FAQ
- What is Jewish Healthcare International (JHI)?
- How does Jewish Healthcare International accomplish its goals?
- How does Jewish Healthcare International carry out its work?
- How can I volunteer with Jewish Healthcare International?
- How did Jewish Healthcare International begin?
- How does Jewish Healthcare International select potential sites?
- How can I contact Jewish Healthcare International?
- Where are your offices based?
- Do you have to be a medical professional to go on a mission?
- What are the current sites that you send missions to?
- Who finances Jewish Healthcare International's work?
- Are my gifts tax-deductible?
- How do I make a donation to Jewish Healthcare International?
- What kind of monetary donations do you accept?
- Do you accept non-monetary donations?
- Can I support a specific project or program?
- How do I make a bequest to Jewish Healthcare International in my will?
1. What is Jewish Healthcare International (JHI)?
JHI is a non-sectarian, not for profit, coalition of volunteer healthcare professionals, dedicated to improving the quality of and access to healthcare in at-risk, impoverished communities, with a primary focus on the countries of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union.
Top2. How does Jewish Healthcare International accomplish its goals?
Every year JHI sends between 50 and 60 volunteer healthcare professionals from around the world to our sites in the Former Soviet Union. JHI volunteers come into communities to strengthen medical infrastructure from within so the communities are medically stronger than they were before the JHI team arrived. Volunteers deliver lectures at seminars, demonstrate new procedures, and perform consultations in order to train local healthcare professionals in the latest techniques in their respective fields. Lectures are delivered to audiences as small as 15 people as well as to those attended by several hundred community medical practitioners. With current techniques and information, the community healthcare professionals are better equipped to share new information with their peers as well as to provide improved care to their patients.
Top3. How does Jewish Healthcare International carry out its work?
JHI’s Medical Director, Director of Missions and site coordinators work together to determine what specialties will be sent to each site during the year. JHI then contacts potential volunteers from our database and makes all necessary arrangements with each site for the week long lecture and training schedule, hotel arrangements, tours and all other logistics. JHI volunteers are responsible for arranging and paying for their own travel arrangements.
Top4. How can I volunteer with Jewish Healthcare International?
You will need to submit a CV/resume and application, which can be downloaded from our website. Go to the tab labeled “Projects”, and click on the link to our application on the left hand side. Once it is submitted, you will be entered into the JHI database and we will contact you if your specialty is requested by the site.
Top5. How did Jewish Healthcare International begin?
JHI’s Medical Director, Dr Stephen Kutner was visiting Romania nearly 10 years ago. An ophthalmologist, Dr. Kutner went to visit the “blind club” in Bucharest and noticed that most of the individuals had reversible eye disease. He returned to Bucharest and offered his services at no cost, to those patients in need, with vision-related issues. Thanks to Dr Kutner and the Romania Jewish community, today the “blind club” is known as the “formerly blind club”. Dr. Kutner did not leave the country until he trained local specialists to provide ongoing eye care for the community.
From this experience Jewish Healthcare International (JHI) was born, with the premise of training local professionals in new techniques and advancements for all medical disciplines. Dr Kutner approached lay leaders, the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) for advice in developing a support system for the health systems in the impoverished communities of the Former Soviet Union and established partnerships with these agencies to begin bringing current healthcare education and service to those underserved communities.
Top6. How does Jewish Healthcare International select potential sites?
We consult with our partners, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JAFI and JDC, for advice on potential sites. We then conduct site visits to assess the feasibility of bringing JHI to a new community using a list of criteria to determine what needs JHI can assist with; discussing findings with local community leadership and developing a comprehensive plan for working with the site.
Top7. How can I contact Jewish Healthcare International?
Please click on the “Contact Us” tab, on the top right corner of our website.
Top8. Where are your offices based?
JHI is an independently run, not for profit organization with our center of operations located in Atlanta, GA, at the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.
Top9. Do you have to be a medical professional to go on a mission?
The majority of our volunteers are professionals in various medical fields, including Physicians, Nurses, Dentists, Social Workers and Allied-Health Professionals; however, on occasion we place professionals from other disciplines on our missions, when it relates to specific requests from our sites.
Top10. What are the current sites that you send missions to?
We currently work in Chisinau, Moldova; Minsk, Belarus; Odessa, Ukraine and Riga, Latvia. We also have a project in Kiev, Ukraine. Another project provides essential health screening and education in absorption centers throughout Israel.
Top11. Who finances Jewish Healthcare International's work?
All our funding comes from contributions from individuals, foundations and Jewish Federations around the United States. We receive financial support and in-kind funding from our Partners around the world.
Top12. Are my gifts tax-deductible?
All contributions are tax deductible to the extent of tax laws. All donors receive acknowledgements of their gift, indicating the value of the gift and JHI’s tax ID number
Top13. How do I make a donation to Jewish Healthcare International?
Your donation in any amount is very important to us. Please click on the “Donate Now” button on the top right corner of our website, or mail your check to Jewish Healthcare International at 1440 Spring St. Atlanta, GA 30309. Donations of medical supplies can only be accepted, if previous approval from the Medical Director has been received.
Top14. What kind of monetary donations do you accept?
Any donations via check, cash and credit cards are accepted. Gifts of stock, bonds and property can also be accepted.
Top15. Do you accept non-monetary donations?
These items can only be accepted if previously approved by JHI’s medical director. (Any tax benefit you might request will need to be determined by a tax consultant)
Top16. Can I support a specific project or program?
We do accept financial gifts designated for JHI specific sites, programs and projects. Reports of funding distribution are given to donors for designated gifts and grants of more than $1000 when specified for a specific purpose, within our mission.
Top17. How do I make a bequest to Jewish Healthcare International in my will?
Your attorney will be best positioned to give you advice and guidance. If you make this decision, please notify of JHI of your intent.
Top- If you have a question that has not been answered here, please click on the ”Contact Us” tab, on the top right corner of our website, and email your question to us on the form provided.