Beth Abraham Holds Annual Toy Drive for "Toys for Tots"

December 21, 2004 (Bronx, NY) -- Beth Abraham Family of Health Services recently concluded its annual toy drive for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s"Toys for Tots" program. With Human Resources Office Manager Janet Rhodes-Barlow as coordinator, over a hundred toys were collected from Beth Abraham staff this year. They were turned over to Marine Reservists from the 6th Communications Battalion of Floyd Bennett Field on December 21st.

Pictured from left to right: Beth Abraham Senior Vice President of Operations Clari Gilbert; Lance Corporal Ruben Bermudez; Corporal Patrick Calizaire; Janet Rhodes-Barlow, Human Resources Office Manager; and Yoel Lichstein, Associate Administrator at Beth Abraham.

For information on the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, please click here.

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Beth Abraham Residents Enjoy a Holiday Presentation by the
Bronx High School for Performance and Stagecraft

December 20, 2004 (Bronx, NY) -- Beth Abraham residents got into the holiday spirit on Monday as they enjoyed a special presentation of song and dance by the Bronx High School for Performance and Stagecraft, located in Truman High School.

The Bronx H.S. for Performance and Stagecraft and their mentors Julie Woodward and
Yvonne Oesterreich with Beth Abraham residents Nadine Forella and Ann Grundy and
Recreation director Cathy Burke.

The holiday performance, presented at Beth Abraham Health Services' Allerton Avenue facility on December 20th, was a holiday treat for the residents and was brought to Beth Abraham through the collaborative efforts of Julie Woodward, Chorusmaster, and Yvonne Oesterreich, dance instructor, both of Truman High School; and Cathy Burke, director of Recreation at Beth Abraham.

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Beth Abraham Hosts Week Long Chanukah Celebration
at 612 Allerton Avenue

December 2004 (Bronx, NY) – Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, one of the oldest multifaceted voluntary healthcare organizations in the Bronx, hosted a week-long Chanukah celebration in cooperation with a number of Jewish community agencies. Among these agencies are the Graenum Berger Bronx Jewish Federation Service Center, Congregation Sons of Israel, Bronx Jewish Community Council (BJCC), and the UJA Federation of New York.

The week-long event was attended by more than 250 guests and volunteers from different organizations, as well as many elderly tenants from Beth Abraham Housing.

Debra Katz, director of Food and Nutrition at Beth Abraham; Marlene Konopolsky, Regional Director, Community Outreach/Admissions; and Beth Abraham’s Rabbi Ravitz, oversaw the Chanukah festivities and activities for the week. David Borenstein from Graenum Berger; Rabbi Fuchs from the Congregation Sons of Israel; Noah Franklin from the Bronx Borough President’s office; and Niti Minkov, director of Volunteers at BJCC, also attended the celebration and contributed largely to its success.

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United Hospital Fund Awards $36,000 in Grants to Beth Abraham's
Institute for Music and Neurologic Function to Produce Three Training Videos

November 30, 2004 (New York, NY) -- The United Hospital Fund presented the 2004 Health Care Improvement Grants to deserving organizations in an Awards Program and Reception held last Tuesday, November 30, 2004, in New York City.

Beth Abraham Family of Health Services is among this year's grant recipients. Awarded primarily for the purpose of advancing aging and chronic care services, this fund grant will be used to produce three training videos through Beth Abraham's Institute forMusic and Neurologic Function (IMNF) to enable Certified Nursing Assistants and other caregivers to provide therapeutic musicexperiences to people with dementia.

At the UHF Grants Awards, fromleft to right: Howard Smith, Chairman of the Board,
United Hospital Fund; David Ramsey, D.A., ACMT, assistant director of Music
Therapy at Beth Abraham; James R. Tallon, Jr., President, United Hospital Fund;
and Concetta M. Tomaino, D.A., MT-BC, director of the Institute for Music and
Neurologic Function and Vice President for Music Therapy at Beth Abraham.

On hand to receive the $36,000 award were Dr. Concetta Tomaino, director of the IMNF and Vice President of Music Therapy, and Dr. David Ramsey, assistant director of Music Therapy. To learn more about this grant, please click here.

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2004 Music Has Power^TMAwards Honor Moby,
Karl T. Bruhn and Concetta M. Tomaino

Evening of star-studded performances benefits the
Institute for Music and Neurologic Function

November 29, 2004 (New York, NY) -- The Institute for Neurologic Function at Beth Abraham Family of Health Services successfully held its fourth annual Music Has Power^TM Awards on Monday, November 29^th, 2004 at the Jazz at Lincoln Center's Allen Room. Renowned recording artist, Moby; president of Karl T. Bruhn Associates and music advocate, Karl T. Bruhn; and Director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function and Vice President for Music Therapy, Concetta M. Tomaino, D.A., MT-BC, were honored for their outstanding contributions to the area of music and wellness.

The 2004 Music Has Power Awards Honorees.

The Music Has Power^TM Awards recognize significant accomplishments of men and women who have brought new understanding to the use of the power of music to awaken and heal. Funds raised at the Awards will support patient care, along with clinical and scientific research. Sponsors included NAMM, The International Music Products Association; International Foundation for Music Research; and MTV Networks.

The night was filled with powerful performances by popular recording artist Moby; award winning actor and composer Kris Kristofferson; Grammy©, Tony©, Golden Globe© and Emmy© Award winning composer, Marvin Hamlisch; Oscar-nominated actor, singer-songwriter, Rufus Wainwright; Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider of The B-52’s, andRich Robinson of the Black Crowes.

Special moments of the night included a duet between Rufus Wainwright and Kris Kristofferson who sang a rendition of the Everly Brothers’ “All I Have To Do Is Dream;” a duet between Kris Kristofferson and Moby who sang “Me and Bobby McGee” -- which was written by Kristofferson in 1970; individual performances by Beth Abraham music therapy patients Trevor Gibbons and Jeremy Deliotte, who gave inspiring renditions of their original compositions; and a well-applauded duet of the song “I Can See Clearly Now” between Laura Dawn and Jeremy, with Moby on guitar. At the conclusion of the event, Moby asked for the lights to be turned off in the Allen Room, and he and Laura Dawn performed Neil Young’s “Helpless.”

The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and an affiliate of the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, based in New York, which provides a continuum of health-based services to thousands of people each year. For more information visit www.musichaspower.org or www.bethabe.org.

For more information, please contact:

Connie Tejeda, Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, 718-519-4168
Heather Lylis, Ken Sunshine Consultants Inc., 212-691-2800

To download the press kit for this year's Music Has Power Awards, please click here. To view photos from the event, please click here.

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Beth Abraham Shows itsSupport for Alzheimer's Advocacy at the
20th Annual Mayoral Conference on Alzheimer's Disease

November 23, 2004 (New York, NY) -- The 20th Annual Mayoral Conference on Alzheimer's Disease was held on November 23, 2004, at the Jacob J. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Dr. Concetta Tomaino, director of Beth Abraham's Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF) was one of the featured speakers. As part of a special panel called "Dementia and the Arts," she spoke on the benefits of music to Alzheimer's patients. In her 15-minute talk, she also presented the great work being done at the IMNF, placing emphasis on its renowned recording studio.

Beth Abraham Health Services' Marlene Konopolsky and Franklin
Ortiz were on hand to provide information on the services
available for Alzheimer's patients.

CNR Health Care Network was both an exhibitor and a member of the
Planning Committee for this year's Alzheimer's Conference.

Beth Abraham Family of Health Services and its affiliates, CNR Health Care Network and CCM, also joined the more than 80 corporations andnon-profit organizationsthatfilled the exhibit area to provide information about the services, products, andprograms available for Alzheimer's patients. In addition, CNR was also a member of the planning committee for this year's conference. For more information on this event, please click here.

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Beth Abraham's Marion Hogarth Receives American Management
Association’s 2004 Innovation Award for Administrative Professionals

November 18, 2004 (Bronx, New York) -- A team of professional assistants from the CNR Health Care Network, a division of Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, received American Management Association’s (AMA) 2004 Innovation Award for Administrative Professionals. Marion Hogarth, a representative of the team, was on hand during the 12th Annual Administrative Professionals Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, to receive a specialized plaque recognizing the group’s contributions at CNR andto the local community for which it provides services. Ms. Hogarth received an all-expenses-paid trip to the conference in October compliments of AMA.

Marion Hogarth, 2004 AMA Innovation Award Recipient.

Several years ago, Ms. Hogarth and her colleagues created an Administrative Council to unify internal customer services for staff in all of the offices throughout the city. In an effort to encourage a spirit of camaraderie, the Council organized a small but successful Holiday Gift Giving Project to raise money to buy clothes, food and toys for needy families in their servicing community. The next year, they more than doubled their altruistic reach. The Project is now in its fourth year.

“Who would have thought that helping others would be so rewarding,” said Ms. Hogarth, in accepting the Innovation Award. “It was amazing to see that such a simple idea had created such a ripple. It involved so many—our clients, our residents and our staff. This simple idea has taught us how to work as a team, it has improved our internal customer relations and also taught us some organizational skills and, of course, the Council felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment,” Hogarth said.

Marion Hogarth and her colleagues atCNR Health Care
Network give generous contributions of time and effort
towards their Holiday Gift GivingProject.

“On behalf of the entire Administrative Council of CNR Health Care Network, I would like to thank the American Management Association for the recognition. We are thrilled to receive this prestigious award and know that it will give us the motivation to work hard in achieving our goal of providing for 20 families this holidayseason,” Hogarth said.

The American Management Association is the world’s leading membership-based management development organization that has provided valuable and practical action-oriented learning programs to business professionals since 1923. Its Innovation Award celebrates outstanding examples of creative problem solving and innovation in administrative support and serves as an inspiration to administrative professionals. For more information, visit www.amanet.org.

CNR Health Care Network, a division of Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, is a consortium of facilities scattered across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Westchester, and the Bronx. CNR Health Care Network is a voluntary, not-for-profit organization that delivers a full range of continuing care services to the elderly, frail and chronically ill. These include adult day health care, long term home health care, AIDS home care, rehabilitation, nursing home and hospice care. For more information, visit www.cnrhealthcare.org.

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Local Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at Beth Abraham Receives Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Grant

October 6, 2004, (Bronx, NY) -- The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF) at Beth Abraham announced today that it has been awarded a $5,000 Quality of Life Grant from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation to support music therapy services in its recently opened Music Has Power™ Recording Studio.

The IMNF’s therapeutic recording studio enables people with spinal cord injuries and other central nervous system disorders to make music using specially adapted MIDI-based instruments, and to record their own music in a way that restores function, provides a medium for creativity, and improves thequality of life.

"We have found that clients are eager to participate in our recording studio program,” said Dr. Concetta Tomaino, director of the IMNF. “This generous award will increase access to this vital therapy from 40 to 60 participants a week. We are delighted to receive a grant from this national foundation, which acknowledges the innovative work of our music therapy program.”

For many clients with injuries or neurologic disorders, music provides, at its most basic level, a powerful motivation for therapeutic exercise. Music therapists may also use the rhythmic stimuli of music to help clients improve their gait or balance. Or they may use musical instruments to enhance a client’s range of motion, flexibility, or fine motor skills. Music making provides outlets for self-expression and creativity, and may be used to help clients overcome the depression that often accompanies loss of function.

Dana Reeve, director of the ChristopherReeve Paralysis Foundation and founder of theChristopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, started the prestigious Quality of Life program in 1999. Grants are awarded to programs or projects that improve the daily life or well being of people living with paralysis, particularly spinal cord injuries. The grant to the IMNF was one of the largest grants given by the Foundation to any arts-oriented program this year.

The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and an affiliate of the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, based in New York, which provides health-based services to thousands of people each year. For more information visit www.musichaspower.org.

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Beth Abraham Health Services' Institute for Music and Neurologic Function Featured in "Music in Medicine," Program 2 of BBC Documentary Series

The Power of Music: A four part BBC World Service Radio Documentary Series
Written and presented by Jane Hanson with producer Radek Boschetty
Starts Tuesday October 5th 2004

Program 1, Week of 10/5: I Didn't Know Music Can Do This!

Did you know that music can have a decisive influence on what you buy in a shop or how much you spend in a restaurant? And did you know that specially designed music used on premature baby wards in 8000 US hospitals shortens the length of hospital stay for these tiny infants by 12days on average?

These are just two of the manyunexpecteduses ofmusic which Jane Hanson explores in her new series ThePower of Music. Hansonalso discovers that there is a large new market for pan-pipe players and why police are playing classical music in the metro system in the North-East of England. Can playing calming music increase milk yieldin cows? And what effect do Indian ragas have on plant growth?

Program 2, Week of 10/12: Music in Medicine

In the secondinstallment of her series The Power of Music, Jane Hanson looks at the cutting-edge research and application of music in clinical medicine. She visits a sports hospital in Luedenscheid, Germany, where tailor-made music programs reduce pain-relieving drugs dosage by up to 50% for literally thousands of patients. Then she talks to a researcher at the University of North Texas, USA, who developed a system in which specially treated country music by Garth Brooks (and many other types of music) can help reduce pain in patients undergoing spinal fusion operations and in several otherconditions. She also visits Beth Abraham Health Services in New York, which leads the way in the clinical use of music for the motor impaired and degenerative illnesses and where patients use their own state-of-the-art recording studio; and she travels to Mysore in India to meet doctors and musicians who prescribe music treatments for a whole range of diseases.

Program 3, Week of 10/19: Music Can Heal Individuals and Communities

The third part of Jane Hanson's series The Power of Music begins with a lookat the large-scale programs for curing asthma withchanting which have been developed in India and Japan. Hanson then samples both the established and brand-new 'sound healing' treatments and tries to uncover the science behind these methods: can the National Physical Laboratory in London, UK's top research establishment, shed somelight on the acoustic phenomena underlying Tibetan 'singing bowls' therapy? What do young offenders get out hitting a drum? Andwhyhas music become a leading 'arts therapy' discipline in conflict zones, such as the Balkans or the Middle East?

Program 4, Week of 10/26: Music Aids Learning and Personal Development in Children andAdults

Can listening to Mozart make your child smarter? There are plenty of recordings on the market which claim precisely that but is there any scientific evidence to support these claims? What is the role that music can play in schools? These are the starting points for the final part of Jane Hanson's series The Power of Music. She examines the latest controlled studies from Hong Kong which show a causal relationship between musical training and our ability to retain verbal information in theshort-term and she talks to teachers and children from the US, South Africa, India and the UK about their views on the role of music in the classroom.

Hanson also looks at the use of music in prisons, why big corporations such as the oil giant BP and leading law firm Lovells pay for special singingworkshops for their staff, and how the Tomatis method can help autistic children, famous actors and anyone starting to learn a new language.

These programs will be airing at MW 648 at BST, Tuesdays at 10:32 a.m., 15:32 p.m. and 20:32 p.m. (and Wednesday mornings at 2:32 a.m.).

You can also listen to BBC World Service Radio on the web. To view the Internet schedule for these programs, please click here.

To listen to the "Music in Medicine" feature, please click here.

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Beth Abraham and its CNR Affiliate Open Expanded Home
Health Care Programs at 665 Pelham Parkway North

August 10, 2004, (Bronx, NY) -- Beth Abraham Family of Health Services and its affiliate CNR have announced an exciting expansion of their home health care programs in the Bronx. CNR today announced the grand opening of its new Bronx Long Term Home Health Care Program at 665 PelhamParkway North, while Beth Abraham’s Best Choice Home Health Care Agency simultaneously announced its move to the same location. The combined programs offer a full range of home health care possibilities from skilled nursing and physical therapy to meal preparation and grooming.

CNR’s Long Term Home Health Care Programs offer a complete range of services equivalent towhat is available to a resident of a nursing home, without the patient having to leave the comfort and familiar surroundings of home. When medicallyappropriate,visiting nurses, physical therapists, social workers, aides and dieticians provide services to aging and disable individuals at home. For many patients, being cared for in a familiar environment, surrounded by family and friends, hastens recovery. In addition, its HIV-AIDS Home Care Program is available for anyone who is under the care of a physician, is Medicaid eligible and needs home care services. Depending on the plan of care, individuals could receive services up to 24 hrs per day/7 days per week.

BronxOfficials join Beth Abraham and CNR celebrate the Grand Opening of
its programs at 665 Pelham Parkway North. Pictured from left toright: Clari
Gilbert, Senior VP of Operations, Beth Abraham; Todd Ferrara, representing Assemblyman Jeff Klein; Carmen Cruz-Lee,Community Affairs Coordinator,
CNR LTHHC; Linda Loeb, representing Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr.; Michael Fassler, President and CEO, Beth Abraham; Carol Bendo, Director of Operations, Best Choice; and Cecily Baker, VP, Home Care, CNR.

Beth Abraham’s Best Choice Program, which is relocating from Olinville Avenue, offers a full range of high-quality, cost effective in-home healthcare services for the elderly, sick or homebound. Whether an individual needs a companion to accompany them to a doctor’s visit, needs personal care aide services or a registered nurse, Best Choice can provide a range of service options on an hourly, daily, short- or long-term basis. Servicing the five boroughs of New York City, Best Choice is licensed by the New York State Department of Health and Accredited by the Joint Commission.

“By combining Beth Abraham’s Best Choice and CNR’s Long Term Home Health Care programs under one roof, we can offer a full complement of services to those who need it most,” said Michael S. Fassler, president and CEO of Beth Abraham Family of Health Services. “It is vitally important for people to have options when it comes to providing care to the ill and disabled. Expanding and consolidating our programs allows us to make it easier for more people to access the care and programs they need.”

CNR’s Long Term Home Care Division currently provides services in three locations including Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and has been approved by the Department of Health to expand into Manhattan. CNR, a division of Beth Abraham, is a voluntary not-for-profit health care organization that provides the elderly, frail and chronically ill with a complete range of high quality continuing care programs including adult day care, long term home care, rehabilitation, skilled nursing and hospice care.

Founded in 1920, Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, a voluntary not-for-profit organization serves more than 4,000 adults daily through long term care, subacute medical care and rehabilitation, and community programs includingadult day health care, comprehensive managed care, home care and independent housing. Its affiliates include Best Choice Home Health Care, CCM, CNR Health Care Network, Schnurmacher Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function. For more information about programs and services, please call (718) 519-4000 or visit www.bethabe.org.

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Beth Abraham Family of Health Services Holds
Fifth Annual Golf Outing

Edwin H. Stern III, Chairman of the Board for CCM, presents Susan Aldrich with this year's award of distinction.

July 20, 2004, (Bronx,NY) -- The Beth Abraham Family of Health Services’ Fifth Annual Golf Outing, held at the exclusive Century Country Clubin Purchase, New York,
on Tuesday, July 20, brought in more than $250,000. Proceeds will support innovative health care services
for the elderly and adults with disabilities throughout
the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Westchester.

“Funds raised from this important event support state-
of-the-art health care services for our residents, and
also help us provide innovative community
programming for those in need,” said Michael S. Fassler,president andCEO of Beth Abraham. “We
are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for
our work, helping provide vital services to the elderly
and disabled.”

Following a round of golf, 200 participants enjoyed an evening of delectable food, fun and friendship, and honored Susan Aldrich, Beth Abraham’s Sr. Vice President of CCM. “Susan’s invaluable leadership and focus on quality and creativity has made life better for thousands of people,” said Fassler.

For the past 15 years, Aldrich has been responsible for Comprehensive Care Management, (CCM), bringing it to its current 10-site, $100 million annual operation.

Under her leadership, CCM is continuingto expand its facilities and provides 100 percent of the healthand health-related servicesits home-bound patients require. Comprehensive Care Management Corporation (CCM), a division of Beth AbrahamFamily of Health Services, a not-for-profit organization, is a New York State Managed Long Term Care Plan and a federal Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

Susan Aldrich surrounded by her colleagues.

Aldrich is also responsible for Beth Abraham’s Long Term Home Health Care Program, the Certified Home Health Agency, and other programs. She serves on the Boards of Directors of the National PACE Association, the Bronx Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corporation (NIDC) and the Pelham Education Foundation.

Founded in 1920, Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, a voluntary not-for-profit organization, serves more than 4,000 adults daily through a network of long- and intermediate-term health services, providing care both in-facility and through community based programs in the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Westchester. These include sub-acute medical services and rehabilitation, skilled nursing care, adult day health care, comprehensive managed care, home care and independent housing. Beth Abraham’s affiliates include Best Choice Home Care, CCM, CNR HealthCareNetwork Schnurmacher Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, and the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function. For more information about programs and services, please call (718) 519-4000 or visit www.bethabe.org.

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New Article by Oliver Sacks,M.D. to Appear
in August 23rd Issue of The New Yorker

SPEED, by Oliver Sacks, M.D., will appear in the August 23, 2004 issue of The New Yorker, on stands August 16th. The article will mention, among other things, Tourette Syndrome and the post-encephalitic patients at Beth Abraham Health Services.

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Oliver Sacks, M.D. Speaks on Encephalitis Lethargica:
Not a Disease of the Past

BBC 1, July 28, 2004, 10:35 p.m.

Oliver Sacks, M.D., renownedneurologist and Chief Scientific Advisor of theInstitute for Music and Neurologic Function at Beth Abraham Health Services, speaks on Encephalitis Lethargica -- an extraordinary sickness that turned normal people into living statues -- in "Medical Mysteries --Mysteryof the Forgotten Plague", the last in a 3-part series for BBC. Encephalitis Lethargica swept the world in the 1920s. It disappeared tenyears later, but recently new cases are starting to emerge yet again...proving that Encephalitis Lethargica is not a disease of the past. The series seeks to answer if indeed we are about to face a new epidemic, and gives new hope in statingthat experts may have finally cracked this 80-year mystery and found the cause of this devastating illness. "Medical Mysteries" will be airing on BBC 1 starting July 14, 2004 at 10:35 PM. The documentary on Encephalitis Lethargica, "Mystery of the Forgotten Plague", is last in the series and will be shown on July 28, 2004 at 10:35 PM.

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Beth Abraham Familyof Health Services to Undergo Facelift

Wall Breaking Ceremony Kicks Off $8 Million Project

July 26, 2004 (Bronx, NY) -- Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, 612 Allerton Avenue, the 520-bed skilled nursing facility that has been serving the Bronx for almost 85 years, is undergoing a major renovation to upgrade the facilities and improve the quality of life for its residents.

Members of the Beth Abraham executive staff and the Shannon Group, contractors for the renovation project, prepare to break the wall down at the Allerton Avenue facility.

The renovation project will cost approximately $8 million andis being funded through bonds issued bythe New York City Industrial Development Agency. Construction will include two phases, both a new lobby and first floor corridor,and one of two patient buildings, the Zahn Pavilion. Construction is slated to last 24 months.

“It’s exciting to see the work begin,”said Michael Fassler, president and CEO of Beth Abraham Family of Health Services. “This long awaited renovation will benefit our residents, their families and our community for years to come.”

When completed, the new lobby will be brighter and more inviting, and offer a comfortable seating area for visitors. The Zahn Pavilion, which is home to 210 residents, will be included in the second phase of construction. Resident rooms, bathing facilities and corridors will be refurbished with new wall and floor finishes and upgraded ventilation and lighting. Nursing stations will become “neighborhood” workstations with improved access for residents and staff. A new resident lounge will be created in each neighborhood to provide a place for residents and their families to mingle or watch television. In addition, each floor will have its own pantry, where residents can enjoy a home style dining experience.

During renovations, the lobby has been relocated to accommodate the residents, families, and adult day health care registrants who use the facility daily. Additionally, the original entrance, built in 1925 has been re-opened for visitors. “Beth Abraham remains dedicated to providing the best services possible to our residents,” said Norman Vesik, vice president of Facilities Management for Beth Abraham. “We will do everything possible not to disturb their daily lives during this construction period.”

The Zahn Pavilion was added to the main facility in 1958.The Baum-Rothschild Pavilion, home to 310 residents, added in 1970, will undergo both minor interior and extensive exterior restoration.

Founded in 1920, Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, a voluntary not-for-profit organization serves more than 4,000 adults daily through long term care, subacute medical care and rehabilitation and community programs including adult day health care, comprehensive managed care, home care and independent housing. For more information about our programs and services, please call(718) 519-4000 or visit our web site at www.bethabe.org.

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Beth Abraham Health Services Celebrates
Grand Opening of Recording Studio

Multi-Platinum Recording Artist Moby Donates Equipment to
Nursing Home Music Studio

April 28, 2004 (BRONX, NY) – The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF) at Beth Abraham Health Services, a skilled nursing facility and rehabilitation center, announces the grand opening of the Music Has Power™ Club Recording Studio. With the support of music therapists, this studio provides a medium for creativity and rehabilitation. Using equipment ranging from electronic drums to devices that translate movement to sound, patients have the opportunity to advance their physical, cognitive, and emotional goals through composition, performance and self-expression.

According to renowned music therapist and Director of the Institute, Dr. ConcettaTomaino, “With the addition of the recording studio, we’ve been able to assist patients in many areas, from recovering speech to regaining physical function.” Adding, “through the commitment of people like Moby, we are able to further our mission by expanding our services to include a recording studio dedicated to awaken hidden creative talent, while meeting rehabilitation goals through an innovative approach.”

Well-known pop recording artist Moby joined the Institute boardin 2003, after visiting Beth Abraham and observing the work firsthand. Realizing that he could make a difference, he immediately arranged to donate recordingequipment that he no longer needed. “I am gratified to see the work of the Institute expanding, and proud to have been able to make a difference,” says Moby. “The work that is being done at Beth Abraham is remarkable.”

As a result of the expansion, more than 40 patients every week are making their own music, recording their own CDs, and restoring function at Beth Abraham. These songwriters include a professionalmusicianwho suffered brain damage in a tragic accident, a small elderly woman in a wheel chair (who is great on the tambourine) and a 47-year old stroke victim with no musical training who has become a “star” at Beth Abraham, after recording his first CD.

“The work of the Music Therapy Department at Beth Abraham helps make a vital differencein the health and well being of our patients,” says Michael Fassler, president and CEO of Beth Abraham. “Our music therapists work with these individuals every dayusing music to enhance speech, mobility, and improve memory.”

Both technologically and clinically Beth Abraham is far more advanced than other healthcare facilities in its use of adaptive musical instruments to treat patients at any level of functioning.Music and technology have been a part of the Music Therapy Program since 1993.

The Music Has Power Club Studio Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will take place in the auditorium, on Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at 612 Allerton Avenue, Bronx, NY. For additional information or toattend, please call the IMNF at (718) 519-5840.

The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, a research and training institute is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and an affiliate of the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, based in New York. For more information on how you can help contact the Institute at 718-519-5840 or visit www.musichaspower.org

Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, est. 1920, is the second largest continuum of long-term health care providers in New York State, offering both inpatient services and community based healthcare programs for the frail, elderly, and chronically ill. Corporate affiliates include: Schnurmacher Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing; CNR Health Care Network; CCM; Best Choice Home Health Care. For more information, please call 1-888-BETH ABE, 1(888) 238-4223, or visit www.bethabe.org

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Leading Not-For-Profit Health Care Organizations
Affiliate to Create Unique Citywide Continuing Care Network

March 15, 2002 NEW YORK, NY - The Boards of Directors of Beth Abraham Health Services and CNR Health Care Network are pleased to announce a corporate level affiliation of these leading not-for-profit health care providers. The result of this dynamic combination is the formation of New York State’s second largest continuing care network. A system that serves over 5,000 people every day in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Westchester.

Michael S. Fassler, CNR Health Care Network’s Chief Executive Officer will become the President and CEO of the network. “This is a truly logical combination that reflects our shared values. It also leverages our specialized experience and enhances our ability to coordinate the delivery of high quality continuing and long term care programs for the city’s most vulnerable citizens, the elderly, frail and chronically ill,” said Mr. Fassler. “We believe this will also open a window of opportunity to build upon and expand our relationships with other health care organizations and professionals throughout the metropolitan area,” continued Mr. Fassler.

Both organizations have a long and proud history of providing quality health care services. Beth Abraham, founded in 1920, serves people in the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Westchester. CNR began operations in 1978 and delivers continuing care to residents throughout Brooklyn and Queens. Combined, they operate over 1,200 long term care and rehabilitation beds in four nursing homes, as well as numerous community-based services including adult day health care and home care programs, specialized AIDS and hospice programs, a PACE managed care program and over 400 subsidized senior housing apartments.

Each of the operating units will maintain their individual identities. Oversight and governance of the combined entity will be the responsibility of a newly formed Board of Directors that consists of members from both of the previous boards.

The Open House invited musicians, community leaders, and residents from throughout the Bronx in to experience first-hand how our Institute for Music & Neurologic Function's staff, scientific collaborators, and the residents of Beth Abraham are using the power of music to stimulate, awaken, and heal. We were also joined by Musicians On Call, an organization of musicians that volunteer at the bedsides of hospitalized men, women, and children; Grammy-award winning composer Joel Thome shared his very positive experience of recovery through his work and treatment at Beth Abraham; The evening ended with the electrifying sound of acclaimed multiethnic women's Afro-Caribbean dance and percussion ensemble, iRetumba!

Beth Abraham Adult Day Health Care
First In New York State to Achieve CARF Accreditation

BRONX, NY – November 5, 2001 – The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission (CARF) has awarded Beth Abraham Adult Day Health Care witha three-year accreditation for its medical model adult day health programs. This is the highest level of CARF accreditation, which is only awarded to organizations that show substantial fulfillment of the high standards established by CARF and clearly exhibit an established and sustainable pattern of total operations.

Beth Abraham Adult Day Health Care’s two sites in the Bronx and in Westchester have the honor of being the only two adult day health programs in New York State to receive such a distinction. “We have always had a commitment to continually enhance the quality of our programs and services to meet the needs of our clients, says Jim Curcio, regional director. “We now have the national certification that recognizes our high standards."

There are more than 150 adult day health centers in New York alone. This is the first three-year accreditation Beth Abraham has been awarded by CARF, whose President and CEO, Dr. Donald E. Galvin, notes “Beth Abraham Adult Day Health Care has put itself through a rigid peer review process and has demonstrated that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable."

The Adult Day Health program has been serving adults with physical disabilities and complex conditions throughout the Bronx andWestchester areas since its inception in 1984. It is a division of the Beth AbrahamFamily of Health Services, a Bronx-based not-for-profit continuing care health system, which also serves Westchester as well as Manhattan and Brooklyn.

CARF is a private, not-for-profit international accreditation body based in Tucson, Arizona. Established in 1966, it is committed to promoting the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served.

For additional information please contact Beth Abraham Adult Day Heath Care’s Regional Director Jim Curcio at (718) 519-5900. Back to Top

Drum Circle
Bronx, New York - November 18, 2001

Former Grateful Dead percussionist, Mickey Hart, leads residents, staff, and guests at the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services in a spirited afternoon of community drumming and healing. Mr. Hart is also a Board Member of Beth Abraham's Institute for Music & Neurologic Function, which hosted the drumming circle. Back to Top

Chai/Life Award
Bronx, New York - November 16, 2001

On November 16, 2001 the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services held its first Chai/Life Awards honoring Kristine Haag, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corporation (NIDC); long-time Bronx business and philanthropic leader Elias Karmon; and Assemblyman Jeffrey Klein (D ? 80th A.D.). All three honorees were recognized for their leadership, actions, and commitment to expanding opportunities and making life better for people in the Beth Abraham community and throughout the Bronx. Derived from the Hebrew word for life, the Chai/Life Initiative encompasses programs that help residents expand their horizons, such as our Neighborhood Initiative, which offers younger disabled adults greater prospects to learn new skills, enjoy expanded social opportunities, as well as an atmosphere based on young people's individual tastes for food, music, and art. One of the award presenters was Hilda Caba, a resident of "The Neighborhood". For more on the Chai/Life Initiative, please see the attached fact sheet. Back to Top

Thanksgiving Food Drive
New York, New York - November 8, 2001

Beth Abraham Family of Health Services is working with local congregations in a non-perishable food drive that runs through November 19th.

Food collections bins are located in the aquarium room on the 1st floor of the 612 Allerton Avenue facility. Participating local congregations include: St. Lucy's RC Church, Siloma Pentecostal Church, Thessalonica Baptist Church and Mt. Carmel Ame Church. Back to Top

2001 Music Has Power^TM Awards postponed
New York, New York - October 8, 2001

With respect for the losses sustained by the nation and our immediate community, the Board of Directors and staff of the Institute for Music & Neurologic Function has decided to postpone our Second Annual Music Has Power Awards ceremony, which had been scheduled for November 26, 2001.

Both the Institute and the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services share in the sorrow, concern,and grief of our fellow New Yorkers. We believe that at this time resources and energy should be directed to the relief efforts supporting the victims of these horrific attacks.

We are rescheduling the award ceremony in 2002, and we look forward to your continuing support of the Institute for Music & Neurologic Function. In the meantime, we continue to pursue our goal of combining music and science to promote healing and wellness. Back to Top

Golf event a success
Purchase, New York: August 15th, 2001

Our Beth Abraham 2nd Annual Golf Classic on August 14, 2001 was once again a tremendous success. Money raised from the outing will go towards new initiatives for the younger population at Beth Abraham's flagship facility. These programs offer long-term care residents greater prospects to learn new skills, enjoy expanded social opportunities, as well as an atmosphere based on young people's individual tastes for food, music, and art. Back to Top

"Soprano" sings for elderly ill
By Greg Wilson - Daily News Staff Writer

From: News and Views City Beat
Wednesday, April 04, 2001

Quick: Which member of the "Sopranos" cast is a gifted guitarist who plays before adoring audiences and answers to "The Boss?"

Okay, there's Stevie Van Zant of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, who also plays Tony Soprano's henchman,Silvio, on the hit HBO show about a Jersey mob family.

But what about Dominic Chianese, aka Uncle Junior? He's technically the boss of the TV crime family, and in his spare time, he entertains nursing home audiences by playing guitar and singing folk, blues, country and Italian music.

"I was a singer before I was an actor," Chianese, 70, says proudly. During the early 1960s, while he taught fifth grade in Brooklyn, he played coffee houses and folk bars in Greenwich Village at night.

Yesterday,Chianese wowed a crowd at Beth Abraham Health Services, a Bronx home for adults with various neurological and mobility impairments. The event was part of Beth Abraham's Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, which uses music to reach patients with a variety of brain problems, including stroke victims and Alzheimer's sufferers.

"People can make emotional associations from their childhood through music," said Connie Tomaino, vice president of music therapy at Beth Abraham.

Yesterday, the mostly wheelchair-bound audience sang, hummed or tapped their fingers to "Let Me Call You Sweetheart," "Kansas City," "America the Beautiful," "O Sole Mio," and others.

"I'm here to sing, and like the guy on 'Sopranos' says, if you don't sing along, you're going to get whacked," Chianese said by way of introduction.

Chianese has two CDs coming out, one featuring popular Italian songs and the other, original songs. One Chianese original, "Typical New Yorker," elicited knowing smiles yesterday as its author mentioned neighborhoods and sights throughout the city.

Last fall, Chianese and others, including Grateful Dead drummerMickey Hart, performed at Beth Abraham's "Music Has Power Awards Celebration" at the Hudson Theater in Manhattan. The event helped raise money for the Institute's music therapy program.

Mortality-obsessed Uncle Junior, who two episodes ago revealed to viewers that he has stomach cancer, hates being around ill or elderly people. But Chianese, who grew up on Arthur Ave.in the Bronx's Belmont section, has been working with senior citizens for nearly 20 years.

Although his current role brought him star status, Chianese, who began acting in summer stock in the 1950s, also appeared in "Fort Apache, the Bronx," "The Godfather Part II" and in "DogDay Afternoon," in which he played Al Pacino's father.

"But now, I feel like a celebrity," he said. BacktoTop

Buena Vida Opens Its Doors
Brooklyn/Queens, New York: February 22, 2001

Buena Vida Continuing Care & Rehabilitation Center opened its doors February 23. The state-of-the-art facility is a 240-bed residential health care center providing long-term andshort-term rehabilitation.

Buena Vida is staffed with highly skilled medical, nursing and rehabilitation professionals. Primary medical care is given to all residents by onsite attending physicians skilled in internal medicine, geriatrics or family practice as well as specialties such as ophthalmology, dentistry, podiatry, psychiatry, surgery, orthopedics, radiology and pulmonary medicine. Restorative therapy is provided for conditions such as stroke, trauma, fracture, amputation, joint replacement, neurological and neuromuscular and Gait disorders.

"Buena Vida is one of the very few minority-sponsored nursing facilities in New York State," says Gregory Norton,Administrator. "It will serve primarily a minority population, including Latino and African-Americans, by providing long term health care services and creating new jobs in the Ridgewood and Bushwick community." Norton adds that the facility is also a major contributor to the renaissance in the area.

Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizen Council sponsors Buena Vida, Inc. Management of the facility is provided by Management Solutions, a for-profit corporation formed by Beth Abraham Family of Health Services.

Beth Abraham Family of Health Services offers a network of long- and intermediate-term health services, providing care both in-facility and through community-based programs in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Westchester. These include adult day health care, nursing home care, rehabilitative care and a comprehensive, capitated managed-care program specifically for the frail elderly and disabled who qualify for nursing home care. The Beth Abraham network of services and programs, which also includes 500 senior housing and assistive living apartments, is designed to permit each individual's health needs to be matched with an appropriate care model in a coordinated and efficient manner. For more information, call 1-888-BETHABE. Back to Top

News Archives: 2001-2004

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Local Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at Beth Abraham Receives Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Grant

The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and an affiliate of the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, based in New York, which provides health-based services to thousands of people each year. For more information visit www.musichaspower.org.

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Beth Abraham Health Services Celebrates Grand Opening of Recording Studio

Beth Abraham Health Services Celebrates
Grand Opening of Recording Studio