New President For Cobble Hill Health Center

Following a 20-year career as Administrator, Tony Lewis took over as President and CEO at the Cobble Hill Health Center last week, succeeding his mentor Olga Lipschitz, who is retiring.

"I have to pinch myself, where did 20 years go?" said Lewis, a British ex-pat who holds a Master’s in Health Policy and Management and previously worked as a consultant and panel adviser on the needs of family caregivers for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London. He was quick to credit his predecessor, Olga Lipschitz: "They say you stand on the shoulders of those who come before you. Well, hers are very tall shoulders to stand upon."

, located at 380 Henry Street between Congress and Warren Streets, has been in operation since the 1970s, when it switched from private ownership and was handed over to the local community as a not for profit under Lipschitz' charge.

Since that time, it has become a leader in senior health care services in New York State, spearheading innovative treatment methods and progressive community-based services. Lewis spoke enthusiastically of some of the programs that have been integrated into traditional services while the two worked together.

"The nursing home is no longer the nursing home of 20 years ago," said Lewis. "Last year alone we had 700 admissions and we discharged 450 patients back to their own homes."

In fact, short-term rehabilitation and at-home care services are fast becoming the preferred treatment versus nursing home care, Lewis told Patch.

"The nursing home is really the home of last resort," he said. "So we are now offering a range of community-based services in the patients' homes, or where the patient comes in for the day and then leaves. This is necessary as we move toward the future. The boomer generation has high expectations of their services and there is a level of ownership they assume for their health care that is different from preceding generations."

To enhance these new services, The Cobble Hill Health Center recently underwent a gut renovation to give rehabilitation rooms the look and feel of a hotel. Other changes have included an expansion to Buschwick, where the center has employed a Russian-speaking team, a Spanish-speaking team and Chinese-speaking team to engage with various ethnic communities.

"This will always be the flagship of the fleet," said Lewis of the Cobble Hill Health Center. "We have 364 beds here and we maintain all of our administrative offices here. But we are moving more and more toward virtual offices, because the day-to-day care is being administered increasingly in people's homes."

Other evidence of the Center's progressive approach has been documented in its use of iPods in caring for Alzheimer's patients [see video in the gallery]. Music play lists are created and modified using family member's input and then played for the patient to trigger different responses.

"In terms of managing behaviors, there can be a lot of resistance to care when it comes to Alzheimer's patients because they don't understand what is happening," said Lewis. "But we have had a lot of success in playing music through the iPod headphones prior to treatment that leaves them much more receptive and calm."

In some cases, the iPods have even opened up a doorway of communication that had previously been closed.

"We had one gentleman who was an old military guy," Lewis explained, "and he swore all the time. The most vile language would pour out of his mouth morning, noon and night. And he would spit at people often, too. Nobody knew what to do with this guy. So we decided to try playing some military music for him and he immediately began saluting and changing his behaviors in ways that even we couldn't have anticipated."

These non-pharmacological interventions and in-home services are just the beginning of what Lewis sees as the Center's transition toward meeting the needs of the next generation of patients.

“Tony has been one of the pivotal influences on this facility’s growth as a leader in the health care industry,” said Chairman of the Board, Demetra Polimeros in a prepared statement. “He has always focused on what is best for the patient and that’s why we have such a respected name in caring for the elderly and disabled.”