LW was a test case for senior health care

PART 2

As part of GRF’s online communication remake, the Communication/ ITS committee has updated Leisure World’s entry in Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia whose pages are viewed billions of times annually. Former professor and current GRF Director William Thompson dug into 60 years of media accounts to document our community’s precedent-setting history. The series’ second installment details developers Ross and Alona Cortese’s “utopian” vision to provide complete medical care as part of senior housing. Part 1, Building Leisure World, appeared Jan. 6. Part 3 will run in the Jan. 20 edition.

by William Thompson

GRF Director

LEISURE WORLD’S ‘MEDICARE’

The Corteses’ health plan, launched amid a vigorous national debate over government involvement in social welfare measures, was frequently labeled “utopian.” (34) It was an important perk touted in the extensive advertising and public relations campaigns that drew attention from national magazines, local broadcasters and newspapers throughout the United States and Canada.

The community’s initial executive director, Lewis M. Letson, formerly the top administrator at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California, (35) said Leisure World’s health plan was explicit proof that the free enterprise could effectively meet older adults’ health care requirements: “It indicates that there are better solutions to the medical needs of the elderly than socialized medicine.” (36) The Corteses made major investments in the medical plan. Cortese recruited a former medical director for the United States Public Health Service, surgeon Weldon A. Williamson, to be Leisure World’s medical director. (37) Leisure World was almost immediately recognized as a test bed for senior health. Within the clinic’s first year, two studies, on heart and vascular diseases, were being conducted among the community’s population. (38) Similarly, the concentration of seniors in one well-known community located in politically conservative Orange County made Leisure World a target for the John F. Kennedy administration’s push for its projected government-subsidized senior health care plan. In a 1963 visit to Leisure World, Kennedy’s

The original A-frame that housed the first LW clinic was torn down and is now the site of Clubhouse 6. The current Health Care Center opened in November 1998, after the second medical building (in the forefront) was razed.

An emergency nurse from the 1960s under-secretary for Health, Education and Welfare, Ivan A. Nestingen, said the American Medical Association characterized medical professionals urging government elder health care as “quacks and charlatans.” (39) After Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson dispatched his and Kennedy’s press secretary, Pierre Salinger (40), to make another personal pitch for what would become known as Medicare.

Ironically, the Corteses’ health care plan precipitated their removal from direct involvement in Leisure World Seal Beach’s management. (41) Almost immediately after the first Leisure World residents settled in, their recognition of the value of free doctor visits, medical tests and prescriptions overwhelmed the 10 doctors and 26 nurses Leisure World had hired to manage the community’s health needs. (42) The Corteses’ projections dramatically underestimated the attraction of free health care. Instead of the predicted 6.2 doctor visits per year, Leisure World residents averaged 12 doctor visits annually. (43) In 1963, the GRF board coped with the unexpected costs by replacing free medical services with a 20% co-pay for all services and prescriptions. (44) In 1964, when the community’s governing board asked for an assessment increase, the medical care fee constituted 70% of the additional $10.50 requested. (43) The resulting resident revolt led to the 1965 GRF v. Leisure World Foundation lawsuit that effectively severed the Corteses’ continued involvement in Leisure World Seal Beach’s administration. (45) The rollout of the federal Medicare program, enacted by the Johnson administration in 1965, caused Leisure World to abandon its community-run health plan. On March 7, 1966, the first Leisure World residents signed up for Medicare. (46) SERVICES

With the exception of the free medical plan, the Corteses’ concept of a comprehensive seniors’ community was largely fulfilled. The community operates a heated swimming pool and spa, a 10,000-square-foot fitness center, and a nine-hole, par-3 golf course. All were renovated or rebuilt between 2020 and 2022. Dedicated facilities are also provided for pickleball, bocce ball, ballet and dance classes, table tennis, shuffleboard, and billiards.

Its five clubhouses contain studios for art, woodworking, lapidary, ceramics and needle arts. Other spaces are provided for video production, theater events and the activities of over 150 clubs.

In the wake of Orange County’s 1994 bankruptcy, GRF bought the building and collection of the Orange County Library branch adjacent to Leisure World (47) and enclosed it and its 40,000-volume collection (48) within the community’s security wall. In 2021, the community opened an internetenabled learning center to host college courses and a fully equipped cooking classroom for instruction in cuisines and nutrition. Arts events and guest speakers appear in the clubhouse meeting rooms and two specially dedicated performance venues, a 2,500-seat outdoor amphitheater that hosts a summer- long series and a smaller stage adjoining the library.

The community has an onsite medical center managed by a private company that provides resident doctors, X-rays, laboratory services, a physical therapy clinic, optometry services, acupuncture, specialist care, and an adjacent pharmacy. Leisure World also houses a credit union; weekly newspaper; copy center; three independent, free-standing churches, with scores of other congregations meeting in clubhouse facilities; a recycling collection facility; and a car wash. Leisure World is one of Seal Beach’s major employers, and its approximately 175 full- and part-time workers provide maintenance, infrastructure inspection, property transfer and financial services. The GRF’s security department provides patrol service, gate control and parking enforcement 24 hours a day. Scheduled minibus routes crisscrossing the community offer free transportation within Leisure World and connections to Orange County Transportation buses and commuter rail lines. (48) Community volunteers provide other services. The Golden Age Foundation is a 501(c)3 charity that has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund Leisure World projects, (49), and scores of other community groups provide financial and volunteer help to residents and community projects.

Next week: In the News, Demographics, Attractions, In Popular Culture, Recognition and Notable People. For those who would like to know more, see the bibliography that follows.

Works Cited:

34. Washburn, Larry. Senior Project Looks Utopian. Independent Star-News. Aug. 20, 1961, p. B1.

35. Medical Care Offered by Beach Colony. Brawley News. July 1, 1963.

36. 6750 Homes Planned for Senior Citizens. The Tidings. July 28, 1961, p. 5.

37. Name Medical Head for Leisure World. Independent-Press-Telegram. Sept. 24, 1961, pp. R-1.

38. Zinser, Ben. Elderly Residents Aid Research. Long Beach Press-Telegram. April 1, 1963.

39. Head Speaks at Seal Beach. Seal Beach News. July 5, 1963.

40. Salinger Swings in County with Medicare Appeal. Register. April 27, 1964.

41. Sutton, Charles. Rossmoor’s New Chief Takes Over. Independent. Aug. 19, 1964, p. B1.

42. Moorman, Vera. Leisure World Offers Unusual Medical Plan. Examiner. June 30, 1963.

43. Sutton, Charles. ‘Leisure World’ Medical Aid Program Source of Worry. The Independent. Oct. 17, 1963, p. B3.

44. Leisure World Foundation. 1965 History of Leisure World. Seal Beach Leisure World History. [Online] April 5, 1965. [Cited: Feb. 26, 2021.] https://sealbeachleisureworldhistory. org/1965-budgetreport/.

45. 2,500 Hit Leisure World Leaders. The Register. March 16, 1964, p. B1.

46. Barrett, Tom. Timeline. [ed.] Margaret Gillon. Seal Beach Leisure World History. Feb. 10, 2012.

47. Loar, Russ. $35,000 from Leisure World Caps Library Deal. Los Angeles Times. July 12, 1995.

48. Golden Rain Foundation. Annual Report 2019-2020. Golden Rain Foundation. Seal Beach, CA: Golden Rain Foundation, 2020. p. 113.

49. Golden Age Foundation. Golden Age Foundation. [Online] [Cited: May 5, 2021.] https://goldenagefdn. org/.

Lawn bowling was a popular pastime in the early years.