Dear APF Members and Friends,

We would like to express our deep appreciation for the many offers of assistance we have received concerning the current COVID-19 outbreak. It is heartwarming to see that despite the global crisis, there is such a generous willingness to support the Israeli healthcare system in these times of constraint.
 
At present, the Israeli healthcare system, with which we stay in close contact, does not require external volunteers. The Ministry of Health’s officials are managing the pandemic professionally but calmly. Policies are being modified according to evolving data and occurrences, and the overarching Israeli policy is quite strict. As of March 9, anyone entering Israel is mandated to observe a 14-day home quarantine. Every hospital has prepared isolation facilities, should they be needed, but as yet, most of the patients are being treated in the community, per the home-quarantine protocol. When symptoms present, the Magen David Adom’s teams check the suspected patients at home, wearing full personal protective gear.
 
Knowing that we have friends and colleagues willing to assist, should that be necessary, is a heartening sign of support, and we would like to thank you all. If you would like more information, we’re happy to share as we continue to learn more.
 
Wishing you health and tranquility.

Happy Purim,
Amir Goldshtein
Executive Director
Please join us for APF's 70th-anniversary brunch
Sun, May 17, 2020 11:00 AM EST
APF's 70th Event
Congregation Rodeph Sholom, New York
Speakers:
B.G. Dr. Tarif Bader, Surgeon General of the IDF
Brigadier General Dr. Tarif Bader is the first Druza Surgeon General of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Dr. Bader took part in four IDF humanitarian delegations abroad, including ones in Haiti (2010), Nepal (2015) and Turkey (2016). The hospitals in these missions treated thousands of injured civilians. During his time as Chief Medical Officer in the IDF Northern Command, he oversaw the opening of the field hospital on the Syrian border, where the IDF treated Syrians injured in the civil war.
APF Alumnus Prof. Ofer Merin, Director General of Shaare Zedek Hospital and Commander of the IDF Military Field Hospital
Colonel (Reserves) Prof. Ofer Merin is the commander of the Israeli army's field hospital that was recognized by The United Nation’s World Health Organization as the first Type 3 field hospital in the world. He took part in the delegations to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake; to Japan following the tsunami in 2011; to the Philippines after the typhoon in 2013; and to Nepal after the 2015 earthquake. In these delegations, he served as the medical director of the hospital. Prof. Merin received a grant from APF to study as a fellow in adult cardiac surgery at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto, Canada, from 2001 to 2003. In 2007, he was designated “responsible for readiness in emergency” in Shaare Zedek, and subsequently was appointed director of the trauma unit. In October 2018, the board of Shaare Zedek unanimously decided to appoint Prof. Merin director general of the hospital, starting January 2019.

Topic:
Challenges faced by Israeli soldiers, reservists and permanent staff who are responsible for rescuing and providing medical treatment to thousands in 29 international humanitarian aid missions conducted by the IDF, whose ethos, like the State of Israel’s, is that human life comes first.

Kosher brunch will be served. For any questions or to register, contact Amir Goldshtein at 617-232-5382 or amir@apfmed.org
Registration is open.
We look forward to welcoming this year's participants!
APF's 22nd Emergency & Disaster Preparedness Course in Israel will take place from November 7 to 12, 2020.

Created in conjunction with Israel's Ministry of Health and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), this one-of-a-kind program offers healthcare professionals firsthand training from some of the world’s foremost experts.

If you have any questions, contact Amir Goldshtein at amir@apfmed.org or call 617-232-5382.
2020 Solomon Hirsh Israeli Nurses Education Fund
From left: Amir Goldshtein, APF Executive Director; Dr. Shirly Luz, Director of Post Basic Education and Curriculum at the Israeli MOH Nursing Div ision; Calanit Key, Chief Nursing Officer at Clalit Health Services; Mali Kusha, Chief Nursing Officer at Meuhedet Health Services; Nancy Schmidt, APF President; Phillip Robinson, Lankenau Medical Center President; Dr. Angela Irony, Chief Nursing Officer at Maccabi Health Care Services
In February, APF sponsored three Chief Nursing Officers and the Director of Post Basic Education and Curriculum in the Israeli Nursing Division, Ministry of Health for a two-week observation courses with the goal in adding the Family NP r ole to the Israeli Primary Care Clinics. The delegation visited the University of Pennsylvania and Lankenau Medical Center, along with a weeklong visit at the Cleveland Clinic.

Todah Rabah to Dr. Richard N. Hirsh and his family for your ongoing help promoting advanced nursing practices in Israel!
Yasher Koach to our President Nancy Schmidt, RN, who organized and oversaw the visits in Philadelphia.

During the visit of the Israeli nurses delegation at Lankenau Medical Center, Nancy and her husband, Dr. Richard Schmidt had a welcoming reception for them. During the event, Nancy and Richard surprised Dr. Gilad Margolis (in the middle), an Israeli Fellow in Cardiovascular at Lankenau, with the news that they will sponsor his 2020 APF Fellowship Grant.
Soroka genitourinary cancer specialist studies in Ottowa
"I see three times the patients I do in Israel. For example, in Israel I see nine testicular cancer patients a year and here I see three every week.
“Here you also see more inherited cancers, kidney for example. This is great because I had one case in Israel and in Ottawa I’ve seen 10 so far," says Dr. Noa Shani Shrem.
EMS training combined with a classic
Birthright Israel trip!
Be a part of this one-of-a-kind groundbreaking program that combines an exciting medical field with all that Birthright Israel has to offer. It is presented in partnership with Magen David Adom, Israel's National Emergency Medical and Blood Services Organization and a member of the International Red Cross. Participants will take part in Magen David Adom's official First Responder's Certification course.
International Master's Program
on Disaster Management at Tel Aviv University
The International Multidisciplinary Program for Emergency and Disaster Management was established at Tel Aviv University in 2011 with the aim of providing the graduates with the knowledge and skills required to effectively deal with emergencies and disasters and their consequences.

The 10-months program enables students from all over the world to study in Israel, gain knowledge and competencies in emergency preparedness and management, and learn from leading experts as their lecturers and faculty .

The master's program has three major goals :
  1. To impart the academic knowledge and the operational and theoretical analysis skills required when dealing with emergency and disaster situations.
  2. To develop new, innovative and critical ways of thinking when examining intervention plans for dealing with emergency and disaster situations, as well as the ability to transform these plans into action.
  3. To provide the knowledge and hands-on experience to develop the skills needed for dealing with diverse types of emergencies and disasters, using tools and skills for capacity building, management, organization, evaluation, and analysis of such situations.

Click here for more information, or email Assaf Levinton, Administrative Director at emergex@tauex.tau.ac.il .
2001 Beacon Street ~ Suite 210
Boston, MA 617-232-5382