Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital holds
third annual appreciation evening
Foundation unveils dedication to honorary president George Reinhart
Published November 6
By Silvet Ali• TLN

On the evening of October 30, the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital (JRH) Foundation honoured George Reinhart at its Third Annual Governor Appreciation evening. The dedication of the main entry hall in his name was also officially unveiled. Located at 3205 Alton Goldbloom Place in Chomedey, the hospital is a care center affiliated with McGill University and specializes in the field of rehabilitation medicine. The JRH Foundation’s role is to fundraise and support the developments of the hospital.
Reinhart joined the Board of the Hospital in 1968 and has been involved ever since. He was the president of the Foundation from 1980-1983 and has served as chairman on various committees. He is now the president of the JRH Corporation. “I am overwhelmed and humbled at the same time. It’s much appreciated, but at the same time, I hope it serves a purpose of introducing people to the centre who wouldn’t normally be introduced to the wonderful work it does,” said Reinhart.
Quality services
The JRH is a 120-bed bilingual facility that respects the customs and rituals of the Jewish clients but is also open to the community at large. Grace Alter, the current president of the JRH Foundation, hosted the evening. She started off by thanking the members of the foundation for the continued support. “This year the foundation was able to support the expansion of the parking lot, a program to help clients use appliances and a rehabilitation garden which is in its embryonic stage in front of the building,” announced Alter.
Rabbi David Goldfield spoke about the importance of caring for others. “Saving one person’s life is like saving the entire world. Let this be an inspiration for teamwork,” he stated. Alexandre Duplessis, the city councilor for Saint-Martin, reiterated the idea of using the JRH as a model for other health care facilities. “This has become a source of pride for us and it is being recognized all over North America. I appreciate the work you are doing. You help people when they are at their most vulnerable. On behalf of the city, I congratulate you,” said Duplessis to the members in attendance.
Family affair
The guest speaker of the evening was Dr. Hartley Stern, the executive director of the Jewish General Hospital. He also spoke of the theme of collaboration and working together for the betterment of the community. “A shared passion is not only good for the patients, but it’s a model for other institutions. To treat, teach and develop. Research is key,” said Stern.
The night ended off with the unveiling of entry hall dedication in Reinhart’s honour. He was surrounded by his many loved ones for the emotional event.  “I didn’t expect all of this. It’s not something you really set out to do,” he said. Gloria, Reinhart’s wife of over 55 years, was also presented with a bouquet of flowers for her continued support of the Foundation over the years.
Reinhart hopes that the dedicated staff and and support of clients propels the centre to reach an even higher level of excellence and continue to provide the highest quality of support in the years to come. “The thing I am proud of most is the collaboration between the Hospital and the Foundation. The important thing is that the Hospital and the Foundation continue to work closely together.  It is an extremely fine model that should be emulated,” stated Reinhart.
For more information on the JRH and its Foundation, visit http://www.hjr-jrh.qc.ca/.