.svg)
Tamar Ben Haim takes a quick break from nursing duties to call her mom back home in Durban, South Africa.
“She was in a coma for a year, and I miss her terribly,” said Ben Haim. “But despite the sense of longing and not being there for Mom, I have the strength, motivation and satisfaction to care for patients in the underground emergency facilities.”
Ben Haim, fellow nurses, doctors and technicians move from bed to bed in one of 11 hastily constructed emergency treatment units across the Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem campus. Every space that is deemed safe, be it doctors’ offices, an underground parking lot, or an OR waiting area turned into a space for neonates, has metamorphosed into a hospital department. At Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus, in addition to the underground hospital in the Gandel Rehabilitation Center, underground spaces are also being used.
“We began working down here on Thursday,” said a nurse walking briskly through a parking lot-cum-emergency ward in Hadassah Ein Kerem. Thursday was Day 6 of the war with Iran, and, in those few days, the lot became unrecognizable, with all the needed monitors, mobile Xray machines and even portable showers for people in wheelchairs. Piles of new beds are stacked in a corner, should the need arise to expand.
Nurse Ilana called out, “Send all my love to Hadassah Denver,” her hometown before she made aliyah 23 years ago.
Work was already underway on an extension to the always-busy ER at Hadassah Ein Kerem. Hospital administrators decided to speed up construction work to create yet another safe space.
“At the start of the war, the walls were finished, and there were sockets. That was it,” said Head Nurse Dvora Dukan.
Now there’s a constant flow of nurses, doctors, auxiliary staff and young volunteers. It’s a tight squeeze, with so many beds, family members and staff. One patient smiled, saying, “But I feel perfectly safe here.”
Just outside the Pediatric ER, the heavy metallic protective doors are locked in place. Right now, there’s only one open entrance to the emergency rooms.
“When there’s a siren, everyone — staff and visitors — is invited inside and we immediately lock that entrance as well,” said a member of the nursing staff.
There’s a deep sense of camaraderie among staff, with morale high. When the busy staff members have a free moment, there’s mutual support, backslapping and even humor. And for those like Ben Haim with loved ones overseas, sometimes there’s a chance to keep them apprised of the state of the nation and the feelings of safety at both Hadassah hospitals.
