(1888PressRelease)
January 15, 2008 - While the 3 lawyers seeking the Democratic Presidential nomination lament the lack of affordable health care in the U.S., Joel D. Ruben, a Los Angeles area real estate lawyer has devoted his spare time since 2004 to finding children who can benefit from the free specialty medical services offered by the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
In the process, Mr. Ruben has helped to forge an alliance between the world leaders in philanthropic medicine for children: the 22 Shriners Hospitals and Rotary International.
Since 1922, the Shriners Hospitals have provided high quality medical care for more than 850,000 children under 18 with orthopedic problems, burn scars and missing limbs. None of these Hospitals have a billing department and no patient or his family has ever been billed . Since 1985, Rotary International has led a world wide effort to eradicate polio by immunizing children through its successful Polio Plus program. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently pledged $100 million as a matching grant to Rotary International for the completion of the Polio Plus project.
In early 2004, Mr. Ruben began to share his talents as a folk singer and musical storyteller for children with the in-patients at Shriners Hospital for Children – Los Angeles (SHC—LA). In the course of his bi-monthly visits to the Hospital, Mr. Ruben learned that SHC—LA and at least 17 of the other Shriners Hospitals have significant excess capacity to treat more children. He became involved in community outreach for SHC—LA and started an “Alliance” between Rotary District 5280 (Mr. Ruben is a member of the Manhattan Beach Rotary Club) and the SHC—LA to raise the visibility of the Hospital and to make an impact in the area of patient recruitment. In July 2006, Mr. Ruben began a two year stint as the first Chairperson of the Rotary/Shriners Hospital Alliance. As a result of the Alliance, a number of children from Northern Mexico, Baja California and Southern California have been treated at SHC-LA.
While continuing to devote his spare time to the Rotary/Shriners Hospital Alliance, Mr. Ruben concentrates efforts on his active law practice in Manhattan Beach south of LAX. But what is the connection between the practice of real estate and business law for 30 years and philanthropic medicine. “At their best, lawyers help people solve problems with diligence and perspective. That is what I try to do in my law practice,” said Mr. Ruben. “It is just that the problems concern real estate and business lawsuits and deals, not medical or health care issues. As a good will ambassador for SHC—LA, I have tried to help children and their families obtain high quality medical for free which is presently available whether or not the politicians accomplish anything. This also involves helping people solve problems and getting things done.”
“I am proud of what I have accomplished for clients in my 30 years as a real estate and business lawyers in Los Angeles,” reflects Mr. Ruben. “I am equally proud when I can help a child in need find his or her way to SHC—LA for life changing medical treatment.”
For more information about Joel D. Ruben’s law practice, visit www.joelruben.com. To keep current on developments in California real estate law, visit Mr. Ruben’s Blog at www.calrealestatelawblog.com
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