The Hadassah Medical Organization was awarded with the Israeli Minister of Health’s Shield for Volunteerism in August in recognition of the some 900 volunteers at Hadassah hospitals and the departments that manage their activities.
In a moving ceremony at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, Health Minister Uriel Busso presented the award to Talya Hirshman, head of Hadassah’s Volunteer Unit; Nurit Shatz, volunteer coordinator; and Sima Ben-Hamo, head of human resources.
“Many people discover the possibility of volunteering and the need that arises precisely when they or a loved one are hospitalized,” Hirshman said. “At that moment, they understand that a supportive hand, even if it is just to make a cup of tea, or the attention of a caring smile, means the world, especially to those who are in a difficult time during hospitalization or a medical examination.”
“The medical staff gives a lot of themselves and definitely influences the positive patient experience,” she added. “But the volunteer has an advantage: they can focus solely on that specific help they came to provide and give it without interruption or involvement in anything else.”
The award is given annually to individual volunteers, groups and organizations that make a special contribution to the advancement of health in Israel.
‘Our Volunteer Department at Hadassah is a role model, and many organizations from across the country come to see it up close and learn how such an impressive mechanism operates,” Prof. Yoram Weiss, director general of the Hadassah Medical Organization, said. Receiving the Ministry of Health’s Shield Award “illustrates how strong the spirit of our people is, and we are grateful for being chosen, along with our volunteers.'”
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