Catalyst
Emerging Heroes
Rena and Barry Plost Transform Senior ER Care
For Rena and Barry Plost, philanthropy is an essential part of living.
“In Judaism, there’s a tradition of tzedakah [charitable giving] that is important to us,” Barry said. “We want to pay it forward and leave a lasting legacy.”
Building that legacy has long been a core priority for the couple: They contribute funds each year to a scholarship program that pays for young people’s college tuition, and they are active donors to their synagogue, Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills.
Now, with a $20 million gift to name the Barry and Rena Plost Senior Emergency Center, the couple is raising their charitable investment to a whole new level.
"For over 40 years, the Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department has sought to provide the best emergency care in the country. This enormously generous gift from the Plost family helps us in fulfilling that mission and will benefit hundreds of thousands of older people."
The Plosts have relied on Cedars-Sinai for their own healthcare for decades, establishing long relationships with physicians who take a personal interest in their wellbeing. During brief visits to the Emergency Department over the years, they noticed—and felt compelled to act on—a particular need.
“We’ve both seen firsthand how an emergency room (ER) works, and it’s basically a controlled-chaos situation,” Rena said. “With people living longer and the rising incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, it struck us that the worst thing in the world would be to put an older person with mental distress into a normal ER environment.”
Their observation soon translated into action. “Rena and I thought we could do something to ensure quality care is available to the increasing number of older adults requiring ER care,” Barry said. “There are an awful lot of older individuals who could use support, and we feel fortunate to be in a position where we’re able to offer it.”
ER use among older adults is on the rise, and Cedars-Sinai is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that hospitals are equipped to serve this vulnerable population. “We continue to invest in our capacity to care for older adults, and we are fortunate that community members like the Plosts have stepped up to join us in these efforts,” said Sam Torbati, MD, co-chair and medical director of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Emergency Medicine and the Levin/Gordon Chair in Emergency Medicine in honor of Joel M. Geiderman, MD.
According to Geiderman, who is also co-chair and medical director of the Department of Emergency Medicine, the Plosts’ impact is sure to be widely felt. “For over 40 years, the Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department has sought to provide the best emergency care in the country,” he said. “This enormously generous gift from the Plost family helps us in fulfilling that mission and will benefit hundreds of thousands of older people.”
As the Plosts see it, Cedars-Sinai is a perfect place to channel their philanthropic passion. “Cedars-Sinai continues to make tremendous progress in so many medical specialties, and the standard of care is exceptionally high,” Rena said. “People can have a great degree of confidence that their donations to Cedars-Sinai will result in something very, very positive.”
