L to R Dr. Mickey Stein, Dina Albour, Dr. Jerry Sussman, Dr. Bruria Heuer

Dr. Jerry Sussman, a longtime friend of Israel and today the President of Rotary Coral Springs in Parkland, Florida, worked together with Rotary Petah TIkvah to purchase a special respirator for the Trauma Unit at Rabin Medical Center. The trauma unit is headed by Dr. Mickey Stein who has been friends with Jerry since they met in Israel in 1992. Mickey was then the Deputy Commander of Trauma in the Israeli Medical Crops of the IDF and Jerry was part of a government delegation from the USA. Since then Jerry has been to Israel on numerous occasions and has been involved in helping Rabin Medical Center's trauma unit.

This special piece of equipment, the Oxylog® 3000 Respirator, provides sophisticated essential ventilation for patients in emergency situations and during their transport to the operating room. It is a critical piece of equipment during both emergency treatment in the trauma unit and prior to life saving surgeries.

The respirator was presented in a special ceremony which was attended by Dr. Jerry Sussman, Rabbi Brad Boxman head of the Kol Tikvah synagogue in Parkland, Florida who also contributed to this project, Dr. Bruria Heuer, President of Rotary Petah Tikvah, and Moti Bar-Dagan, Israeli Governor of Rotary International.

Following the ceremony the group took a short tour of the hospital which included the trauma unit and the construction site of the future Jusidman Emergency and Trauma Center. This large project will bring modern and advanced emergency and trauma care to all Israel's citizens, both in times of peace and times of war. Rabin Medical Center provides emergency care to over 160,00 people every year and the trauma unit is one of only six national trauma units in Israel that can handle multiple injuries and possible mass causalities, and stands ready for any possible emergency situation. The collaboration between Rotary in Florida and Petah TIkva is a shining example of two groups of people reaching across the world for a common cause.