February 22, 2023
Shaare Zedek Medical Center Dedicates Cross River Ambulance Bay
Ambulance Arrival Area to Serve Expanded Emergency Department in Jerusalem’s Busiest and Fastest-Growing Urgent Care and Trauma Medical Center
JERUSALEM, IL. - Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center commemorated the dedication of the Cross River Ambulance Bay as part of the significant expansion of the hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine. Home to Jerusalem’s most active emergency and trauma care programs, Shaare Zedek sees over 170,000 urgent cases annually with more than 200 patients arriving by ambulance each day.
The ambulance bay, whose development was made possible through the generosity of Cross River Bank, is designed to enhance ambulance crews direct access to the hospital, and expedite patient admission into the department, particularly in trauma cases. As a Level 1 Trauma Unit, Shaare Zedek serves as the Jerusalem region’s most active care center for trauma medicine, including receiving over 80 percent of patients injured in area terror attacks in recent months.
“Through this ambulance bay and the emergency department expansion, Shaare Zedek is that much better positioned to offer the advanced and immediate medical responses that we know the community relies on us to provide,” said Prof. Ofer Merin, Director General of Shaare Zedek Medical Center. “Our hospital’s ability to be prepared for all types of emergencies, whether they are individuals with specific urgent care needs or in cases of mass casualty incidents is a critical aspect of Jerusalem’s healthcare infrastructure.”
Gilles Gade, Cross River founder and CEO, said "I have no doubt that Cross River's contribution to Shaare Zedek will save many lives. We will continue to support ways to deliver quality healthcare to Jerusalem and Israel.”
The newly expanded Department of Emergency Medicine, scheduled to open in the coming weeks, will add an additional 10,000 square feet of operating space for the department. In addition to a significant investment in new patient treatment areas as well as public waiting spaces, the overall design was focused on patient mobility.
The Cross River Ambulance Bay is positioned directly adjacent to the admission areas of separate general and trauma emergency accessways so that all patients can be immediately admitted for care without being wheeled through any public spaces, as was the case for general emergent cases prior to this renovation project. The project’s design and construction was carried out in coordination with senior officials in the Magen David Adom rescue services, which is also heavily supported by Cross River Bank, as well as based on researching similar urgent care centers around the world.
“Shaare Zedek views our role as the region’s leading emergency response sense with both pride and an enormous sense of responsibility, and we are therefore deeply thankful to have our friends at Cross River as our partners in advancing that vision,” said Prof. Jonathan Halevy, President of Shaare Zedek. “We know that the demographic trends in our region mean that the demand on our hospital will only continue to grow which makes development projects like this so important.”
Shaare Zedek operates three major emergency rooms; a general department of Emergency Medicine, a department of pediatric emergency medicine, and an obstetrics and gynecology urgent care service. The hospital is particularly highly regarded for its trauma medicine service, which benefits from significant experience dealing with complex injuries resulting from terror attacks as well as Shaare Zedek’s location within the city. The campus is less than a minute away by ambulance from exits from the Begin Highway that is the city’s main North-South corridor as well as the recently opened Route 16 tunnel that provides immediate access from the western entrance to the city.
