Media Contact
Alix Friedman
afriedman@hadassah.org
NEW YORK, NY: March 15, 2022—A second team of doctors from the Hadassah Medical Organization, a leading medical center in Jerusalem, has arrived at the Ukraine border.
Led by internal medicine expert Ye’arit Rebak, MD, the team of Hadassah internists, pediatricians and nurses has been given medical responsibility for Ukrainian refugees at the border crossing close to Przemyśl in southeastern Poland. There, thousands of refugees are recovering from their ordeal and waiting to go to eastern Poland and elsewhere in Europe.
The work is being coordinated with the World Health Organization, the Polish health authorities, the Polish Red Cross and NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief.
The Hadassah team already on the ground is training doctors in how to deal with mass casualties and serious trauma incidents. The training, which is being led by Asaf Kedar, MD, head of the trauma unit at one of Hadassah’s hospitals, will increase with the arrival of additional Hadassah trauma specialists.
The training is taking place at the hospital of the Medical University of Lublin, a regional trauma center charged by the Polish government with heading the treatment of Ukrainian refugees.
The hospital’s director and department heads have already attended training sessions and the hospital is adjusting its preparations based on what they learned. This week, the Hadassah team will lead training sessions for the hospital’s medical staff.
To enable real-time guidance, the Lublin and Hadassah teams created a communication network with smaller hospitals in the region. At their request, Hadassah also produced a training video.
Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, and Hadassah International are supporting the initiative with fundraising campaigns. The mission to Poland is part of a joint humanitarian effort of both organizations and the Hadassah Medical Organization.
Said Professor Yoram Weiss, MD, Acting Director General, Hadassah Medical Organization: “Hadassah’s vision and values led us to this practical action, which goes far beyond the sympathy and compassion we feel for the refugees who, in a moment, left the lives they knew and came to the borders wounded, sick and grieving.”
Said Naomi Adler, CEO, Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America: “Our hearts are breaking for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have been driven from their homes. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are raising the funds needed to provide the best medical care possible for the refugees.”
Said Jorge Diener, Executive Director, Hadassah International: “From the moment the fighting started in Ukraine, we understood a humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding and only worsening with time. It’s hell for the refugees, with destroyed lives that must be built anew. Hadassah’s ethos is to bring medicine to Israel and every corner of the globe.”