The Hadassah Medical Organization has announced it will open a medical center in Beit Shemesh, Israel’s fastest growing major city, located about 25 miles from Jerusalem. With construction scheduled to begin in 18 months, the medical facility will include an emergency medical service, a specialists’ clinic, daycare treatment, operating rooms, and imaging and dialysis units.

Hadassah Director General Prof. Zeev Rotstein, Health Minister Yakov Litzman, Beit Shemesh Mayor Aliza Bloch, Deputy Mayor Yishayahu Ehrenreich, and Yisrael Silverstein, the city councilor with responsibility for health issues, were all on hand for the ceremony on January 13th when the decision was announced.

“This is important news for Beit Shemesh residents,” said Litzman. “We approved the move with the full backing of Health Ministry professionals, with the goal of providing advanced and effective medical services to the tens of thousands of city residents. Thanks to our cooperation with Mayor Bloch and Hadassah, we will establish a medical center to suit the needs of the residents.”

Mayor Bloch noted, “Beit Shemesh deserves the best. I'm excited about this achievement. The Health Ministry, Hadassah Hospital, and Beit Shemesh understand that the residents of the city should receive the highest quality medical services. I see the approval given to us by the Health Ministry to set up a branch of Hadassah Hospital here as an opportunity to develop this service for the residents and as a chance for further high-tech medical development in Beit Shemesh. The fact that the license was granted in such a short time is an expression of the confidence in the tremendous growth of Beit Shemesh in the past year.”

Prof. Rotstein commented, “Hadassah is excited about the opportunity it’s been given to serve the residents of Beit Shemesh. We hope that we will be able to offer the city of Beit Shemesh, which is developing as we watch, high-quality medical services by having our senior professionals in the various medical fields, as well as quality management, participate in this new endeavor.” 

Thanking everyone who worked on this project—"especially the dynamo of the city of Beit Shemesh Mayor Dr. Aliza Bloch,” Prof. Rotstein emphasized that without her support and mobilizing efforts, “everything would have remained a dream.”

Read more in The Jerusalem Post.