Israeli medical teams at the field hospital operated by Sheba Medical Center, in the town of Mostyska near the Polish border, were finalizing their preparations to treat victims of the war in Ukraine over the weekend.
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The "Kohav Meir" (Shining Star) field hospital is expected to begin operations on Tuesday, March 22.
On Saturday morning an Israeli flag was hoisted alongside a Ukrainian one outside the elementary school whose grounds will be home to the NIS 21 million ($6.5 million) facility.
The Israeli hospital has already brought in 17 tons of equipment from Israel. The Shining Star facility is a collaborative effort of the Health Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, and Sheba Medical Center, which, as stated, is operating the hospital.
It is being funded by the Israeli government, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
Video: Yehuda Peretz
Ten outdoor tents were erected by Ukrainian teams and Israeli supervisors last week, while crews from Sheba Medical Center now have until Tuesday to build the hospital's patient care, laboratory, pharmacy, and logistical support facilities.
For Alexey Tsiboulski, who was born in Ukraine and now works for Sheba Medical Center's logistics department, helping get the project off the ground in his country of birth has been a surreal, nostalgic experience.
"It's a bit overwhelming; I went into the school and it was very emotional because even though 40 years ago I went to school somewhere else, it was similar to this school and the children's chairs, and desks, and chalkboards all looked familiar. To come here and help the Ukrainian nation, I didn't even think twice when they asked, I wanted to come and give a hand," he said.
"Everything will be ready in time when the main medical team of doctors and nurses arrive," Tsiboulski added.
The field hospital is expected to serve Ukrainian refugees and locals, and train local medical teams in telemedicine and field medical care, according to the head of Israel's mission to Ukraine, Simona Halperin.
Yehuda Katorza, the deputy head of Sheba's logistics department, who is managing the entire operation, said the team that will arrive in Poland on Monday will consist of 80 medical staff that will cross into Ukraine and begin work as early as Tuesday. The Shining Star field hospital currently intends to operate for at least one month, with the medical teams being rotated every two weeks.
According to Katzora, the facility's medical staff – many of whom are Russian and Ukrainian speakers – come from across the Israeli medical system, from different hospitals and health funds, as well as from Magen David Adom.
"I feel a sense of mission, from many perspectives," said Katzora.
"It's incredibly emotional to run the whole logistics side of things. It's a very complicated operation, with coordination with several bodies, including UPS [who transported the medical equipment], El Al, the Foreign Ministry, the Health Ministry. It challenged everyone to give everything and raise a hospital that will be one of the best in the world, in terms of its capabilities, contents, and medical team," he said.
The Israeli operation expects to be busy "within a few days," said Katzora.
"We don't know how many people will come, but we know a lot are interested in it," Katzora said. "I think two to three days after we start to work, there will already be many people here."
Meanwhile, Magen David Adom is using its mass-casualty experience as Israel's national paramedic organization and its standing as a leading member in the International Committee of the Red Cross to help save lives in Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova.
"As a Red Cross affiliate, we're working to help refugees and the wounded as much as possible, and this is how we will continue to act," said MDA director-general Eli Bin.
MDA has flown four armored ambulances to Poland, which will be driven into Ukraine to evacuate the wounded from the most volatile areas.
Russian and Ukrainian-speaking paramedics are being sent to Moldova to staff a triage clinic, as well as assist injured and ill Ukrainians at the border. And as a result of an assessment mission to Poland, MDA will also establish a field clinic there, once approved by the Polish government.
Felix Lotan was one of the paramedics sent to assess the refugee situation in Poland. "It's heartbreaking," he said. "Most of the refugees are women and children, and they have a deep sadness and fear of being left widows."
Manager of MDA's international disaster department, Lotan has seen a number of disasters, including earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal. "But nothing was like what I saw here."
"The International Red Cross has asked us to assist the German Red Cross in evacuating patients from Odessa to Moldova," said Uri Shacham, deputy director-general and chief of staff for MDA, who is also its liaison to the Red Cross movement. "Our paramedics are also part of Israel's delegation to establish a field hospital in western Ukraine."
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In Israel, meanwhile, MDA is responding to the needs of the thousands of Ukrainian refugees who have arrived. A humanitarian hotline, staffed by Ukrainian and Russian speakers, was established to help them locate missing relatives, provide medical assistance and navigate the social and governmental agencies for needed services.
"We are working vigorously to ease the trauma experienced by the refugees who have been torn from their homes and families," said Bin. "We hope to reunite them with loved ones and provide them with some comfort and closure."
To that end, MDA has loaned a Mobile Command and Control Center to Kfar Chabad in Israel to help coordinate evacuation plans and provide assistance to Jews in Ukraine.
"Whether the innocent are attacked in Israel or Ukraine, Magen David Adom is there to save lives," said Catherine Reed, AFMDA's chief executive officer. "Our Ukraine Emergency Appeal is supporting EMTs and paramedics working near the conflict, and providing lifesaving supplies, equipment, vehicles and services for Ukrainians seeking temporary or permanent refuge in Israel."
Donations can be made here.
JNS.org contributed to this report.
