A Glimmer of Hope for Celebrity Nursing Home in Danger of Closing

Supporters of the embattled Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, maintained by the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), are hoping that a change in leadership could help reverse the decision to close the facility, according to a report on hollywoodnews.com.

The MPTF was established in 1921 by stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to assist their colleagues in the entertainment industry who had fallen upon hard times. The Motion Picture & Television Country House welcomes elderly individuals who worked in the entertainment industry, and fees are based solely on each person's ability to pay.

It was announced in January of 2009 that the facility would be closing because of operating deficits that it was estimated could bankrupt the MPTF in a few years. However, the leaders of Saving the Lives of Our Own, a group that has been fighting to keep the facility open, are hopeful that the election of a new MPTF chairman could help keep the facility open. Bob Pisano, who is currently the president and interim CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, has been elected to the chairman post.

Nancy Biederman, co-founder of Saving the Lives of Our Own, was quoted as saying "We look forward to working with Mr. Pisano for the good of the residents and the Motion Picture and Television Fund. We hope that he displays the leadership and vision that the Fund needs as well as an understanding of and appreciation for the historic mission of the MPTF."

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