Israel’s Disaster Experts Help South America

Israel's long history of coping with terror and formidable road accidents has prepared the country to deal with the worst, says Gila Hyams who heads the Teaching Center for Trauma Mass Casualty Situations at Rambam Hospital in Haifa. Since, by Latin American standards, Chile is considered a very developed country, it is hoped that the ripple effects of the workshop will be better emergency responses in the region. Hyams says, “We've learned through blood, through the mass causalities we have here [in Israel] from terror attacks.”

She and her team travel the world. She has been to Dayton (Ohio), New York University, Dallas (Texas), and Detroit. “We learn about trauma, and it is mass casualty we teach. We have more experience in this area unfortunately.” Due to Rambam's expertise with mass casualties, the center recently held a course in trauma for medical personnel in NATO countries.