Jewish Health International

JHI’s foremost initiative focuses on recruiting, prepping and sending healthcare professionals from Israel and North America on week-long missions to at risk communities in the Former Soviet Union. Teams of physicians, dentists, nurses and therapists train local medical professionals in a variety of specialties. Through seminars, one-on-one training, second-opinion consultations, and visits to agencies, schools, and homes, we help provide the tools for enhancing the quality of and access to healthcare for thousands of people in these communities. The experience is so positive that we have a waiting list of healthcare professionals anxious to go on future missions.

While the programs vary to meet the specific needs of each community, many activities are standard. Our volunteers present lectures at seminars attended by healthcare professionals from both the Jewish and secular communities, who may have come from as far as 200 miles away. Lectures are given in medical and nursing schools, hospitals, academies of post-graduate education, and at a variety of programs within the Jewish community. Our volunteers also screen patients in consultation with local professionals on an individual basis. Additionally, our volunteers participate in visits to housebound patients, providing consultation to their homecare workers.

We determine the medical specialties for each mission primarily on requests from our community liaisons. While we prefer a diverse mission schedule that meets community needs and matches the skills of the volunteers on our waiting list, our community’s requests take precedence as the most important component of our partnerships.

JHI employs site coordinators who are responsible for all handling all mission logistics including developing the schedule for the week, coordinating with local institutions for lectures and seminars, transportation to and from scheduled activities, sightseeing, lodging and meals and any other details. Our site coordinators work in cooperation with the Director of Missions in the Atlanta office to develop the total schedule and they are on hand to greet our volunteers when they arrive at the airport.