March 4th, 2008, the cornerstone was laid for the protected Department of Emergency Medicine of Western Galilee Hospital.  Participating in the ceremony were President Shimon Peres, Health Minister Ya'acov Ben-Yizri, Jewish Agency Chairman Ze'ev Bielski, and Avraham Presler, representative of the Claims Conference, together with the hospital's director Dr. Masad Barhoum.

Minister Ben-Yizri spoke, among other issues, about the cost of reinforcing hospitals in northern and southern Israel.  The Ministry of Health now has the bizarre and expensive task of having to physically protect those who give treatment and their patients, in addition to their primary task of assuring quality care.  His hope is to see the day when the Health Ministry will be able to use its funds exclusively for medical purposes, and to prepare the infrastructure for future population growth.

Ze'ev Bielski commended the hospital for heroic, life-saving work during the Second War in Lebanon.  President Peres praised the hospital for its impartial functioning, leaving politics and ethnicity outside its gates. 

The untold story of the Western Galilee Hospital is that of the peaceful coexistence that functions within its gates, during times of peace and war, with quality medical care is available to everyone. 

Dr. Masad Barhoum, who is the first Israeli Arab physician to head a government hospital, presented his vision of expanding this regional medical facility, by establishing a "biotech medical incubator" for the encouragement and support of medical research.

The protected Department of Emergency Medicine will provide a covered ambulance area, an enlarged and upgraded emergency department with increased surge capacity, and a safe environment for both staff and patients during diagnosis and treatment.  Construction will take at least 40 months and cost over $24,000,000.

Judith Jochnowitz, International Liaison, Western Galilee Hospital-Nahariya

Northern Region Partnership2000 Director Damon Rose, Jewish Agency Chairman Ze’ev Bielski, Marketing and Communication, Shlomit Dagan-Deri