ABSTRACT
The owners of the institutions, motivated by hopes of profit, sought to provide minimum care for minimum cost, and visits of government inspectors were not sufficient. The result was an atmosphere of institutionalization, with no incentive to seek rehabilitation programming or updating medications. This status quo went on for about decades until the mental health reform program was proposed in 1990s and a movement for de-institutionalization began affecting policy decisions of the Health Ministry officials. Rabbi Dr Israel Miller had been manipulated by certain Health Ministry Officials whose first priority was the de-institutionalization and closure of the private institutions, an issue of economic and not moral priorities. Three survivor homes were built and populated under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. The facility at Shaar Menashe did not participate in the testimony project, and the involvement of Lev Hasharon was minute in comparison to Beer Yaacov.
