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May 2000, Volume 68, Number 3 |
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| Spreadsheet One *Hi-Tech Heavies Star in Double Feature *Office w/vu, Sunsets incl. *You Read It Here First |
Spreadsheet Two *New Ventures *It Was a Good Year *Campus Politicos |
Spreadsheet Three *New Post for Karlin *School Loses Two Friends *Mike Spence Honored *Good Things Start Small *Manager's Toolbox |
| People:
Leroy Barnes People: Bill Musick |
People:
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| Photograph by Saul Bromberger |
FOR THE PAST 15 years, health care executive Bill Musick, MBA '84, has devoted his career to compassion and hard work, first as executive director of the San Francisco Visiting Nurses Association and director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and now as director of Maitri, an AIDS hospice facility in San Francisco.
Begun in a funky Victorian in San Francisco's Castro district in 1987, Maitri (pronounced MY-tree, a Sanskrit word meaning "compassionate friendship") supplied a much-needed service to a community devastated by the AIDS epidemic. Thirteen years later, Maitri has maintained its primary purpose, to provide comforting, quality, end-of-life care for people with AIDS.
In 1987, says Musick, a simple act of kindness lay behind the founding of the hospice when Issan Dorsey, a Zen priest, opened his home to a homeless student dying of AIDS. In 1997, Maitri moved into a newly renovated space licensed by the State of California. It is bright, well appointed, and comfortable, with common areas to rival any of the fancier addresses in San Francisco. With a full-time staff of 17, Maitri now provides 24-hour care for 15 full-time residents, regardless of whether they are insured. Without Medicare funds, Maitri relies on money from fundraising and from organizations like the Ryan White Foundation. To date, more than 200 men and women suffering from AIDS-related complications have been served by Maitri.
"Maitri has a slightly different approach" from most other hospice organizations, Musick says. "It's first and foremost a home. We encourage family members and staff to eat with the residents," he adds, to keep life as normal as possible for those nearing the end of theirs. Maitri also is a provider of psychological and sociological support for family and close friends of the residents.
Like most health care professionals, Musick is cautious about the future despite the encouraging results in the fight against AIDS. There was a waiting list when the hospice opened, and there still is. "Yes, the quality and quantity of life for many people has been greatly improved, but at the same time, we're seeing different manifestations of the disease," Musick says. And when a cure is found, he says, Maitri's mission will change to focus on other terminally ill people. "There is always going to be a need for end-of-life care."
PETER CALLAHAN
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