MEDIA CONTACT:
PLUS PR
Josh Silberberg
Hadassah National Public Relations
jsilberberg@pluspr.com

July 14, 2020 - NEW YORK, NY – Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) adopted three new policy statements today at its annual National Business Meeting, including a statement on the importance of strengthening US-Israel medical partnerships. The meeting was held virtually and attended by Hadassah members and leaders from across the United States.

Noting its unique position as both a stakeholder in the State of Israel through ownership of the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) and a Zionist organization with over 300,000 members, Associates, and supporters in the United States – Hadassah’s new US-Israel Medical Partnerships policy statement reaffirms and strongly encourages support for bilateral cooperative medical partnership programs between the United States and Israel aimed at developing health technologies, improved methodologies, and enhanced training of medical professionals to achieve better health and wellness for the people of both nations.

Hadassah’s statement also applauds the appropriation of funds for USAID’s Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (USAID/ASHA). Support from USAID helped enable the research and development of a low-cost ventilation machine in Hadassah’s technology lab, which has been shared as an open-source project. At least eight medical teams in eight countries have downloaded and used Hadassah’s open-source code to build the ventilation machine for communities combating COVID-19.

To read Hadassah’s US-Israel Medical Partnership Policy Statement, please click here.

To watch a USAID video highlighting Hadassah’s development of an open-source ventilation machine, please click here.

“Medical partnerships strengthen the abiding relationship between the United States and Israel and support the health and well-being of all people. Passing bipartisan legislation like the EMPIL-DOC Act and establishing an FDA regional office in Israel, among other measures, would demonstrate America’s resolve to maintaining a safe, reliable global supply chain of health technologies, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment, and to bringing new biotech and medtech advancements born in Israel to the US more quickly,” said Hadassah National President Rhoda Smolow.

Hadassah leaders also passed policy statements on the COVID-19 pandemic and the critical importance of civic engagement in honor of the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. To read those and other policy statements, please click here.

Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) is the largest Jewish women’s organization in the United States. With 330,000 members, Associates and supporters, Hadassah brings Jewish women together to effect change and advocate on critical issues such as medical care and research and women's empowerment. Through the Hadassah Medical Organization's (HMO) two hospitals, the world-renowned trauma center and the leading research facility in Jerusalem, Hadassah supports the delivery of exemplary patient care to over a million people every year. HMO serves without regard to race, religion or nationality and earned a Nobel Peace Prize Nomination in 2005 for building “bridges to peace” through equality in medical treatment. For more information, visit my.hadassah.org.