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In Memory

Franklin Dee Goldberg - Class Of 1961

Franklin Dee Goldberg

Franklin Dee Goldberg

Born and raised in South Bend, lndiana, Franklin learned the importance of good quality customer service by working his entire childhood at his parents' tiny independent grocery store.

After graduation from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Franklin was drafted into the US Army to serve in the Viet Nam War as a Lt.

After receiving a Bronze Star and being honorably discharged, he graduated with a Master's Degree in Hospital Administration from Medical College of Virginia (now University of Virginia). He also obtained a Fellowship.

Moving to the Washington, DC area, he started the first Mental Health day treatment center in America, with the help of a notable area psychiatrist. Patients could then continue to live at home, sleep at home and possibly work part time . He worked diligently to give dignity to the mentally ill, and his mission was to remove stigma against the disease.

For his reputation as a mental health trailblazer, he was proudly Commissioned to serve on Roselyn Carter's Commission on Mental Health at the White House during the Carter Administration.

When the Carters left the White House he became Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health for the State of Ohio.

Franklin served as president of various national and international hospital administration organizations, and also was a past president of AMHA. He also worked several years traveling our nation as a hospital surveyor to be sure hospitals were meeting licensure safety standards.

Franklin was recruited by various hospital corporations to build staff and direct several hospitals over the course of his career. He went on to be Executive Director of four private psychiatric hospitals. He also founded the first educational program for law enforcement in the country to educate officers how to respond, evaluate, and to correctly apply humane healthy crisis intervention to citizens in crisis that formerly had been arrested and jailed. Now they would be carefully evaluated and taken to quality treatment/hospitalization to obtain respectful and dignified professional treatment. This service remains today and is Pinellas Emergency Mental Health Services (PEMHS), which remains serving the county some forty plus years later.

After being recruited by AMI/TENET to build staff and administer their new pride and joy, The Retreat, a freestanding private state of the art psychiatric hospital in Florida, Franklin championed new programs never seen before in any hospital.

The first, in 1986, was the Cancer Wellness Program, a first of its kind, offering care and treatment for patients with a duel diagnosis of cancer and mental illness. He brought the notable cancer specialist, Bernie Segal M.D., to consult and provide conferences for staff, physicians, patients, and families. He also brought famed psychiatrist/author Brian Weiss M.D. to do the same and provided techniques for healing in modalities of meditation, biofeedback and relaxation for faster healing.

Franklin also founded Praxis, in 1986, the first of its kind globally in a hospital, offering a safe haven treatment unity for the LGBTQ+ community to ensure quality mental health treatment (without any attempted 'conversions') for LGBTQ+ patients suffering mental illness. The staff and medical experts were LGBTQ+ there, specifically recruited for the unit to be understanding and informed of lifestyle and biological make up. He wanted them to safely be treated in a place they could heal and not be bullied.

Franklin required all patients to wear day clothes and at night, real pajamas because he knew hospital gowns made patients feel more depressed and ill. He also ensured they groomed daily to feel fresh, clean, and healthier.

He prided himself on hiring staff who put loving kindness at the top of all priorities in life and dismissing staff who lowered the dignity of patients, families, staff or themselves. He was known to have the first all-female Department Head team beginning in 1989.

After retirement Franklin became a successful Business Broker in Florida and remained so from 1996 until his death in 2021.

Obituary written by Dee’s wife, Susan.

06.01.2022 djb

 
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06/02/22 08:22 AM #1    

Frances Johnette Frick (Rodriguez) (1961)

 

 

Dear Susan and family of Dee Goldberg,

I am so sad to hear of his passing -- I was a classmate at Riley and remember talking to him at the reunion in 2016. I always remembered his grand organization of the first All-Night Prom for our class -- we were SO PROUD of being such a "together" class and being so community-minded. Maybe that all came down from Dee.

In very recent high school stories to my husband, I emphasized his part in making that happen and what he told me in 2016 was that the principal was let go the following year BECAUSE he let us have that prom! 

I was thrilled at ALL the amazing things he did in his life! What a wonderful legacy and what meaningful work...almost couldn't have been more meaningful to so very, very many people! Hold tight to that good that he did and to knowing how much his classmates still think of him!

Much love, Johnette (Frick) Rodriguez '61 

 

 


06/03/22 02:23 PM #2    

Jon Dennis Sr Darrow (1961)

My sincere condolences on learning of the passing of Dee. He was a good friend of mine from the class of '61, always smiling a just a happy person. He help make my high school years enjoyable and passable....

Dennis Darrow '61


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