World
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TARY
Doctors Brandes, Schock and
Friedman in Israel
Training For Warfare, Trauma
Dr. Jeffrey Schock
Special to the Jewish News
W
hile U.S., Israeli and Palestinian
leaders were talking peace in
early November, a delegation of
34 American and Canadian physicians and
other health professionals traveled to Israel
to participate in a grueling state-of-the-art
training program in medical emergency
and disaster preparedness.
The five-day program was organized by
the Israeli Ministry of Health/Home Front
Command, Israeli Defense Forces Medical
Corps, Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Medicine and American
Physicians Fellowship for Medicine in Israel
(APF).
The Detroit contingent was repre-
sented by me, of Tri-County Urologists,
P.C. and vice chair of urology at Botsford
General Hospital in Farmington Hills; Dr.
Warren Brandes of ENT Surgical, P.C.,
on staff at Botsford and elsewhere; Dr.
Harold Friedman, cardiologist, on staff
at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak; and
Dr. Dan Benjamin, obstetrics-gynecology,
on staff at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in
Commerce.
The APF Emergency and Disaster
Management Program provides physicians
and other medical personnel from all spe-
cialties advanced training in emergency
and disaster management, which benefits
patients in their home countries.
Objectives of the intensive medical pro-
the local, regional and national prepared-
gram are:
ness plans of the military and civilian
• Five days in Israel learning from
health systems in Israel.
experts.
Among the highlights of the visit were
• Meetings with senior officials from the
a toxicological drill at Assaf
Ministry of Health and
Harofeh Medical Center in
the Medical Corps of
Tzrifin, hands-on emergency
the IDF.
and trauma simulations at
• Briefings on psycho-
Sheba Medical Center at Tel
logical preparedness,
Hashomer and review of
coping with population
military/civilian disaster pre-
under stress/terror,
paredness arrangements with
triage and treatment
the IDF Medical Corps, Israeli
protocols.
Home Front Command and
•Visiting hospitals
Magen David Adorn (the Israeli
and medical centers
equivalent of the American Red
uniquely equipped for
Cross).
emergency prepared-
As part of the working tour
ness.
Dr. Schock in a chemical
of communities under stress,
• Participating in
warfare protective suit at
the group traveled to the south-
drills for non-con-
Sheba Medical Center at
ern Israeli city of Sderot. Thirty
ventional warfare at
Tel HaShomer in Tel Aviv
minutes prior to our arrival,
the Computerized
a Kassam rocket landed 100
Simulation Center at
yards from the access road we were travel-
Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in
ing to enter the city. The group experienced
Tel Aviv.
first-hand the dangers to the community,
•Visiting doctors trained alongside their
but more importantly, we met the role
Israeli colleagues in several civilian and
model volunteers of Magen David Adorn,
military settings exchanging expertise in
the mental health workers, the teachers and
how to respond to emergency scenarios
countless others who risk their lives on a
involving conventional military/terrorist
daily basis to care for their fellow citizens.
attacks and non-conventional threats from
The stresses placed on all segments of
infectious, toxicological, chemical and
the population and healthcare system on
radiological agents.
a daily basis as well as in emergencies
As guests of the Israeli Ministry of
are substantial. What is most impressive
Health and the IDF Medical Corps, partici-
is how everyone — individuals, families,
pants were granted access and insight into
communities, the military and government
— coordinate their collective resources,
particularly in times of crisis. Any assis-
tance we, as American doctors, can provide
in this area is most appreciated by the
Israeli medical community.
Additionally, I am now better prepared
to treat the wounded from not only con-
ventional physical body trauma, but also
patients exposed to biological and chemical
agents.
Dr. Brandes commented, "The APF
course in Israel was a life-altering experi-
ence and gave us an in-depth knowledge
of bio-terrorism and the risk we face in the
Western world." I
Dr. Jeffrey Schock is a Farmington Hills resi-
dent. He works out of several local hospitals.
Drs. Brandes and Schock have begun
introducing these new skill sets to
affiliated Metro Detroit hospitals to
better prepare the medical commu-
nity for catastrophic, mass casualty
events. For more information about
the American Physicians Fellowship
for Medicine in Israel program
or the Emergency and Disaster
Management Program, visit the APF
Web site at www.apfmed.org . Send
questions via e-mail to Schock
(jeffreyschock@gmail.com ) or
Brandes (carpediem1492@aol.com ).
December 20 * 2007
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