Protecting Our Seniors

One of the highlights of my job at Genesis HealthCare during the past year has been my involvement in politics. Today, I was honored to meet Senator Arlen Specter (R), Pennsylvania's senior senator.

Although I am a die-hard Democrat, it was a pleasure to meet the Senator, who is a Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. He was presented with the "Protect Our Seniors" award by Genesis, honoring his fight to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and medical research for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, heart disease and more. He has supported expanded health care for seniors and children, as well as legislation to cover Americans who do not have health insurance.

Late last summer, it was a pleasure for me to be a part of Genesis' "Protect Our Seniors Campaign", where I accompanied our Vice President of Government Relations Larry Lane on a whirlwind van tour through Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. (The van traveled without me to West Virginia and Maine.)

The campaign was developed to educate and mobilize our staff, residents and their families, and the community about potential cuts, at the time, proposed for Medicare funding to skilled nursing facilities. Thousands of signatures were gathered in a petition against the cuts, which were eventually curtailed. For more information, see the brochure I put together for Larry to distribute to members of Congress. It contains reprints of the daily reports and photos filed for publication on our intranet news page.














(l to r) Larry Lane, Health Care Association of New Jersey's Director of Government Affairs John Indyk, and me in August, 2007.

Arlen Specter Honored by Genesis HealthCare

Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania's longest serving U.S. senator, was honored with the "Protect Our Seniors" from Genesis HealthCare, presented at the company's corporate headquarters in Kennett Square.

Hotel Construction

Baltimore's new Convention Center hotel going up.

Renovations at Mondawmin

Baltimore's first enclosed mall is undergoing a major renovation and expansion.

R.I.P. Marc Steiner

Yes. Local NPR station WYPR has taken Marc Steiner's talk show off the air, very abruptly, with a year to go on his contract. They blamed sagging ratings.

While that may or may not be the truth, Steiner had his fans and his critics. He did seem full of himself at times, but he put on a good show and created an excellent forum for local issues. Also, Steiner was the key figure in saving the station when Hopkins wanted to get rid of it.

In The Sun, Herbert C. Smith, and occasional guest on Steiner’s show and a political science professor at McDaniel College, said WYPR’s letting go of Steiner was like The Sun firing H.L. Mencken. Actually, it’s more like NPR letting go Bob Edwards several years ago, after he had hosted Morning Edition for nearly 25 years. Were a majority of listeners surprised and confused? Yes. But did we stop listening to the network? No. So, what about Marc Steiner? Are the majority of WYPR listeners and members (like me) surprised and confused? Yes. It's created a lot of buzz around town, mostly in favor of Steiner. And if WYPR and its board had been able to orchestrate such positive PR buzz like this for Steiner in the past, we wouldn't be going through this now.

But will we still listen to the station? Of course we will. And are we eager and hopeful to see what happens next? I’d have answer yes to that too.

The Marc Steiner Show was once the only locally produced news and information show the station had. Now, with a full news department and shows like The Signal and Maryland Morning, they now have a pretty good track record for producing shows. So while it may be the end of an era in Baltimore radio, it may also be a good opportunity for something new.

As for Marc… Well, columnist and commentator Michael Olesker found a job after similarly abrupt but more justified firing a few years ago. And so will Steiner.

Foggy Southern Morning

University Parkway & Charles Street, at confederate monument. Baltimore, MD

My First Hospital Stay

For those of you who noticed the recent hospital pics of me on my Mobile Phone Album, don't get scared. I snuck into Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center last Saturday night for a simple overnight test. Nothing serious. It was just a sleep study.

I've been told I snore, and that I sometimes appear to stop breathing at times (possible sleep apnea). Hence, my doctor suggested a visit to a ENT doctor, who went ahead and agreed that a sleep study was a good idea. After all, it can be a cause of hypertension... On the other hand, I could just be a snorer. Only the tests will tell for sure.

I'll keep you informed.