After Hurricane Melissa, Israeli Crisis Response Team Saves Children’s Lives in Jamaica

To help Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa — the most severe storm ever to hit the Caribbean island — the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) sent a pediatric emergency  team to Jamaica. Dr. Lea Sarna Cahan, a senior physician in the Pediatric ER at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, and Nurse Mor Ben‑Simon from the HMO pediatric department, joined the Israeli delegation organized by Israel’s Ministry of Health and the Government of Israel.  "When two Jamaican hospitals collapsed, emergency patients were redirected to the hospitals that remained operational. The HMO team worked shoulder-to-shoulder with doctors and staff in the ER," said Dr. Sarna Cahan. "Each of us is, in a way, a goodwill ambassador from Israel, and it’s a great privilege to take part in such meaningful humanitarian work in a country that has just experienced such a devastating disaster.”

Dr. Cahan also shared details about one patient, a young girl who arrived in the ER in severe abdominal distress. "She was quickly diagnosed and stabilized," she said, "thanks in part to the ultrasound device we brought from Hadassah to Jamaica."

“The workload is immense, and it was extremely difficult for them to manage on their own," said Ben-Simon. "We’re working around the clock- but it’s worth every minute.”

Dr. Cahan highlights the connection that quickly formed with patients — not just to the medical team but to Israel: “It’s incredibly moving when patients I’ve treated and discharged — who can’t remember my name — come back to say, ‘Hey Israel, thank you!’ before leaving the ER with a smile."