How Does the Hadassah Ein Kerem Prepare for a War and Mass Casualty Scenarios?

Home Front Command exercise was held on December 17th, 2022, at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. The exercise took place in order to prepare for war and mass casualty scenarios

The exercise marks the end of a six month long preparation process that the hospital and its medical teams went through. During the process, soldiers and officers from the Hospital Preparedness Branch, Home Front Command taught and guided the medical staff through the preliminary exercises. The preparation ends with this exercise in which the hospital has to apply their new knowledge in simulated crisis situations.

LTC Diana, who is the Head of the Hospital Preparedness Branch in the medical department of the Home Front Command, gave a brief explanation of the exercise. “We simulate combat scenarios in the State of Israel which requires the Israeli healthcare establishment and hospitals to modify their work configuration in accordance with the instructions from the Home Front Command and the Ministry of Health. Therefore, many processes take place within the hospital–whether it be dismissal of patients, the transfer of the hospital’s departments and treatment to protected areas, the preparation of medical teams for emergency missions that different from their daily routine, or the field of the hospital’s operational continuity.”  

This exercise is one of many conducted throughout the year. Additional exercises are held in preperation for mass scenarios includin MTA earthquakes or cyber attacks. Nurses, doctors, paramedics—300+ medical staff members participated in the exersice alongside personnel from the Ministry of Health and MDA. 

As part of the cooperation and assistance of the Home Front Command to civilian authorities, hospitals in the State of Israel have a designated IDF company to reinforce the hospital during combat and earthquake scenarios. The hospital assists with logistics, transportation and provides help during scenarios in which individuals are in need of an evacuation. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, soldiers in active reserve duty worked over 600 days in the two and a half year period alongside the healthcare establishment and the state, working as hard as possible to assist the general population.