NEW BUILDING

The Edith and Dr. Heinz E. Samson Medical Pavilion added approximately 270 urgently needed beds to Herzog Hospital to help meet the growing health care needs in the Jerusalem area in the 21st century, especially for the elderly.

The Samson Pavilion comprises basement levels and patient floors, which houses a number of departments, including an expanded Department of Psychogeriatrics, an enlarged respiratory care unit for children and additions to the adult respiratory unit. Other departments include Internal Medicine, Acute Geriatric Medicine, Complex Nursing Care, Dialysis, an Underground Sheltered Hospital for times of emergency, and other departments as needs dictate.

There are numerous dedication opportunities available. Please contact the Development department of the hospital to identify ways in which you can help.

UNDERGROUND SHELTERED HOSPITAL

An underground Emergency Hospital is constructed to house and treat patients during an attack on Jerusalem. It’s constructed in one of the basement levels of the new Samson Pavilion and is equipped using the latest security developments. The need for the Underground Sheltered Hospital grew directly from the rocket attacks of the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and recent fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, as well as the rising threats due to the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as building requirements for hospitals have been revised to include expanded shelters for the protection of patients from rocket fire and biological/chemical attacks. In addition, an expanded Radiology Suite and Synagogue is built into the side of the mountain and also double as a shelter in case of attack.

This additional reinforcement adds considerably to construction costs. 

ETHIOPIAN PROGRAMMING

Many Ethiopian immigrants who transition into Israeli society experience major difficulties. Language barriers, educational background, and—at times—racial prejudice can impede the process of finding a job and the larger goal of integrating into Israeli society, a place that these individuals hope to call home. Ethiopian émigrés - both male and female – often take on low paying jobs to pay for their expenses but desire more meaningful employment to achieve successful absorption into Israeli society. 

In 2004, Herzog Hospital created a program that was established to address two separate needs: the shortage of professionals trained in geriatric care and the need for new immigrants to earn a living wage. Participants in the program receive free training to become nurses’ aides, were given a stipend and served breakfast and lunch. This for some may be their only food for the day. Participants are trained to be para-professionals in fields of physical and occupational therapy, acute geriatric care, complex nursing, and psychogeriatrics.  They are also taught alternative treatments, such as reflexology and shiatsu. 

Currently, the nurses’ aid program has 300+ graduates, 80 of whom have been employed by the Hospital. There is career counseling to assist candidates in finding employment in the field and the project is recognized by Israel's Ministry of Social and Labor Affairs.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Medical equipment are vital tools that our dedicated doctors and nurses need to provide the highest level of heath care to the patients at Herzog Hospital. With the addition of 270 beds in the new hospital pavilion, Herzog Hospital must purchase all the necessary medical equipment. Please see the list of the many items seeking donations for the new pavilion, as well as the current needs for the 330 patients in the existing building.