WH

ent side of Israel than that portrayed on
the news.
Rambam's Nursing Project
Coordinator Nancy Black said the
experience truly benefits both parties.
"Rambam and the State of Israel
have much to offer in the field of
nursing education:' she explained.
"Students are exposed to a variety of
experiences, situations and profession-
als which they wouldn't necessarily
come across during their studies in
their home country."
Black noticed the visiting students
repeatedly emphasize the sense of
cooperation, warm hospitality and
enjoyment that they experience
throughout their placement.
"The students leave with new ideas
on how to improve and optimize the
nursing system in their home country
and in return, we develop positive
relationships with international medi-
cal institutions and send back great
ambassadors for Israel:' she said.
Norway is just one of a number of
European countries whose profession-
als or students make annual visits to
learn from Rambam's medical team.

USA
Physicians at Rambam and the
University of North Carolina in Chapel
Hill have established a formal academ-
ic, clinical and research collaboration
in the area of pediatric facial deformi-
ties to deliver expert surgeries and
refined research on congenital facial
defects.
In May, Dr. John van Aalst, UNC's
director of pediatric and craniofacial
plastic surgery, assisted Rambam's
senior maxillofacial physician Dr.
Omri Emodi and senior plastic sur-
geon Dr. Dana Egosy in a difficult
procedure to repair congenital facial
detects in 14-year-old twin boys at
Rambam.
Each twin was born with a cleft
palate and nose, and fused fingers —
which were repaired in a three-hour
surgery for each twin. Emodi said
Rambam called upon Dr. van Aalst
for this revision surgery because UNC
specialists perform these surgeries
almost on a daily basis, whereas the
procedure is less frequent at Rambam.
Dr. Emodi said the two hospitals
have built "a natural connection" in
collaborating in the area of pediatric
craniofacial defects. UNC is one of the
largest and oldest centers for these
surgeries in the U.S., and Rambam is
the largest surgical center repairing
facial defects among children in Israel.
Emodi and van Aalst are in frequent
communication for consultations on
complicated cases.
This collaboration is not the first for
Rambam and high-ranking universi-

ties in the United States. Rambam, the
adjacent Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology and Johns Hopkins have
a longstanding partnership and, more
recently, the University of Michigan
has joined forces with the Israeli
heavyweights to combat cardiovascu-
lar disease.
Last December, University of
Michigan faculty members vis-
ited Haifa for the second annual
Cardiovascular Symposium, which
gave delegations from both univer-
sities the opportunity to exchange
research with the intention of converg-
ing life sciences, physical sciences and
engineering to enable advances in this
growing field of medicine.
Since the beginning of the collabo-
ration, pairs of scientists and doctors
from the two institutions have already
made an impact in the field of stem
cell treatments for a range of illnesses.

South America
Rambam's ambition to be a light
unto the nations does not stop at the
gates of the hospital. This summer,
Professor Marc Edelman, director of
Rambam's Pediatric Orthopedic Unit,
joined an international medical del-
egation of nurses, physiotherapists and
surgeons at Loja University Hospital
in southern Ecuador. The delegation
brought with them nearly a ton of
medical equipment.
The four-day mission provided con-
sultations and treatments for major
orthopedic conditions in a region
that lacks health care prevention,
equipment and medical personnel.
Edelman said that nearly 700 people
sought consultations and 150 received
examinations. Thirty-seven adults and
children had surgery.
The team performed surgery and
gave medical care from 8 a.m. until 10
p.m. daily. The work pace was incred-
ible, said Edelman, explaining "nearly
40 surgeries in four days is a chal-
lenge. There were moments when you
just wanted to fall from exhaustion,
but you knew that every minute in the
surgical suite you were helping some-
one, and this strengthens you and
encourages you to keep going."
From medical research, trauma
training and cancer care, this is just
a sampling of the work Israeli health
care providers have offered to special-
ists and those in need across the globe.
Rambam places a positive spotlight
on Israel through its actions of endless
giving for the sake of advancing health
care. Spreading the tenets of justice,
innovation and education to the four
corners of the Earth allows Rambam
to perform its own unique form of
being a light unto the nations.

❑

Experience The

St. Joe's

Wishes Good Health to All
This Rosh Hashanah and Beyond

By Jack Wein
President and CE 1
St. Joseph Mercy
Oakland

Each Rosh Hashanah we wish everyone
Shana Tovah, a good year, filled with
peace, happiness, prosperity and good
health. At St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, we
wish everyone good health with every
contact we make. Further, our award-
winning care ensures that patients not only will be on the road to good health, but also will
see the quality of their lives improve.

St. Joe's is honored to be recognized for patient safety and quality care by leading health
organizations. The Leapfrog Group has twice awarded us an "A" grade for patient safety and
quality care and named us a Top Hospital, its highest honor. Nine times we've been named
a Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital by Truven Health Analytics, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Michigan has designated St. Joe's as a Blue Distinction Center+ in the areas of Knee and
Hip Replacement, Spine Surgery and Cardiac Care. We are consistently among the top five
percent of hospitals in the nation for excellence in women's health, and we were the first
in the state and one of the first in the nation to be designated a Certified Pain and Palliative
Care Center. In a recent survey, The Joint Commission gave us high scores, validating our
organization for providing optimal safety and quality care to our patients. Additionally,
St. Joe's was named Michigan's first Certified Primary Stroke Center.

In the area of technology, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland was among the first hospitals to adopt
the use of telemedicine for our Michigan Stroke Network to treat stroke patients around
the state. In our technologically advanced Surgical Pavilion, our skilled surgeons save
lives every day with the robotic da Vinci0 Surgical System. Our commitment to advanced
technology will be evident in our new South Patient Tower, scheduled to open in spring 2014.
The tower will offer major advancements in technology for the highest levels of patient
safety and quality. Recently, we were recognized in the national "Most Wired Survey" for our
commitment to pursue the newest innovations and technologies to help us provide optimal
patient safety and quality care for our patients.

Our drive for quality, excellence and exceptional clinical outcomes can be seen in the many
services we provide in Cardiology, Orthopedics, Oncology-Cancer Care, Pulmonary Medicine,
Urgent Care and community programs. The compassionate care we provide to our patients
and their families ensures that when they come to St. Joe's they have an exceptional
experience in a peaceful, healing environment.

On this Rosh Hashanah and everyone thereafter, may we have peace, happiness, prosperity
and most of all, good health.

For information related to this story,
Call: 800-372-6094

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