellence, supporting both MJHS and the broader health care system. It is committed to advancing innovation, workforce development, quality initiatives and research to improve care for populations with chronic disorders, including those with advanced illness approaching the end of life. The work of the Institute also shines a light on the preeminence of MJHS Health System in the fields of palliative and community-based care. The MJHS Institute pursues this vision through the development and assessment of innovative clinical programs, a physician fellowship program, on-site professional training, an interdisciplinary e-learning program. and research that focuses on the needs of populations with serious illness.
Elderplan/HomeFirst Caring for New Yorkers for more than 35 years
Elderplan/HomeFirst is a local not-for-profit health plan with a history of innovation. We’ve been caring for and about New Yorkers for more than 35 years, so we know what benefits matter most to our members. That’s why we offer a variety of plans to meet their needs. Elderplan, a member of MJHS Health System, shares the organization’s mission of caring for at-risk New Yorkers with compassion, dignity and respect. We were one of the first Medicare Social HMO demonstration projects in the U.S., with a focus on keeping frailer-than-average beneficiaries living in the community. Today, Elderplan is a Medicare Advantage plan that cares for Medicare and dual Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Elderplan also offers Special Needs Plans for nursing home certifiable beneficiaries living in their homes, nursing home residents, as well as residents of assisted living communities. HomeFirst, one of the original Managed Long-Term Care (MLTC) plans in New York State, is also a proud part of Elderplan. Elderplan/HomeFirst has consistently been at the forefront of providing long-term care services and support to help keep our members safe at home, including: Elderplan Plus Long-Term Care (MAP) and HomeFirst MLTC plans. One of the greatest benefits of being enrolled in these plans is that members are assigned a dedicated Care Manager who leads a team of caring clinical professionals, all committed to ensuring that they receive the support they need to help them remain independent. Each year the New York State Department of Health rates and rewards MAP and MLTC plans based on their performance on quality measures related to patient safety, preventive screenings, quality of life, satisfaction, stability of member’s chronic conditions and overall health status. We’re proud to report that Elderplan MAP and HomeFirst MLTC achieved the highest quality tier rating for the third year in a row. Results from the last published Consumer Guide also show that HomeFirst MLTC has earned 5 out of 5 stars on overall health plan performance for 3 consecutive years and that Elderplan MAP is the only 5-Star plan in New York State.*
*Results are based on 2019 date published in the DOH Consumer Guide September 2020. Elderplan is an HMO plan with Medicare and Medicaid contracts. Enrollment in Elderplan depends on contract renewal. MJHS and Elderplan/HomeFirst comply with applicable federal civil rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex.
Isabella & Menorah Centers for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Two great centers—one standard of excellence Whether it’s our exceptional short-term rehab programs for patients recuperating from joint replacement, heart attack, stroke or prolonged illness—or specialized medical and quality of life programs for our long-term residents—we are here to help. Combined, the teams at Menorah and Isabella have been caring for patients and residents with uncommon commitment and compassion for more than 250 years. Menorah Center Located on 10 beautiful oceanfront acres in Manhattan Beach, Menorah is an award-winning 436-bed center that has been called the “gold standard of modern nursing care.” Menorah, the last not-for-profit Jewish nursing home in Brooklyn, now has two specialized wings. The MJHS Mollie and Jack Zicklin Hospice offers Menorah residents who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness the opportunity to move within the Center to one of 16 suites that provide expanded space for family and friends to spend quality time together. It also offers the MJHS Memory Care Residence supported by The Sephardic Foundation on Aging, an 80-bed unit for individuals with advanced forms of dementia. Isabella Center Located on 4 acres surrounded by gardens in upper Manhattan, Isabella is a pioneer in the care of older adults. In addition to being a respected 705-bed center with a vent and step down unit, Isabella offers a variety of community-based programs designed to help older adults remain healthy at home, as well as Isabella House — moderately-priced apartments for independent adults age 62 and older. In December 2017, Isabella became a member of MJHS Health System. Both Menorah and Isabella offer numerous special programs and services making them a perfect home-away-from-home, including: • Dementia Therapy/Memory Care — Our care teams seek to empower and reconnect all memory-impaired residents with their passions through specialized non-pharmacological treatments, sensory activities, memory stimulation and other therapeutic experiences. Our residents at both centers also benefit from the Keys to Dementia Care program—a phenomenal, data-driven curriculum, created at Menorah, that leverages the power of music to reconnect people with memories and each other. In addition, Isabella staff members have been trained in Comfort Matters®, an approach to providing dementia care for residents that focuses on providing quality of life and comfort. • Spiritual Support — Developed to address the spirit and mind aspect of healing, our pastoral staff visits residents who are ill, as well as supports families, friends and caregivers who must cope with the stress of their loved one’s illness and loss. • Therapeutic Recreational Enrichment — The opportunity to laugh, smile and be active should never be underestimated. From live music, singing, dance/movement, photography, and art, to cooking classes, horticultural programs, and live or robotic pet visits, we offer a range of activities to enrich the lives of our patients and residents. • Hospice Care — Residents of Menorah and Isabella – who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness – are offered an added layer of care and support from MJHS Hospice at the bedside. Menorah residents are also offered the opportunity to move to the Zicklin Hospice.
Our History MJHS Health System was founded in 1907 by The Four Brooklyn Ladies based on the core values of compassion, dignity and respect. With the help of charitable support, they provided poor elderly members of the community with quality health care and a safe place to live in their time of greatest need. More than a century later, MJHS has grown into one of the largest and most innovative not-for-profit health systems in the region, offering programs and services for people of all ethnicities, faiths, religions, economic backgrounds, sexual orientation, gender expression and military status. We have a deep understanding of different cultures, and we respect the important roles that religious and cultural traditions play for many of our patients in supporting their health and wellness. That’s why we have developed programs and services that meet every patient where they are—medically, emotionally, culturally or spiritually.
MJHS Foundation—Supporting a Tradition of Caring As a not-for-profit organization, our ability to serve at-risk members of the community is supported by the efforts of MJHS Foundation, which raises funds to help ensure that our patients, residents, and their families receive high quality care and are treated with compassion, dignity and respect. Continuation of our exceptional programs is made possible through the generosity of grateful families, private and corporate donors, foundations, and our employees and board members. Specialized programming for members of the Jewish community is partially funded by the Zicklin Family endowment of the UJA-Federation of New York.
MJHS Health System Today MJHS provides a continuum of innovative services that address the health care needs of tens of thousands of people across all five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Hudson Valley. Our staff is as diverse as the people we care for, speaking 64 unique languages and dialects. As of January 1, 2022:
• $1.4 billion in annual revenue • Caring for 55,000 New Yorkers annually David Wagner President & CEO MJHS Health System
- Home Care - Hospice and Palliative Care - Isabella & Menorah Centers for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care - Elderplan Medicare Advantage & HomeFirst Managed Long-Term Care Plans - Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care
For more information about the programs and services of MJHS Health System, or to lend your support, contact us:
1 (855) 385-8926 www.mjhs.org