Founded in 1948, the same year the Jewish state was created, Sheba prioritizes life above all else. As Jewish pioneers fought for the State of Israel’s independence, Professor Chaim Sheba was called upon by Prime Minister David Ben Gurion to mobilize a military hospital to treat wounded soldiers on the battlefield.
For the second-straight year, Sheba was ranked as one of the Top 10 Hospitals in the World by Newsweek in March 2020 and continues to show why it is a world class medical facility. Despite the coronavirus, Sheba’s innovative research has been completely uninterrupted as it relentlessly continues to revolutionize healthcare and bring forth hope to those around the world.
This summer, Sheba, the largest hospital in the Middle East launched a novel human clinical trial to help give stage-four cancer patients a new weapon in their fight just a few weeks after participating in an historic space launch to experiment with antibiotic resistance.
These are just two of many pioneering projects that Sheba engaged in all while taking a frontline position in the battle against COVID-19.
At the onset of the pandemic, Sheba conducted more than 2,300 telemedicine treatments for autistic children, ensuring no interruption in their care throughout March and April. Sheba had already been using telemedicine for years, and seamlessly mobilized to increase this vital service to its patients.
In July, Sheba launched its “Mega Lab” solution to improve patient care through tab technology advances that expedite lab test results and decrease human error. Sheba’s “Mega Lab” has been called the most advanced hospital lab in the world, able to react within 30-60 minutes rather than three to five hours for patients.
Meanwhile, Sheba’s ARC Innovation Center, a leader in the world’s digital healthcare revolution, has accelerated a dozen new life-saving medical technologies that have emerged as game-changers during the pandemic including AI and touchless innovations. ARC’s one-of-a-kind platform matches technology start-ups with healthcare solutions, patient data, medical industry players, academia and investors and brings products to market at accelerated speed.
One idea born out of ARC amid the pandemic is ‘Healthspace 2030’ which was unveiled by the hospital during a live demonstration in May broadcast all over the world. Healthspace 2030 is Sheba’s vision for what a futuristic patient room will look like in just 10 years, combining a dozen breakthrough innovative technologies.
Once a patient or visitor steps foot on Sheba’s sprawling 200-acre campus, they soon come to find out that this veritable ‘city of health’ has replaced the concept of hospitals of the past.
But perhaps what best defines Sheba is its humanitarian spirit. Sheba welcomes patients and staff of all backgrounds indiscriminately regardless of race, religion or geographical borders. Most recently, a two-week old Syrian baby was flown to Sheba from Cyprus with his father to undergo emergency heart surgery during the pandemic.
For Sheba doctors, like the ones who saved the life of this Syrian baby refugee, they see one human heartbeat, making Sheba Medical Center, truly a hospital without borders and acting as a light unto the nations.
To see the future of medicine for yourself and to find out what resourceful ideas doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals are innovating during the global pandemic, visit shebamedical.org or search American Friends of Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer on Facebook and Instagram.