Care Center Promises Residents Will Be Set for Life :
Retirement: For 32 years Mt. San Antonio Gardens has offered unlimited medical benefits—for a price. Senior citizens gladly pay for peace of mind.
POMONA — Dexter and Midge Barrett–he with a partially paralyzed leg, she with a reconstructed heart–fret more about their unruly rose garden and cranky model train set than about the prospect of a Medicare financial squeeze and the murkiness of impending health care reform.
The couple, in their 70s, have a deal at their nonprofit Claremont retirement community: a guarantee that all their basic needs–including 100% of their health care costs–will be taken care of until they die. At the upscale Mt. San Antonio Gardens, the Barretis and 425 other senior citizens have bought themselves the lifelong promise of surgery, medicine, physical therapy, round-the-clock care and a permanent bed in the community’s long-term nursing home, if they ever need it.
“We’d probably be wondering who’s going to take care of us, knowing how expensive it can be if you get a long, lingering terminal illness,” said Dexter Barrett, 76, a retired TWA airline administrator. “But now that we’re here, that worry is off our back.”
Jay Labinger is a Gardens resident, he was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Jay received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College. He attended Harvard University where he earned a Ph.D. He was an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Notre Dame. His career has included positions with Occidental Research Corporation & Atlantic Richfield. He is the Administrator of Beckman Institute at the California Institute of Technology as well as a Faculty Associate in the Chemistry Department. He enjoys reading, playing the piano, tennis and traveling. He has published books on the history of chemistry, sociology of science and literature & science. Here at the Gardens, Jay is part of the Conservation & Sustainability Committee the Green Fund as well as many other groups through the Gardens Club.
Jane Hurd is a Gardens resident, she was born & raised in a small town in Arkansas. After she received her BA from the University of Arkansas she moved to California and taught seventh grade English in Porterville CA. After two years she moved to Los Angeles and worked for the Department of Health Services and pursued a master’s degree in public administration from USC. She served as CEO for two Los Angeles area hospitals. She continues to consult as an executive coach for CEOs of healthcare companies. She has served on several boards including Mutual of America Insurance Company, YMCA of Metropolitan LA, LA Visiting Nurses Association and Inland Empire Girl Scouts. Jane is an award-winning author and plays several musical instruments. Here at the Gardens, Jane is part of the newly formed Bequest Committee, as well as many other groups through the Gardens Club.
