On Friday, November 11, Beth Moskowitz and I delivered this speech at the 85th Anniversary of the Founding of State Hospital # 9, one of the main partners in our medical services project in Dnepropetrovsk. The first half I delivered in Russian; the second half Beth read in English with Russian translation. After we spoke, Yan Sidelkovsky (to the left) recited a poem based on the number 85. (The woman to Beth's right is Irina, our translator.) It was great fun to join in this celebration—we immediately preceded the dance troupe!
(Jim) More than ten years ago, with funding from Combined Jewish Philanthropies and private donors, Boston and Dnepropetrovsk doctors collaborated on ambulatory public health facilities for women and children. Under the auspices of the Boston and Dnepropetrovsk Jewish communities and with the leadership of Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki and Nancy Kaufman of the JCRC, we established the Corky Ribakoff Women’s Clinic here at Hospital #9 and the pediatric clinic at Hospital #6. Boston provided medical equipment and supplies, including new ultrasound machines for these clinics, purchased in 2009. More importantly, we arranged for Boston doctors, including David Link, Benjamin Sachs, Lew Lipsitz, and Eran Metzger, to come to Dnepropetrovsk to work with Ukrainian colleagues, including the chief of Hospital #9 Elena Finkova, Yuri Bolbot, and Georgii Dzyak, Rector of the Dnepropetrovsk State Medical Academy. In addition, we brought Dnepropetrovsk physicians to Boston to train at Harvard hospitals. The response from our Dnepro partners has been overwhelming—you have taken every investment we’ve provided and multiplied it many many times. Together, we have transformed healthcare for both doctors and their patients in women’s and pediatric health.
Today, on the 85th anniversary of this great hospital, we reaffirm our commitment to healthcare in Dnepropetrovsk for Jews and non-Jews alike. We are committed to doing our small part to make this city a model for health care reform throughout Ukraine. To this end, we are bringing two of your doctors, Ludmilla Garish and Valeria Sidelkovskaya, back to Boston for additional training in ob/gyn and radiology. This week, we have brought three Harvard psychiatrists to Beit Baruch, the Jewish community’s assisted living facility for the elderly, to collaborate with Ukrainian colleagues on an intensive course in geriatric psychiatry. We will continue to share expertise, to provide training, and to build relationships in these and other specialties.
(Beth) As we celebrate 85 years of Hospital #9 and 20 years of Ukrainian independence, we are optimistic that the new model of health care funding here in Ukraine will further improve the quality and access to healthcare for all your citizens. You, the government and people of Ukraine, are taking responsibility for supporting this great hospital with the resources necessary for a world-class healthcare system. We are so proud of our partnership with Hospital #9, which has become a leader in preventive care, diagnosis, and treatment in women’s health. After 15 years of partnership, we look forward to many more years of transformational work. As our sages said, if you save one person’s life, you save an entire world—let’s continue saving lives
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