Israel’s most advanced cardiology hospital is set to open its doors on the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa on Thursday.
The Eyal Ofer Heart Hospital was built with a budget of NIS 200 million and spans over 9,000 sq.m. and nine floors. Four of the floors, including the operating theaters, are completely sheltered and protected against all forms of attack, whether missiles, rockets, or more unconventional forms.
What will the facility provide?
Located on the western side of the Rambam campus, the hospital stands next to the Yosef Fishman Oncology Hospital. This placement was intentional, Rambam says, as both hospitals serve as treatment centers for two of the world’s leading causes of mortality.
The hospital will serve as a centralized location for all the cardiology treatments offered on the Rambam campus. Along with the varied and many cardiology treatments that will be administered to patients who come through its doors, the hospital will also house laboratories and departments for furthering research into the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and disorders.
One example of the sorts of research that will take place within the new hospital is in the field of preventing and ending Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in children and young adults.
Professor Lior Gepstein, Director of Cardiology at Rambam and a Technion researcher, made medical history when he differentiated embryonic stem cells into functioning heart cells in vitro.
The innovation coming to Rambam
Now, one of his students and an intern in the Rambam cardiology department, Dr. Oren Caspi, is using his Gepstein’s system to transform induced pluripotent stem cells into heart cells that encapsulate the factors causing Sudden Cardiac Death Syndrome–a leading cause of death in young people.
Dr. Caspi’s research could potentially lead to new diagnostic and treatment approaches for this devastating condition.
The opening of the hospital will also allow for new groundbreaking technologies to be added to the list of treatments offered by Rambam, such as 3D imaging technology and real-time data merging during heart catheterization procedures.
We have created a hub of research and innovation alongside treatment, and by collaborating with world leaders such as Stanford and MIT, we continue to move the field forward.
Rambam Healthcare Campus Director-General Prof. Michael Halberthal.
The people behind the facility
“The world of cardiology has changed and advanced thanks to the combination of advanced technologies and state-of-the-art equipment, which will be reflected in the new structure,” says Rambam Healthcare Campus Director-General Prof. Michael Halberthal.
“We have created a hub of research and innovation alongside treatment, and by collaborating with world leaders such as Stanford and MIT, we continue to move the field forward.”
Eyal Ofer, after whom the hospital is named, followed the tradition of his father, Sammy Ofer with his philanthropic support which enabled the building of the new cardiology hospital.
The Ofer family has provided extensive support to the hospital in the past – as seen by the fact that two key components of the Rambam campus are named for Sammy Ofer. Both the Sammy Ofer Tower, and the Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital were created due to his dedication to the safety and well-being of Israeli citizens.
Now, with the backing of Eyal and Marilyn Ofer, countless more people will receive the medical treatment that they need at an advanced level.
“My family and I are full of appreciation for the members of Rambam’s medical staff,” says Ofer ahead of the hospital’s opening. “We hope that this donation will help them fulfill their mission, and we are very proud to be a part of this vital project.”