Hadassah locally and globally

Joyce Toub, Collier/Lee Hadassah President

Collier/Lee Hadassah recently offered two outstanding programs that I would like to tell you about.

Hadassah’s global interventions

In a Zoom presentation, Patricia Levinson of Hadassah International gave us an overview of Hadassah‘s interventions globally. She showed us how Hadassah has always been a pioneering organization that confronts problems in innovative ways.

COVID-19 has been no exception, as Hadassah became a world leader in fi ghting this pandemic. It created a model for treating this global crisis and informed the world on how best to proceed. It had a dedicated emergency room for only patients with COVID. It tested every single staff member and vaccinated them. It had recovered COVID patients visit those in the hospital to stop isolation.

Mexican communities reached out to Hadassah for instructions on best practices. Guidelines and protocols were distributed, and “pooled testing” techniques were created. Then, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Romania sought counseling.

Before any other research was undertaken, Hadassah‘s medical team found that the COVID vaccine does not affect female fertility, nor does it damage the quality or number of a man’s sperm.

Women’s health and wellness

Our other major recent event was our webinar on Women’s Health & Wellness. “Body, Mind & Spirit” featured expert panelists encouraging us, as we grow, to learn different ways we can continue to improve. Emphasizing the importance of self-care, it’s vital that we move our bodies, think positively, understand the power of laughter and love ourselves so we can reach out to others.

Topics ranging from care for caregivers to women’s nutrition to women’s heart health were explored. The keynote speaker, a physician who is an expert on aging and leading a more purposeful life, discussed the positive aspects of aging: we become more resilient and we’re able to make better decisions because we can draw from a wealth of experiences. Neurocognitive disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and associated mood and behavior disturbances were also discussed.

Admission to this webinar was $36. If you are interested in receiving a video recording of this session, please contact me and we will be very happy to share it with you. Of course, the donation will be $36, and you can be assured it will go to an excellent cause.

I wish each and every one of you a wonderful 2022! May it be a year of health and happiness as we continue to fi ght COVID.