From Bob Beitcher | President & CEO:
In the early afternoon of Friday, November 9th, with the Woolsey fire within 5 miles of MPTF’s Wasserman Campus in Woodland Hills, prompt action was required. Nearly 200 entertainment industry residents were evacuated to safer locations by a team of administrators manning an incident command center (including heroes like Joseph Rich, Robert Jensen, and Linda Healy), and an outstanding group of MPTF employees from nursing, hospitality, activities, media center, and environmental services, along with volunteers and spouses.
Amazing community partners like the Warner Center Marriott, the Eisenberg Village of the Jewish Home for the Aging, Northridge Hospital, and Sherman Oaks Hospital opened their doors to our residents and provided safety, shelter, and comfort at a critical time. Fortunately, the danger passed the campus – the direction of the wind was the good fortune of MPTF and the tragic misfortune for many others – and we were able to return our residents to the campus on Friday night and Saturday morning.
Our industry is incredibly blessed to have all of these folks in our corner and as part of our larger community. In particular, the strong, mighty, and magnificent employees of MPTF worked together to make sure “their residents” were kept calm, safety transported, and well fed during this time. At the end of Friday night, after working a shift for more than 12 hours, a group of our hospitality workers said to me, “We’re here to do whatever you need, and we’re here for as long as you need us.”
On behalf of MPTF and our industry, we salute the following organizations:
