Healthcare Facilities in Halachah

Operating Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities in Accordance with Halachah A Guide for Owners, Administrators and Employees A Project of Bais Din Maysharim Reviewed by: Rav Yaakov E. Forchheimer and Rav Doniel Neustadt The recent past has seen an increasing trend of Jewish-owned Healthcare Facilities, whose owners strive to both provide the premier level of care for their clients and manage their facilities according to the highest standards of adherence to Halachah. Healthcare Facilities in Halachah fills a vital need by addressing the numerous halachic concerns applicable to the managing of Healthcare Facilities. Operating a modern-day Healthcare Facility properly presents an unparalleled array of challenges and entails clarifying a broad range of diverse halachos spanning all four sections of the Shulchan Aruch. Some of the questions addressed include: •How may one operate a Facility on Shabbos and Yom Tov? •Does serving non-kosher food to Jewish patients violate lifnei iveir? Does serving it to non-Jewish patients violate the prohibition of "commerce with prohibited foods"? •Do patient’s rooms require mezuzahs? •Do the Facility’s food utensils require tevilah? These and numerous other topics are discussed in this first-ever compilation of halachos that apply exclusively to Healthcare Facilities. In Healthcare Facilities in Halachah, the background Halachah is explained in a clear and concise manner, and the practical applications as it applies to the day-to-day running of a Healthcare Facility are presented and analyzed. Healthcare Facilities in Halachah provides Facility owners and administrators with a comprehensive understanding of the halachic issues relevant to their business. Additionally, it provides rabbanim with the background information they need to properly address the questions presented to them. This sefer equips the reader with a solid grasp of many intricate laws and will surely become a valuable resource for those involved in the Healthcare Facility industry.