Andrew Young links up with Ari Emanuel
One Bed at a Time: MPTF on Home Shutdown
“There really are no good guys or bad guys in this story,” Motion Picture and Television Fund Foundation CEO Ken Scherer tells TheWrap.
Scherer’s adversaries in the war of words over the planned closure of the MPTF’s acute-care hospital and long-term care home, however, feel otherwise. To them, the fund itself is an unambiguous villain for its continued transfer of elderly residents to regional nursing homes as part of the hospital and home’s imminent closure.
In August, Scherer gave an interview to TheWrap in which he said the transfers (called "evictions" by members of an anti-closure group called Saving the Lives of Our Own) would be completed by Thanksgiving.
“Actually I never said that,” Scherer says today . “What we have said since Jan. 14 is that we want to work with each family to find a beautiful bed for their loved ones. We hoped we could do it within the year but now it doesn’t look like that will happen.” A statement issued by the home’s CEO, Dr. David Tillman, says there are currently 66 residents remaining at the Woodland Hills site, with 43 having been moved to other care centers or to other MPTF facilities.
Scherer is clearly pained by the controversy, in which family members have portrayed the 88-year-old motion picture charity as a callous, bottom-line-obsessed bureaucracy.
“The idea that we woke up one day to do things that would intentionally damage people doesn’t make sense,” he says.
Few debates are as volatile as those involving the way society treats its elderly. In what seems like another world, the L.A. Times, in a 1996 piece titled “Expanding a Field of Dreams,” profiled Scherer as a rainmaker whose fundraising acumen was allowing the Motion Picture Home to dramatically expand its services.
“Ken Scherer,” it began, “his shoes slightly soiled from the strawberry field he aims to replace some day with homes for retired show-business workers, was feeling good about his likely place in Hollywood history.”
But today’s recession, he says, along with spiraling medical costs, have forced MPTF, which operates a range of other medical, social and charitable services for members of the entertainment community, to stop what it believes is the hemorrhaging of money by the hospital and retirement home.
“You cannot look at the health care situation in California today and deny that the system is under incredible stress,” Scherer says. “We’re simply part of that situation. About 22 nursing homes have closed in California. Most just give 30-day notices to leave -- none have gone to this extreme that we have gone to for our residents.”
Scherer recalls the case of one resident who wished to be moved to Portland, Oregon. After locating a suitable nursing home, he says, MPTF sent a care team of nurses, social workers and others to explain to the staff of the new home what the woman’s particular wants and needs were.
MPTF’s closure decision has created a profound distrust and animosity among the anti-closure activists toward Scherer’s organization, which, the activists feel, could easily move part of its impressive financial resources to cover the nearly $10 million annual shortfall MPTF says the facilities incur. At the heart of the families’ argument for keeping the home open lies a belief that the retirees have a right to stay put in a community of colleagues who worked in the entertainment industry.
Scherer says it is not that simple.
“We believe we could potentially lose $75-$80 million on the unit,” he says. “There is great wealth (in Hollywood) but there is a limit to what it can do. The industry we serve is shrinking.”
Scherer says he regrets the fund’s early miscommunications about the closure, which made it appear as though MPTF was bent on tossing residents out to meet a deadline. Certainly, with the holiday season approaching, that strategy would be a PR disaster.
Yet sources close to the controversy say that the home and hospital will close and that keeping them open is not open to negotiation. Instead, says Scherer, the fund will continue speaking with each resident and their family members about the best place and time for transfer. In other words, MPTF is only transferring residents out of the home when beds become available elsewhere.
“I don’t think it’s a change of policy,” he says when asked of the home’s closure through attrition. “We continue to find a place for people’s loved ones.”
The inevitable question arises, however, of whether the fund will keep the home and hospital operating for the sake of a dwindling number of holdouts if that number is whittled down to a handful. Also, does the fund have a tipping point beyond which it will turn off the lights?
“We’re not going to have this discussion in TheWrap,” Scherer says. “It’s going to be held with the families -- as it should be.”
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George Says
Predictable. Every time someone attempting to defend MPTF says that what the anti-closure activists are claiming "doesn't make sense," look a little closer.
There are good guys and bad guys in this Ken, and your team has lost some of the best guys it had. From what I heard, one of your best guys was a gal.
It's never too late to be who you might have been.
Recognizing MPTF Duplicity Says
"Certainly, with the holiday season approaching, that strategy would be a PR disaster."
But, MPTF is hell bent on doing just that. Scherer told theWrap that 15 people are just waiting for the right beds to open - how much do you think MPTF will pay other facilities to open those beds now? How much do you think MPTF will offer those 15 residents? Those 15 people will be under unbelievable pressure. Count on it.
Enjoy your holidays Ken.
Trey King/Actor/SAG Member Says
Hollywood Death Panel - MPTF Board of directors - Jeffrey Katzenberg, guilty, Steven Spielberg, guilty, David Geffen, guilty, (boycott SKG Dreamworks and all productions related) continuing, Nora Ephron, guilty, Warren Beatty, guilty, Annette Benning, guilty, Kevin Spacey, guilty, Michael Douglas, guilty, Heather Locklear, guilty, John Wells, guilty, boycott their films and productions as well. Send them the message that to kill our elderly like they have done doesn't sit well with those of us in the industry. We are calling you out!!!
A jury will award in favor of the patients. It will cost you millions. I also hope the proper authorities look into possible criminal conduct in this case.
Trey King
Mara Says
Gosh Ken. You know very well that you will not be having the discussion you so nobly describe with most of the families. I understand you'll be having that talk with Girardi and Keese. Failing that you'll be talking to yourself asking where your integrity went but then you already know. You're responsible for fundraising? I don't think you've done your job very well. Do you?
10-27-2009 Says
Sounds like more corporate bull Scherer !!!
Put your money where your mouth is. Have you thought
of transferring remaining residents to the California Jewish
Homes??? Richard Stellar ("Saving The Lives Of Our Own")
is married to an exec in the admissions department there and
word is that they are tripling their LTC unit.
It shouldn't even come to this as the LTC should remain
OPEN and the promises you made FULFILLED !!!
Melody Fan Says
Melody - what a beautiful, well thought out, hard-hitting, and right on the money comment. I'm glad you are on our side!!
In Total Disbelief! Says
OMG!! Did he really say this OUT LOUD?
"Scherer says he regrets the fund’s early miscommunications about the closure, which made it appear as though MPTF was bent on tossing residents out to meet a deadline. Certainly, with the holiday season approaching, that strategy would be a PR disaster." (CERTAINLY WITH THE HOLIDAY SEASON APPROACHING, THAT STRATEGY WOULD BE A PR DISASTER.)
Just as I thought, their public image all they are worried about!
He forgot to mention that moving the elders could also be a health disaster, as it has been in the case of the 18 who did not survive the transfer...
And in reply to Frank:
We did offer to raise the money ourselves. Tillman and Ellis turned us down saying it was a done deal. They refused to accept any money from us.
We did do something "proactive" Frank, we organised and we hired a law firm to protect our rights. We picketed and marched to bring awareness to the industry, to the unions and to the community.
The MPTF has made a detrimental promise to ALL of us who have donated through our unions, and on our own, always believing the fund would ALWAYS be there for us for long term care should we ever need it. Many of us turned down Long Term Care insurance KNOWING in our hearts we were covered by MPTF.
Tell me again Frank, how many ours do you spend out at the MPTF visiting and helping out? How many meetings did you attend? How much do you go to the hip for each year? How much would you be willing to donate now to keep the LTC unit open?
Uh huh!
The Good Guys vs. The Bad Guys Says
"There are no good guys or bad guys in this story."
Ken Scherer, CEO, MPTF Foundation
The only way Ken Scherer can make that statement is if he does not know the difference between GOOD and BAD.
THE GOOD GUYS: The FOUNDERS of the Motion Picture Hospital and Fund. The thousands upon thousands of INDUSTRY WORKERS who have supported MPTF for over eight decades. The ELDERLY RESIDENTS of the Home who turned over all their assets to the Fund in exchange for the promise they would be cared for "for life". The FAMILIES who made the agonizing decision to entrust the care of their infirm loved ones to the Fund because they knew the Home was the best of the best and they would be among their peers. The outspoken UNION & GUILD MEMBERS who voted to oppose the closing and have called for an investigation. The HOSPITAL WORKERS AND NURSING STAFF who volunteered to take a pay cut so that the facilities could remain open. Those same workers and staff who continue to provide daily care and are doing so under increasingly stressful circumstances. The ACTIVISTS who are tirelessly fighting for the residents' rights. The LAWYERS at GIRARDI+KEESE who are committed to achieving justice for those who cannot speak for themselves.
THE BAD GUYS (The A-List) Every MPTF BOARD MEMBER who claims to have known "five years ago" that the Hospital and Nursing Home would close and did not inform the community until it was supposedly too late to do anything. Every BOARD MEMBER who, through ignorance or apathy blindly accepted the recommendation of Administrators whose agenda calls for the abandonment of the Fund's mission and a re-defining of the MPTF's goals. Every BOARD MEMBER who remained silent and did not REJECT these closures as the only option to solve alleged financial problems. Every BOARD MEMBER who refuses to learn the truth and only listens to the one-sided information presented to them by the Administrators. Every BOARD MEMBER who voted to incur millions of dollars of crippling debt to build posh Executive offices and a state-of-the-art Health Club, while ignoring the fact that funds were needed to insure the stability of the hospital and nursing facilities. The FINANCIAL OFFICERS who may have chosen risky investments instead of adhering to a conservative fiscal plan. EVERY MEMBER OF THE BOARD & COMMUNITY-AT-LARGE in a position of influence or affluence who stands by and does nothing to prevent this shameful action.
THE BAD GUYS (The B-List) The ADMINISTRATORS who directed millions of dollars to a non-independent consulting firm to reinforce their predetermined decision to close. The COO who does not want the MPTF community to be a place that "looks at sickness" but a place where people can "age successfully". The CEO Doctor who thinks an occasional visit by a Community Care Team will meet the needs of the physically and mentally frail elderly who, he thinks, should remain in their homes until they die. The ADMINISTRATORS who receive salaries and bonuses that are significantly higher than those in similar positions at other non-profit health care organizations. The ADMINISTRATORS who say that the BOARD's decision is a "fait accompli" and that "no amount of money" will prevent the Hospital and Nursing Home from closing. The FUNDRAISERS who refuse to accept donations earmarked to save the Nursing Home.
THE BAD GUYS (The C-List) The FUND EXECUTIVE who points to the closing of 22 California nursing homes as a reason for shutting down Long Term Care - instead of using that statistic as proof of the dire need for quality homes to remain open. The ADMINISTRATORS who employ scare tactics and say anything to get the confused elderly and distraught families to agree to 'voluntarily' leave. The ADMINISTRATORS who adamantly refuse to put their promises in writing and insist that families "trust" them to do what is right.
A BAD GUY says: "We have done our homework and do not believe they (i.e. the elderly who are being evicted) have a case."
A GOOD GUY says: "We have a moral and ethical responsibility to live up to our promises. We cannot fail in the mission to 'take care of our own'. The legacy cannot be destroyed on our watch."
Melody M. Sherwood
Taxman Says
Has anyone seen their latest tax filings for 2008? Where is the transparency?
Dental Dam Says
I hear that the LTC is licensed for 195 beds, and that they can probably utilize more space. So now we're talking over $24,000,000 per year in revenue if the facility was full. I'll tell you, if Lew Wasserman were still alive, he would have 100% of the beds occupied, and the place would be rocking like it was when he was at the helm.
Joe Says
Not that it matters because the money is huge either way, but correction in the calculation, Steve. If the Long Term Care Facility has 100 new residents it would get $1,050,000 per month or $12,600,000 extra for the year).
I've been to Long Term Care a bunch of times picking up my kids who volunteered. My kids loved the elderly they helped. As wonderful as the place is, there is nothing lavish at Long term Care. If it can house about 160 residents and the Fund gets at least $20,000,000 for them for the year, how is it conceivable that Motion Picture Fund management can't take care of about 160 residents on twenty million bucks a year? How is it possible they can claim that these people are destroying the Fund? Something smells here.
Frank Says
Hey, gang, if you really cared about the Fund and its residents, you'd stop your name-calling attacks and get involved in helping those retirees and patients that are the foundation of an industry that allows you stand on your soapboxes and cast stones. How many of you have contributed ANY time or money to help MPTF in recent years? There are a lot of you out there who I'm betting would feel a lot better if you actually invested more than a few seconds of derision from the comfort of your keyboards and actually did something proactive. We're all concerned and fearful for the Fund and their resident's fate. By condemning the whole you're almost certainly insuring that potential benefactors (this means you, Mr. and Ms. Hollywood) who could/should collectively mobilize a $olution... will instead stay away, fearing their money will not find purpose. That would be a truly sad result, and you'll be left knowing you helped end it with your commitment only to scorch the management. Criticism is healthy, but so is action... and from the latter a greater reward and result can be found.
Spartacus Says
What kind of man can look into the face of an elderly person and tell them to leave their home?
Scroll up a bit, when you see the cherubic grin with the mottled skin, there's your man.
G Foxgord Says
I kind of like the Jewish Homes idea as a backup. Is Richard Stellar willing to enlist his wife to help in transferring residents???
Steven Says
Let's see. The Fund gets $10,500 each month for private pay or is covered by MediCal for up to $10,500 per resident per month at the "Home". The Fund deliberately stopped new admissions before their closure notice this past January. The "Home" has room now for about 100 new residents. 100 X $10,500 equals $1,500,000 (one million five hundred thousand) per month. Guess what Ken? We just found you an additional $13,500,000 (thirteen million five hundred thousand dollars) a year. Add to that the fortune in monies collected by the Fund from the medical tests (lab work-ups, x-rays, ultra sounds, cat scans, etc.) undertaken daily on the residents of the Home.
Ken? Ken? Hello? Hello? Anybody there?
Where can I get a Scherer costume? Says
I want trick-or-treat as Ken Scherer. I can take all the elder's candy until they have none, and then throw them out of their house.
[insert EVIL LAUGH and SPOOKY HALLOWEEN SOUNDS]
JaniceC Says
Pray this doesn't got to Court Ken - "Just following orders, eh?" FRRR FFFRRR FRAUD?" Maybe some trauma and needless death wrapped in? Not good.
Mariaco Says
Scherer is a laughing stock in the Industry. Nobody believes what he's saying. Just how stupid does he think we are? The Board leadership needed someone to talk out of 5 sides of their mouth and they got Scherer to do it. Can we say "used car salesman."
Travis Tee Says
“We’re not going to have this discussion in TheWrap,” Scherer says. “It’s going to be held with the families -- as it should be.”
WRONG KEN - You'll have this discussion in front of a judge. God help you or your cronies if any of the needless deaths and suffering from transfer trauma are due to what seems to be a very fraudulent platform.
Don't drop the soap!!
10-26-2009 Says
Sounds like more corporate bull Scherer !!!
Put your money where your mouth is. Have you thought
of transferring remaining residents to the California Jewish
Homes??? Richard Stellar ("Saving The Lives Of Our Own")
is married to an exec in the admissions department there and
word is that they are tripling their LTC unit.
It shouldn't even come to this as the LTC should remain
OPEN and the promises you made FULFILLED !!!
Lets Get Real Says
Scherer can try to put a positive spin on this but it is not supported by facts and events. While there are claims of financial ruin the fund still had a healthy $10Million Excess (profit) of Revenues over Expenses in 2007 (they have not released 2008 figures) and Executive Mangement received healthy increases (Scherer's total package increased 17%).
The MPTF staff just recommended 3 Nursing homes for my parent. From the US Government website www.medicare.gov two of these received "much below average" ratings for Quality and one received a "below average" rating for Quality. THIS IS WHAT MPTF RECOMMENDS! There is good reason for the anger and outrage.