Metropolitan Jewish Hospice/Palliative Care

Review: My father passed away in September 2012. I had taken care of him for three years. After his passing, Beth Israel/Continuum Partners made arrangements for me to have weekly grief counseling sessions. Patient Rep [redacted] claims I have the right to counseling sessions for 12-13 months after my father's death.I had been speaking by phone to [redacted] but requested a new counselor in March of 2013. [redacted] was being unresponsive to my needs. [redacted], the Hospice coordinator gave me a new counselor but stopped the sessions after five weeks. What Metropolitan Jewish fails to realize is that I cannot afford private counseling. I had been seeing a therapist but I can't afford it any longer.I spoke to [redacted] about resuming the sessions for once a week by phone and he refused to do it. I also spoke with [redacted] who encouraged me to file a complaint against MJHS. It is very hard to believe that they cannot spare a counselor for 15-20 mins a week by phone.I also think [redacted] is one of the least compassionate people I have ever dealt with. He's very rude. Even several social workers at MJHS said I was entitled to the benefit for one year.Desired Settlement: To have my weekly phone sessions reinstated for several more weeks.

Business

Response:

Response to Revdex.com complaint – [redacted]

Jacob Perlow Hospice Corp (referred to by complainant as Metropolitan Jewish Hospice/Palliative Care), operates a hospice program through which end of life care and services are provided to persons (including their family members and significant others) who elect its hospice benefit . Jacob Perlow does not provide any end of life services to individuals not admitted onto the hospice program; nor does it provide bereavement services to families of individuals if the decedent had not elected the program prior to his/her death.

Although **. [redacted], acting on behalf of her father, contacted Jacob Perlow on multiple occasions for information regarding enrolling her father, **. [redacted] never elected our hospice benefit for her father, preferring to pursue aggressive treatment rather than palliative end of life care for him.

Because of the frequent contacts **. [redacted] had with our hospice staff and her grief upon the death of her father, Jacob Perlow staff elected to provide some bereavement support to her. This support was provided despite the fact that Jacob Perlow had no obligation to do so (her father had never been admitted onto our program), nor did they receive (or expect) any compensation for the services.

Following four months of support and multiple attempts to refer **. [redacted] to community resources that could assist her, Jacob Perlow advised **. [redacted] that the services were at an end.

**. [redacted] is not a Jacob Perlow Hospice employee and was not and is not authorized to act or speak on behalf of Jacob Perlow.

Consumer

Response:

#[redacted].

Please contact [redacted] at [redacted] or by phone [redacted]. He will confirm that Beth Israel provides 12-13 months of grief counseling through MJHS/Jacob Perlow Hospice.

Thank you.