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The medical community of Kansas City, Missouri was home to Menorah Medical Center, and suddenly became home to a somewhat intense and competitive bid for the hospital. Mr. Grief, who has served countless hours with his position on the Board of Directors for over 17 years, was elected Chairman of the Board in 1992. Lee Greif was elected as the Chairman of the Board for Menorah Medical Center in a series of changes that were aimed at helping the company, who was seeing some financial trouble. In the five years previous to 1992, Menorah Medical Center had lost $10 million dollars; the $2 million a year loss was unacceptable, and some changes had to be made.

Due to the fact that the hospital was losing money, some changes were made and these changes were more than just a ‘changing of the guard’ for the position of Chairman of the Board. A new management team was brought to the company in 1992. The purpose of this board was to seek out potential partners for the hospital. While the hospital wanted to sell, it also wanted to continue work with the buyer so that the community could continue to have a Jewish hospital for those who wished to have a hospital that matched their religious beliefs and needs.

News spread around the community and medical field as to the situation at Menorah Medical Center. At first, the company planned to approach the companies that it wanted to talk with, in hopes of getting a bid. After the word of the bids began to spread, companies began to come in with unexpected and unprovoked bids. Columbia, the large, powerhouse-type company, came in with an unexpected bid; the bid should have been somewhat expected, however, as the company had no stake in the Kansas City market. As more offers began to come in, it became obvious that a bidding war had begun and suddenly made the Kansas City market a competitive one.

Many who were paying attention to the bidding war saw the two other major bids, by Health Midwest and St. Luke’s, as an obvious attempt to keep Columbia out of the Kansas City Market. Health Midwest managed to win the bid, making a deal to buy the 430 room hospital, but to create a new, 200 bed hospital in conjunction with Menorah to continue the Jewish tradition on the other Menorah Campus.

After the sale of the 430 bed Menorah Medical Center, the Jewish Heritage Foundation was born. Lee Greif served as the first Chairman of the Board, and continues to serve for the impressive and successful foundation. In the last year, the Jewish Heritage was able to hand out grants to nearly 100 local charities in the area. While many people had a hand in the creation of the foundation, Mr. Grief’s work as the Chairman of the Board, guiding the hospital to a sale, helped to make the foundation, and the success of the hospital’s bid search, possible.

Tags: Lee Greif, LeeGreif