Lee Greif - Well Known Medical Volunteer
Mr. Grief is well known in the medical community of Kansas City, Missouri, due to his volunteer work. Grief volunteered countless hours as he served on the Board of Directors of the Menorah Medical Center for over 17 years. Menorah Medical Center was a 430 bed hospital that found itself in some trouble. Grief served as the Chairman of the board for Menorah Medical Center for two years, starting in 1992. When Mr. Grief was elected to the position, the hospital was running into some financial trouble. The hospital lost $10 million dollars during the five years leading up to the beginning of grief’s tenure as Chairman of the board.
Mr. Grief also served as the first chairman of the Jewish Heritage Foundation. Mr. Grief continues to serve on the board; the foundation has been incredibly successful, and in the last year, handed grants to around 100 local charities in the Kansas City Area. What really is astonishing about all of Mr. Grief’s volunteer work, however, is what he managed to do as chairman of the board.
Mr. Greif managed to attract a bid from a public company with deep pockets. Columbia hospital system. This prompted a bidding war broke out in the already competitive market in the Kansas City area.
. Both Health Midwest and St. Luke’s Health System offered bids that asked them to consider joining their own system. This was a bright spot for Mr. Grief and the board, as they were looking to be able to keep a Jewish heritage type of hospital in the area.
Many saw the bids by both Health Midwest and St. Luke’s as an attempt to keep Columbia out of the market in the Kansas City area. Eventually, Health Midwest won the deal. The 430 room hospital was to be merged and closed, and a new 200 bed hospital was to be built on another Menorah Campus.
