Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center was a 303-bed full-service community teaching hospital with an estimated 2,100 full-time employees, located in the neighborhood of East Flatbush in Brooklyn, New York. The hospital was made up of a complex of eight conjoined buildings which are dispersed over a 366,000 square foot city block.
It is currently under the network of Kingsbrook Healthcare System Corporation which, in addition to the hospital, comprises Rutland Nursing Home, containing 466 short and long term-care beds, Rutland Adult Day Healthcare Center, and its ancillary outpatient clinics. The hospital serves a diverse population from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Kingsbrook is accredited by the Joint Commission and is a non-for-profit member of both the Greater New York Hospital Association and the Healthcare Association of New York State.
Kingsbrook provides ambulatory surgery, cardiology, critical care medicine, emergency/urgent care, gastroenterology, pulmonary, a ventilator dependent unit, wound care including hyperbaric chambers, diagnostic imaging including MRI and CT scanning, and an outpatient center.
The Kingsbrook Rehabilitation Institute is pleased to announce the accreditation of the Stroke and Cancer Rehabilitation programs by CARF (the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities). This accreditation distinguishes Kingsbrook's program as the only one of its kind on the Northeast, the 4th in USA and the 6th site worldwide. This achievement is an indicator of Kingsbrook's commitment to improving the quality of the lives of persons served. This accreditation recognizes the institute's success in delivering excellent patient-centered care that exceeds national and international standards in Stroke & Cancer Rehabilitation.
CARF International announced that Kingsbrook Rehabilitation Institute has been accredited for a period of three years for its Cancer and Stroke Rehabilitation programs. This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization's substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality.
The current hospital center can trace its earliest origins to the mid-1920s, when The Daughters of Israel – Home for the Incurables, a relief organization, elected Max Blumberg, a prominent businessman, banker, and philanthropist, as their president, on January 4, 1925.[2] The organization was made up of a small group of women who had been making regular visits to Jewish patients in chronic illness wards of local hospitals, providing food and arranging special holiday services[2][3] By June 1925, Blumberg proposed the development of a facility which would house these ailing residents.[4] He and the organization recognized there was a considerable need for such a facility in Brooklyn and so decided to start an institution in which such long-term patients, who could not be cared for adequately in their homes, might get all the special care and attention they needed.[3] In May 1926, Blumberg decided to change the organization's name to The Jewish Sanitarium For Incurables in preparation for the eventual development of the hospital.[5] A series of fund-raising events which formally began on September 18, 1926, to gather $100,000 needed to finance the project began.[3][6][7][8]
Lefrak Pavilion
After a year of fund-raising the organization finally began construction on September 9, 1926. Ground-breaking ceremonies took place on Rutland Road and East 49th street which is the present day location of the hospital campus. The man of honor selected to break ground was New York State Deputy Attorney General Israel M. Lerner.[9][10] On June 27, 1927, the ceremonial first cornerstone was placed before an audience of 300 people who pledged themselves to help in the construction of the first building and marked the beginning of a reevaluated campaign to raise $250,000 for the cost of construction of the hospital.[11] By February 1928, the shell of the new five-story building which was planned to accommodate 250 beds was built, but another $50,000 was needed to finish the structural work and furnish it with equipment.[12][13][14] On October 14, 1928, a dedication ceremony was attended by 2,000 people to mark the completion of the building which today is called the Lefrak building.[15][16] The building was divided into wards containing 22 to 35 beds, with a sun porch adjacent to every ward.[17] Although the construction of the building was complete finicial setbacks prevented the admission of patients until the spring of 1929. After four months of raising money, the hospital officially opened its doors to patients on April 24, 1929.[3][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] On its opening day, fifty-two men and women were taken by automobile and wheelchair from Kings County Hospital Center[3] The hospital quickly filled to its capacity of 300 patients and decided to expand to deal with the constant pressure of new patients. In a speech given by Blumberg in a fundraising party, he said, "Our wards are always filled to capacity, we are the only institution of this kind in Brooklyn and we must expand if we are to care for the needy who come to us for aid."[24] In April 1930, a new wing containing a physiotherapy and dental laboratory was added.[25][26][27]
Max Blumberg Pavilion
Almost immediately after the Sanitarium's opening there was a continued demand to admit additional patients. This constant pressure made it necessary to consider plans on an additional building. The construction of a second Pavilion was decided upon and planned in June 1932. The structural design of the building was created by Tobias Goldstone who also designed the present day Leviton Pavilion. The initial design was a six-story building that was connected to the rear of the Lefrak building and have a 300 patient bed capacity containing wards, private rooms, reception, work rooms, clinics, and dietary kitchens. The expected date of completion was set in spring of 1933,[28] although financial setbacks halted the progress of the project, which began only in October 1933. The cornerstone of the building was placed on October 15, with 1200 prominent men and women of the borough in attendance. During the ceremony, four cornerstones were auctioned and the name Blumberg Pavilon was announced, in honor of its founder.[22][29] At its completion the building cost $250,000 to build and depended largely on public and private donated money. In addition to the 300 beds, the building contained an X-ray unit, examination and sterilization rooms, an occupational therapy division, and dental and physiotherapy units.[29]
Isidor and Lina Leviton Pavilion
President Abraham S. Singer officially opening the Anna J. Freeman Pavilion on September 29, 1940.Anna J. Freeman Pavilion
The first mention of a plan to construct a third building was announced on May 17, 1936, by Max Blumberg in a ceremonial event which dedicated a new 40 bed ward and the unveiling of a name change for the hospital. Max Blumberg said, "We will now be able to accommodate 500 patients, which is still not nearly enough to meet the needs of Brooklyn. Therefore the home has bought the property immediately adjoining its grounds at Rutland Road and East 49th street and is planning to construct a new building to produce facilities for the care of 250 crippled children."[30] Construction was initially planned in January 1937[30] but began in July of that year. The architect was Tobias Goldstone, who designed the original structure to be six stories and estimated its completion in nine months[31] at an estimated cost of $150,000.[32] Due to several factors, the building ended up costing $250,000 and was redesigned to be four stories. The money was to be raised by contributions and donations through fund raising bazaars,[33][34][35] dinners,[36][37] and other planned events.[38][39][40][41][42]
Although Blumberg's plan was to create a facility for children, it was reconsidered based on the portions of donations the hospital received for the project. It was decided that the new building was to be a home for nurses and ancillary staff. This was in part because of the financial influence the branches of the women's auxiliaries had on the hospital at the time.[43][44] The groundbreaking ceremonies were held on July 25, 1937. Blumberg did the honors by running a steam shovel into the ground.[31][45] The cornerstone ceremonies took place on June 19, 1938. One thousand people attended and a congratulatory massage was read from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[46] On September 29, 1940, the structure was officially opened. More than 700 people gathered to celebrate the ceremonies, which were held in the main auditorium of the new building. At its completion, the building stood 4.5 stories high and contained facilities for 150 nurses and orderlies and provided 100 additional beds to patients.[47]
Shirley Joyce Katz Pavilion
The Shirley Joyce Katz Pavilion on April 19, 1954Architectural rendering of proposed hospital building in 1945
The first mention of a fourth building was on October 8, 1944. The hospital was planning its annual fundraising bazaar, which was to be held on November 21 and 22 of that year, and agreed to use the proceeds towards a $1,000,000 fund for the construction of a new building.[48] The building was initially designed to be built on land adjacent to the existing three buildings and adjoin them.[49][50][51] By December 1945, the original goal of $1,000,000 was raised to $1,500,000 due to the increase in cost of materials and labor, and a redesign was mentioned that was to add two more floors to the Anna J. Freeman Pavilion.[49] Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on June 16, 1946, and Mayor William O'Dwyer did the honors by operating a steam shovel to begin work on the building that was then mentioned to have six stories.[51][52] During the ceremonies, Isaac Albert, president of the institution at the time, stated, "Regardless of the cost of materials, we have been promised all proprieties and the help of all the contractors."[51] In October 1948, the institution's finance committee reevaluated the building's completion at a cost of $2,500,000.[53] By the fall of 1949, the building was ready for occupancy[54] and its final design was six stories, which included research laboratories, clinics, lecture halls, a hydrotherapy suit, two wings devoted to the care of children suffering from poliomyelitis and rheumatic heart conditions, and a total of 350 beds.[51] The building did not include a connection to the Anna J. Freeman Pavilion that was originally planned.
Aerial view of the present day Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center on August 25, 1954
Morris and Bessie Masin Pavilion
In 1958, a four-story building named the Morris and Bessie Masin Pavilion was constructed for the purpose of researching chronic medical diseases. The construction cost of the building amounted to $2,000,000[55] An additional $1,500,000 gathered from federal government grants, various research foundations, and pharmaceutical firms was utilized for the purchase of instruments and research equipment. The institute had two electron microscopes that were capable of magnifying up to 200,000 times. The new medical research building also included administrative offices, offices for growing social service staff, a medical library, and meeting rooms for the more than thirty women's auxiliary groups which raise funds to support services to the patients. The Isaac Albert Research Institute produced 200 scientific papers.
David Minkin spearheaded the construction of the pavilion which opened in 1967, in memory of his parents.[56]
Rutland Nursing Home/ David Minkin Rehabilitation Institute
David Minkin Rehabilitation Institute; Rutland Nursing Home
In August 1973, the institute began construction of a ten-floor 600-bed building to replace and add more room for long-term patients and their rehabilitation. The cost of construction was estimated to be $25,000,000.[57]
Lillian Minkin Briger‐Dr. Sigmund S. Briger Pavilion
On April 29, 1985, hospital officials unveiled a preliminary plans to construct a four-story building to meet the increasing demands on the institution.[58] The pavilion was to be a four-story building, connected to the existing Bernard and Rose Minkin Pavilion, containing 120 general and medical beds, supplementing another 20 beds for intensive care and coronary care patients.[58] An expanded medical library for advanced research was also proposed.[58] David Minkin, president at the time, named the building after his sister Mrs. Lillian Minkin Briger and her husband Dr. Sigmund S. Briger. In September 1985, the New York State Department of Health approved the project and construction then immediately began.[59] The construction of the pavilion was estimated to cost $20,000,000 (equivalent to $57,000,000in 2023), of which $3,000,000 was donated by David Minkin.[60] The contribution was announced on his election to a 14th term as president of Kingsbrook. Over 50 years, Minkin had donated and raised millions of dollars for the institution.[60] The remaining funds for the construction and operation of the building were raised through dinners and fundraisers.[58][61] During the construction of the pavilion, the institution implemented a broader $35,000,000 capital improvement program which focused on a major overhaul to update all its facilities.[62][63] In addition to holding his presidential position, David Minkin was a philanthropist, builder, and real estate developer.[64] and had been the hospital's major benefactor to date.[64]
Name changes
The Daughters of Israel – Home for the Incurables was the organization from which the original opening hospital derived its name from. In May 1926 it was announced by Max Blumberg, the President of the organization, the hospital was to be named The Jewish Sanitarium for Incurables. The original name of the hospital represented the very nature of the patients the organization and its founder were seeking to admit. During the period of 1926 to 1936 the media outlet occasionally referred to the hospital as the Jewish Home for Incurables, and the Jewish Sanitarium for Chronics and Incurables. By the mid-1930s the hospital recognized there was no longer the need to emphasize the position as only harboring terminal and incurable patients and therefore decided to officially change its name. on May 17, 1936, the hospital changed its name to the Jewish Hospital and Sanitarium for Chronic Diseases.[30] The announcement came from Bernard Lebovitz, the Vice President at the time, during the dedication ceremonies of a new 40-bed ward.[30] In a speech addressing the name change Mr. Lebovitz stated " Only a Few years ago, hospitals and doctors were in the habit of giving up many patients and deciding that medial science could do nothing more for them, but no cases are given up as hopeless nowadays".[30] He went on to say " Patients in the Sanitarium suffer from severe cancer, paralysis, heart disease, and 45 other diseases from which patients rarely recover all live in the hope that medical science will one day discover a cure for their ailment".[30] On July 8, 1954, Isaac Albert announced that The Jewish Hospital and Sanitarium for Chronic Diseases had changed its name to Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital.[18] "This change is in keeping with the services which the institution renders. The term 'Sanitarium' connotes a rest or convalescent home or institution.".[18] By the mid-1950s the Jewish Chronic Disease hospital was an 810-bed institution dedicated to the treatment and rehabilitation patients with chronic diseases such as cancer, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, polio, and heart conditions. It became the nation's largest voluntary, non-sectarian hospital for chronically sick and had patients ranging in age from infants to aged men and women.[18] It had facilities for occupational therapy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, inpatient and outpatient cerebral palsy clinics, a rheumatic fever division, cardiology division, medical research laboratories, tumor detection clinic, and other departments for the treatment and study of long-term ailments.[18] For many years, while the institution was known as the 'Home for Incurables."[18] Mr. Albert pointed out. "Today, however, the hospital is endeavoring to be an interim point between physical rehabilitation and discharge, now 'A Haven of Hope'."[18] On May 21, 1968, the hospital was renamed yet again to the current name Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center at the annual anniversary dinner for the hospital.[65] In 2010 the hospital attained corporate status effectively becoming a separate entity from the David Minkin Rehabilitation Institute/ Rutland Nursing Home. The Corporation of Kingsbrook Medical Center system to govern these bodies. This change caused Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center to go from an 864-bed facility to 326 beds splitting the remaining 538 beds to the David Minkin Rehabilitation Institute/ Rutland Nursing Home. It is of note that even though these two facilities are by definition separate they still share many services and protocols.
Services
The hospital offers several Clinical Centers:
The Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center, comprising Inpatient Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry and Outpatient Behavioral Health, specializes in the care and treatment of a variety of behavioral health issues.
The Bone & Joint Center; offering joint replacement, sports medicine, foot/ankle and upper extremity services, treatment of hip fractures, and arthritis.
The Neurosciences Institute; offering comprehensive care for conditions ranging from brain tumors, aneurysms, pituitary tumors, to conditions of the spine including spinal tumors, disc herniations, and spinal fractures.
Kingsbrook Rehabilitation Institute; treating the most complicated neurological and musculo-skeletal conditions, the institute also is home to Brooklyn's only New York State approved Brain Injury & Coma Recovery Unit.
Kingsbrook's unique range of care offerings includes a long-term care division, Rutland Nursing Home. Rutland is 466-bed adult and pediatric long-term care facility that provides on-site dialysis care, ventilator dependent treatment and subacute rehab to name a few. Kingsbrook and Rutland Nursing Home are each accredited by the Joint Commission and are members of the Greater New York Hospital Association and the Healthcare Association of New York State.
The hospital is affiliated with SUNY Downstate Medical Center and serves as a training facility for a large residency training program including medical, surgery, dentistry, podiatry, and pharmacy.
Presidents in Office
President
Years in office
Image
Max Blumberg
1929–1938
Max Blumberg founder of Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center
Abraham S. Singer
1939–1941
Abraham S. Singer
Joseph Freeman
1942–1943
Issac Albert
1944–1966
Isaac Albert
Morris Kirsch 1967–1970
1967–1970
David Minkin
1971–1998
Linda Brady
1999–2023
Notable Research
In the 1960s, Chester M. Southam, a leading virologist and cancer researcher, conducted research on human subjects at the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, formerly known as the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital.[66] In this experiment, Southam, along with his colleague, Emanuel Mandel, injected HeLa cancer cells into elderly patients at the hospital without their consent.[66] Three of the hospital's doctors refused to inject the cells without the patients' consent.[67] A public suit followed in which New York State Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz encouraged the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York to take away Southam and Mandel's medical licenses.[68] The Board of Regents decided to suspend both of their medical licenses for a year, however, they were instead only placed on a one-year probation.[68]
Related Research Articles
The Philippine General Hospital, simply referred to as UP–PGH or PGH, is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated by the University of the Philippines Manila. It is designated as the National University Hospital, and the national government referral center. It stands within a 10-hectare (25-acre) site located at the UP Manila Campus in Ermita, Manila. PGH has 1,100 beds and 400 private beds, and has an estimated of 4,000 employees to serve more than 600,000 patients every year.
St. Peter's Hospital is a 250-bed chronic care hospital located in East Hamilton, Ontario specializing in the care of older adults. The hospital became a part of Hamilton Health Sciences in 2008.
Montefiore Medical Center is a premier academic medical center and the primary teaching hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York City. Its main campus, the Henry and Lucy Moses Division, is located in the Norwood section of the northern Bronx. It is named for Moses Montefiore and is one of the 50 largest employers in New York. In 2020, Montefiore was ranked No. 6 New York City metropolitan area hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Adjacent to the main hospital is the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, which serves infants, children, teens, and young adults aged 0–21.
King's Daughters Medical Center (KDMC), operating under the name UK King's Daughters, is a hospital system based in Ashland, Kentucky which is the city's largest employer at over 4,000 employees, generating more than $200 million in payroll a year. The hospital, which is owned by the University of Kentucky, is a locally managed, not-for-profit 465-bed facility that offers "cardiac, medical, surgical, pediatric, rehabilitative, psychiatric, cancer, neurological, pain care, wound care and home care" services.
University of Missouri Health Care is an American academic health system located in Columbia, Missouri. It's owned by the University of Missouri System. University of Missouri Health System includes five hospitals: University Hospital, Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, Missouri Orthopedic Institute and University of Missouri Women's and Children's Hospital — all of which are located in Columbia. It's affiliated with Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, Missouri. It also includes more than 60 primary and specialty-care clinics and the University Physicians medical group.
The Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) is a regional health system headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. In addition to the main campus in Annapolis, the group has outpatient pavilions in Bowie, Kent Island, Odenton, Easton, and Waugh Chapel.
O'Connor Hospital is a hospital in San Jose, California, part of the Santa Clara County Health System. Located in the West San Carlos neighborhood of San Jose, O'Connor Hospital is one of the oldest hospitals in Santa Clara County, founded in 1889.
Baptist Health (Jacksonville) is a faith-based, non-profit health system comprising 6 hospitals with 1,168 beds, a cancer center, four satellite emergency departments and more than 200 patient access points of care, including 50 primary care offices located throughout northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. The headquarter is in Jacksonville, Florida.
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) is a non-profit general medical surgical hospital located in Bennington, Vermont. It is licensed for 99-beds. Founded in the early 20th century by donations from Henry W. Putnam and his son, SVMC is the only hospital in Bennington County, Vermont. It also serves portions of western Windham County, Vermont, eastern Rensselaer County, New York, and eastern Washington County, New York.
NYU Langone Health is an academic medical center located in New York City, New York, United States. The health system consists of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, both part of New York University (NYU), and more than 300 locations throughout the New York City Region and Florida, including six inpatient facilities: Tisch Hospital; Kimmel Pavilion; NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital; Hassenfeld Children's Hospital; NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn; and NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island. It is also home to Rusk Rehabilitation. NYU Langone Health is one of the largest healthcare systems in the Northeast, with more than 49,000 employees.
La Rabida Children's Hospital is a small pediatric specialty hospital for extended acute care that caters to children with lifelong medical conditions. Located on the South Side of Chicago on Lake Michigan, the facility is designed to showcase its lakeside views. La Rabida serves approximately 9,000 children annually who require primary and specialty care to address complex and challenging medical conditions. The hospital provides care to all patients regardless of the family's ability to pay. Services and programs include treatment for chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, sickle cell disease, and developmental disabilities. In addition, La Rabida specializes in the treatment of children who have been abused, neglected or experienced trauma.
Gouverneur Health, formerly Gouverneur Hospital, is a municipally owned healthcare facility in New York City affiliated with the New York University School of Medicine. It is located at 227 Madison Street in Lower Manhattan. The facility offers comprehensive healthcare services, including outpatient, specialty, and skilled nursing care. It primarily serves residents of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
Adventist HealthCare is a not-for-profit health services organization based in Gaithersburg, Maryland that employs more than 6,000 people and provides healthcare for more than 400,000 individuals in the community each year. The primary service area for Adventist HealthCare is the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Good Samaritan University Hospital is a 537-bed non-profit teaching hospital on Long Island located in West Islip, New York. The hospital contains 100 nursing home beds as well as operates an adult Level I trauma center and a pediatric Level II trauma center. Good Samaritan University Hospital opened in May 1959, and has expanded several times since opening. It has been Magnet-designed for its quality nursing since 2006, and is a member of Catholic Health. The hospital is also a major regional clinical campus for clinical clerkships and postgraduate medical training affiliated with the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, one of the largest medical schools in the United States.
Queens Hospital Center (QHC), also known as NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens and originally called Queens General Hospital, is a large public hospital campus in the Jamaica Hills and Hillcrest neighborhoods of Queens in New York City. It is operated by NYC Health + Hospitals, a public benefit corporation of the city.
Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation - Elkins Park is a physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital serving the Greater Philadelphia region of Pennsylvania. The rehabilitation hospital was founded in the early 1900s and would go through a series of name changes and mergers to become Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation.
Beth Abraham Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing is a medical facility in Bronx, New York, which was founded as the Beth Abraham Home for Incurables. It was originally a long-term residential care facility, but was later expanded to include rehabilitation services.
Montefiore Home for Chronic Invalids was an American sanatorium charity hospital. Founded in 1884 in Manhattan, New York at Avenue A and 84th Street, the sanatorium relocated to a larger building in Manhattan on 138th Street before removing to The Bronx in 1910. It also changed names several times.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
