JHI Celebrated ten years of Service in Chisinau

      The late fall 2009 mission to Chisinau celebrated JHI’s Tenth Anniversary in style with over 40 guests representing the various organizations with which JHI collaborates in Moldova. Guests traveled from Belsy, Tiraspol, Transnistria and the greater Chisinau area to commemorate this important occasion.
      In addition to celebrating, the visit also included a working component. The JHI team met with Hesed personnel to develop a Home Care Workers Training Program and attended planning meetings with JDC Director and staff, to formulate plans for future missions. Drs. Fay and Brick worked with directors of the nursing & homecare program for Moldova’s Hesed organizations to schedule a series of courses to be given to the staff.
       Many Jewish residents of Moldova are elderly and homebound. They are visited regularly by Hesed’s homecare workers. Each homecare worker has an average of forty-five clients. In recent years, there has been tremendous turnover in the ranks of the homecare workers and training new staff has been an issue. In March, Dr. Leon Fay provided a course for homecare workers. JHI is providing training seminars to help Hesed resolve this difficulty of high turnover.
Dr. Fay developed and presented thirty (30) lectures in three seminars spanning seven days and three cities. Each participant received a textbook in Russian (developed by Dr. Fay and translated in Moldova) for future reference. These didactic seminars gave each attendee the written information needed to improve their client’s lives.
      Dr. Fay also presented Hesed leadership with manual for "training the trainers" in this important field. In fall of 2010, the same homecare workers will attend a follow-up seminar presented by occupational and physical therapists illustrating hands-on “techniques and methods” demonstrations.
      In June JHI sent its third in a series of missions focused on children with special needs. The following is an excerpt from our coordinator, Natasha Alhazov’s report from this delegation:
      "Every mission of Jewish Healthcare International is more special than the last one. This mission took place on June 16-23, and it was no exception. It included 3 doctors, everybody with background somehow related to us here in Moldova Rodica Goichman, physiatrists from Israel, originally from the neighboring Romania, Erin Klein, an Occupational Therapist from Toronto (Canada was represented JHI for the first time in Chisinau) whose grandparents had been from Romania, Steve Kashulsky, another Occupational Therapist having a rehabilitation clinic in New York, originally from Chisinau. For Steve it was an impressive homecoming after 15 years away from Chisinau and it is difficult to say who was luckier - Steve in his return, or the children who he really helped with medical advice, as their parents readily admitted.
      The mission worked in 3 languages - English, Romanian and Russian, which was unique, and Elena Deseatnicova, JHI translator did a wonderful job with translations.”
"This mission was a purely pediatric mission JHI has sent to Chisinau. During the 9 years (over 30 missions) of JHI's presence, work has mostly focused on the senior population - traditional Hesed clients. However, after last year's an extremely fruitful mission, serving a summer camp for children with special needs, there was a request for JHI to extend the practice of examining and consulting for children. This mission was held in collaboration with Jewish Family Service Children.  The parents and the children receive consultation from all three doctors not only in Chisinau (in the Daycare), but also in Beltsy (in the kindergarten for children with special needs) and Tiraspol (in the Hesed); and, there was a home visit in the village of Lipovanka. All in all over 50 consultations were given to the kids that needed them most."