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DMC

“And it is not because the managers of these hospitals are bad people. Its that if you have to go to Wall Street to borrow, you are borrowing for investment in a community Wall Street doesn’t think has a 20-year good horizon.”

The DMC chief cited as an

example Northwest Oakwood Hospital, which he said two years ago was going to shut its doors until the hospital doctors came together and de- cided to become investors to keep the hospital open.

That is a sign of the times

for Duggan who insisted DMC has to be ahead of the curve and not have to wait until its in dire straits to look for in- vestors.

Vanguard Health Systems,

known as an urban based hos- pital system that operates in five states, is currently the eighth largest investor-owned hospital system in the coun- try. The purchase of DMC will make the health conglomerate the fifth largest.

According to the Vanguard/

DMC agreement, the opera- tions in Michigan will be over- seen by a board comprised of four members appointed by Vanguard and three members from DMC.

DMC will continue to oper-

ate under its legacy names and the current management team of hospital presidents and its CEO, Duggan, will remain in place.

In the next five years Van-

guard agrees by contract to infuse $850 million into DMC, making it the largest private investment in Detroit’s his- tory. Of that amount $500 mil- lion will go toward major capi- tal projects and $350 million will be used for routine capital and equipment.

Duggan said also DMC’s

board was able to get Vanguard to put $500 million of its own stock in escrow.

Their failure to fulfill their

part of the agreement would mean DMC’s board, which exists as a separate entity, will take Vanguard stock.

“So it’s not some prom-

ise you’re not going to know whether they are going to make or not,” Duggan said. “They’ve got $500 million and if they fall behind $20 mil- lion in the first year, the DMC board takes the whole $500 million in Vanguard stock.”

At the heart of the deal Van-

guard has made four signifi- cant commitments that serve as the pillar of DMC’s opera- tions.

1. Keep all DMC hospitals

open for the minimum of 10 years.

2. Keep DMC’s charity

care policy for a minimum of 10 years (covering the unin- sured).

3. Fully support the Wayne

State University partnership and DMC’s education mis- sion.

4. Keep DMC as a Detroit-

based hospital system. Duggan said DMC must have first class hospitals to compete with other health systems that may be looking to invest in the city.

Sinai Grace Hospital presi-

dent Conrad Mallett said with the infusion of capital, 40 per- cent of the people who leave the city of Detroit in search of better care elsewhere will now hesitate.

“They will slow their cart

down just a little bit, will con- sider Children’s Hospital, the world class institution in their own backyard first,” Mallett said. “And I will have a better chance at Sinai Grace com- peting with Beaumont Hos- pital. The mission has not changed.”

Several groups have planned

to challenge before the Detroit City Council the transfer of ownership to Vanguard, ques- tioning the legality of DMC’s board to do so. Some of those critics are expressing fear that the promises and agreements may not hold true.

But Mallett said DMC will

not be distracted by that as it continues its mission of serv- ing everybody regardless of their financial status because the arguments over legality of the sale will be left to lawyers to do.

“Forget the legal document.

What is the moral and ethical responsibility the DMC has to the people of the city of De- troit and how best they carry that out? And the way we best carry that out is to do every- thing to flourish collectively so that Detroit Receiving Hos- pital can be the hospital every- body envisions it to be,” Mal- lett said.

Sinai Grace’s emergency

department will be expanded to treat the increasing number of trauma cases and accom- modate new medical technol- ogy as well as provide students and residents a better educa- tional and training centers.

Dr. Iris Taylor, who heads

Detroit Receiving Hospital (DRH), said she supports the new change for DMC because “the citizens of Detroit de- serve to have first class health care and we provide that. We deserve to have that in a first class facility and this is what the Vanguard acquisition will provide for us.”

Taylor said aside from the

massive upgrades DMC hospi- tals will undergo, it is also a “huge infusion into the city of Detroit. Construction jobs, in- fusion for small minority firms that we have a commitment to use in this project. So the community as a whole where the density is changing and there is no economic improve- ment, there is an opportunity to flourish.”

DRH, the only hospital in

the area approved by the fed- eral government to treat gov- ernment dignitaries, includ- ing the president, is set for a makeover with two new state- of-the-art operating rooms and also increasing space in its pre- and post-operative units

Dr. Herman Gray, Chil-

dren’s Hospital of Michigan president, equally applauds the deal.

“This will elevate a very

good children’s hospital, na- tionally known. Detroiters can be assured that they would have the best pediatric care in one of the best facilities in the country,” Gray said.

The hospital was built in

1971 with a capacity to hos- pitalize 600 patients a month, but today the hospital sees more than a 1000 kids and conducts more than 1200 monthly surgeries, and its clinics now handle approxi- mately 16,000 children in a month.

This new development for facility transformation and

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

From page A-1

upgrade “is what our kids de- serve,” said Gray.

Harper Hospital, built in

1975, will expand its surgical operating rooms and add cut- ting edge technology.

The main floors and cor-

ridors of the Hutzel Women’s Hospital and the Cardiovascu- lar Institute will be renovated for patients and visitors to find their way to clinical services throughout both hospitals.

That means four patient

floors and patient rooms will be brought to current stan- dards for private and semi-pri- vate care. The restrooms will now be made handicap acces- sible.

For nurses and physicians,

there will be expanded work areas and the hospital heating and cooling system will be up- graded to meet the comfort of its patients.

Wayne County Commission

voted to approve the Wayne County Renaissance Zone for a central campus for DMC in accordance with the sale.

DMC’s main campus does

not have adequate parking for visitors and staff, so the parking deck on Mack will be demolished to open up the southern end of the downtown campus. Also a new park- ing deck with 1,750 parking spaces will be erected next to the new Cardiovascular Insti- tute.

Now DMC has to appear

before the City Council. Duggan said he and DMC

board members met with hos- pital buyers from around the country in securing this deal.

“Most of the for-profits

would like to buy in Birming- ham and Bloomfield in making a profit margin,” Duggan said. “But when we got to Nashville (Vanguard headquarters) and met the Vanguard group, this was fascinating. These guys have chosen exactly the oppo- site strategy.

“They looked at all of the

cities in the country where the nonprofits are bailing out and they said, ‘What if instead of chasing the patients to the suburbs the way everybody else is doing, what would happen if we went into the urban areas, build first class hospitals?’”

Vanguard, he said, believes

that it can make money in urban areas by attracting ev- eryone to the improved facili- ties.

Watch senior editor Bankole

bthompson@michronicle.com

Participating in 2010 Census will develop our communities

By Lewis Gibbs

WADL TV 38-Detroit has a

commitment to metropolitan area viewers to provide them with accurate and timely in- formation that affects the community. For some time you have been hearing about the importance of the 2010 Census.

The census is a nationwide

head count of every person re- siding in the United States. I can’t emphasize enough how important this year’s count is, especially to Michiganders and particularly to those who live in Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties.

It is in our nature to be

private about our personal information, and some of the question the census workers may ask may seem intrusive, but remember, it benefits our state, counties and cities if we are providing accurate infor- mation.

The census counts both

citizens and non-citizens, in- cluding undocumented immi- grants. Even those people who don’t have traditional “homes” are counted, such as people who are homeless, prison in- mates, and residents of nurs- ing homes and long-term care

most important purpose of the census is this.

The information that is col-

lected through the census pro- cess will affect how approxi- mately $400 billion per year in federal and state government funds will be distributed.

Those distributions directly

impact, services, transporta- tion, road improvement, edu- cation and more. It is a critical necessity that will impact how we revitalize our cities and the state of Michigan.

We need to make sure that

Lewis Gibbs

facilities. The Census Bureau does

not share your personal infor- mation with courts, the police, or other federal departments such as the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Homeland Security.

The information on your

census form is completely confidential, as mandated by federal law, and cannot be dis- closed for 72 years.

All Census Bureau employ-

ees have taken a lifetime oath to protect confidentiality and if they violate this oath, face prison, a fine, or both. The

Metro Detroit gets its fair share. So if you haven’t al- ready filled out and mailed in your census form, I am per- sonally asking you to do the following: When the census taker comes to your door, first, make sure that they present valid identification; second, remember that the in- formation requested is critical to our growth as a community, Lastly, encourage, your family and friends to do the same.

Remember getting our fair

share of $400 billion depends on it.

Lewis Gibbs is president

and general manager of WADL TV 38-Detroit and the Word Network.

Detroit Institute of Arts 46th Annual Bal Africain Gala to premier

The special exhibition

“Through African Eyes: The European in African Art, 1500 to Present” is the focus of this year’s Bal Africain fundraiser at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). The event takes place on April 10 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is presented by the DIA’s Friends of African and African American Art (FAAAA), one of the museum’s oldest auxiliaries. Sponsors include FAAAA, DTE Energy and Ford Motor Company. Proceeds benefit the DIA.

The Detroit Institute of Arts

auxiliary Friends of African and African American Art are one of the sponsors of the ex- hibition Through African Eyes: The European in African Art, 1500 to Present. Other sup- port comes from DTE Energy Foundation, the National En- dowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The evening begins with a

VIP cocktail reception from 6 p.m. to 7. A strolling dinner is available from from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and dancing begins at 8 p.m. Guests will be treated to a live performance by Jerry LeDuff, Mark Stone and Kofi Ameyaw, American and Af- rican musicians that unite American-jazz sounds of vi- braphone, drums and electric bass with the richness of Af-

rican marimba, kalimba and hand drums.

“In addition to enjoying de-

licious food and lively enter- tainment, this year’s guests will have the pleasure and privilege of being the first to see our ground-breaking exhi- bition Through African Eyes,” said Graham W. J. Beal, DIA di- rector. “Dr. Nii Quarcoopome, DIA curator of African art, has brought together some of the best African art in the world, including many of our own objects, to illustrate how Af- rican artists expressed their dynamic interactions with Eu- ropeans and Westerners over 500 years.”

“Through African Eyes” will

be open for viewing throughout the evening. The exhibition provides riveting visual com- mentaries on five centuries of interactions between Africans and Europeans and Western- ers—from early commercial relations to founding of Euro- pean permanent settlements to European colonial rule to recent post-independence in- teractions with the West.

By casting the European as

the cultural “other,” the exhi- bition reverses longstanding Eurocentric perspectives that have dominated African art studies. African voices, heard through recorded oral histo- ries and personal experiences

of African elders and artists, provide their own perspectives on the meanings of the objects and motivations behind their creation.

The artworks will expand

the public’s understanding of Africa as a multiplicity of cultures, each with a different history of relations with Euro- peans. Among the countries represented are Ghana, Mali, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Democrat- ic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

“Through African Eyes”

has been organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts. Gen- erous support has been pro- vided by the Friends of African and African American Art, the DTE Energy Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. Ad- ditional support has been pro- vided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the City of Detroit. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not nec- essarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Tickets for Bal Africain are

$200, and $350 for the VIP cocktail reception. For tick- ets, call (313) 833-1049.

Poetic Reflections

JUST ANOTHER NIGHT IN DA HOOD

I Stood Outside In The Drizzling Rain I Careened My Neck Left And Right, Trying To See Around The Other Gawkers

Hoping For A Glimpse Of The Body

Hoping To Take In Some Gory Scene That I Could Take Back To The Ones Who Missed This Late Night Live Show, You Know You Always Try To Be The One Who Was There Who Saw, But Only Enough To Make You Hood Famous For A Day Or Two

After All The Yellow Tape, The Red And Blue Lights That Have Become Part Of Our Late Night Ritual, After The Squawk From The Police Radios, We Are Left With Ourselves And Now The, “Did You See” And The “I Know That Cat”

Arvis L. Perry

I Turn To Walk Away And Notice One Little Boy Standing Somewhat Alone He Has A Look On His Face Of Pure Horror, He Wears His Worry Like That Of An 75 Year Old Man, I Look Closer And I See A Tear Running Down His Face

I Walk Over To Him, I Place My Hand On His Shoulder.....and I Ask, Are You Ok, Whats Wrong, And At The Same Moment I Utter These Ridiculous Words, It Occurs To Me.....but, Before I Can Redeem Myself As A Human Being,

He Say’s “I Am Scared, I Dont Want To

Get Shot” I Squeeze His Shoulder In Lieu Of The Hug He So Desperately Needed And

I Feel Such Joy Inside, Yes Joy.......because For A Moment.....

The Blood Runs Down The Drain, With The Help Of The Fire Hose The Bloody Clothes And Cap Is Collected By Csi Now We Go Back, No One Feels Anything

It Does’nt Shock Anyone, No One Mentions Moving It Is Just Business As Ususal, Just Another Night In Da Hood

I Thought.......... It Was Going To Be........ Just Another Night In Da Hood!

Arvis L. Perry copyright Feb/2010

Achieving Abundance

Before You Finally Fade Into The Ether Of Oblivion Where Your Identity Becomes Unknown You Should Exercise Your Options To Test Your Theories About The Use Of Your Talents For Finding Your Earthly Fortunes

You Know That Your Search For Prosperity Will Not Be Simple In A World Of Wanderers Where The Voices Of Illusion Can Invade Your Mental Ears With The Destructive Words Of Doubts Familiar To Those Who Fail

Even With The Best Advice Available And The Lessons Learned From Losing There Will Be No Guarantees That Your Most Desirable Goals Will Be Safely Granted By Your Chosen God

Your Chances Of Beating The Odds Or Overcoming The Opposition Obstructing Your Advances Are Spread Out Like A Labyrinth Over Changing Landscapes With Crooked Paths And Moving Landmarks

There Are No Straight Roads Leading To Human Rapture Neither The Brilliant Strategist Nor The Bumbling Straggler Has Discovered The Secret That Can Keep Us From Stumbling

All Of Our Lives Are Tied To The Slender Threads That Keep Us From Falling Into The Pit Of Insanity

Despite Your Having To Carry Your Share Of Mankind’s Burdens You Should Sue For A Separation

From The Daily Minutiae Worshipped By The Masses Who Lack The Basic Discipline For Achieving Noble Deeds

No Longer Should You Engage In The Daily Gambling Game Played By Average People Who Try To Live On Luck

You Are Fully Aware Of The Fact That You Will Always Need A Strong Sense Of Self To Carry Your Own Cross To Fight The Forces Of Fear To Break The Chains Of Conformity And To Protect Your Spirit From All Types Of Negative Opinions

To Achieve Your Abundance You Have Decided To Devote Your Time Studying The Wisdom Of Sages And Taking Advantage Of Your Own Experiences

Each Time There Is A Challenge To Your Imperfect Plans You Should Seek Assistance From The Resources Inside Of Yourself

You Now Know That There Are No Locks On Your Inner Liberation

Your Positive Perspective Is Pregnant With Possibilities And Your Creative Mind Is Beginning To Make Miracles

You Are Ready To Face The Future For You Have Strengthened Your Resolve With Courage And Intellect In The Race Against Yourself

© 2010 Phillip Rhodes

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