January 19, 1933 – August 12, 2021 Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D. age 88, died on Thursday, August 12, 2021, at his home in La Habra, California, surrounded by the love of his family.Dr. Zinberg lived an extraordinary life, which began in humble circumstances in Newark, New Jersey. He was the only child of Zelda and Morris. He went to Weequahic High School where he met the love of his life, Nancy. They were married for 64 years until her death in 2019. Dr. Zinberg graduated from Seton Hall University and attended the Philadelphia College of Osteopathy. In 1962 he obtained his M.D. from the University of California at Irvine. He was a Clinical Professor for UCI and the Western University of Health Sciences. He specialized in gastroenterology and worked with an elite group of physicians known as Internal Medicine Specialists. Dr. Zinberg is best known for being the visionary founder of Care More in 1993, a medical management and physicians’ group started in Downey, California. Under his direction, Care More was a daring venture that radically improved healthcare services for more than 100,000 members. He was especially devoted to making it easy for the frail and elderly patients to receive the care they needed. He eschewed the fee-for-service model, and believed that excellent medical care is a right, not a privilege. An avid body-builder himself, he founded Nifty after Fifty in 2006 when he was in his 70’s. These fitness centers were designed specifically for seniors. He pioneered the now common practice of “prescription exercise” and proved the benefits of body-building exercise on the frail elderly, which at the time was a truly novel idea. He published two books, “Win in the Second Half” and “Nifty after Fifty – A Guide to Better Aging & Fitness for Men and Women”. Dr. Zinberg was honored to accept an invitation to President Obama’s White House to provide guidance to the Department of Health and Human Services. He was also pleased to decline his invitation to the Trump White House. He achieved a modicum of celebrity, having been interviewed several times by Tom Brokaw, speaking on the radio, and being featured in “The Atlantic”. The HBO TV series, “The Knick”, included a character based on him, bearing his name. His proudest achievement came when Care More was sold; almost every employee received money that was life changing. From the janitors through the physician partners, people were able to send their kids to college, buy a home, have financial security and in some cases build fortunes. Instead of keeping the lion’s share of the profits, he chose to enrich everyone alongside him. This brought him his greatest personal satisfaction. Dr. Zinberg was a multi-faceted man, and larger than life. He was known for being a snappy dresser, having a “Mad Men” mentality, and indeed could have walked straight out of a Rat Pack variety show. He was a fitness buff who drank and smoked. He loved taking friends, family, and colleagues to dinner, always footing the bill, and leaving enormous tips. One of his favorite dinnertime stories was how as a teenager he wrote a song called “The Chicken Flickin’ Polka”, which he had sold on Tin Pan Alley in his youth. Then, to the delight of all, he would sing it – loudly. He traveled widely; Israel and Africa touched him most deeply. At home, he was quiet and thoughtful, always reading, memorizing medical journal articles. He was devoted to the welfare of his family, and deeply valued their love and loyalty. After his wife passed, his star began to dim. Life without Nancy was unbearable for him. His last days were spent with his dearest friends, children, and grandchildren. He is survived by his son, Abram, daughter, Perri, and 3 grandchildren: Zara, Josiane, and Karizma.In lieu of flowers, donations in Dr. Sheldon Zinberg’s honor may be made to The La Habra Children’s Museum or The Boys and Girls Club of La Habra.
Published by Los Angeles Times on Aug. 22, 2021.
from WordPress https://ift.tt/3mn4nqC
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment