Tel Aviv’s Ichilov hospital opens world’s largest Emergency Room

Ichilov Hospital dedication ceremony with Yair Lapid and President Isaac Herzog Photo credit: Jenny Yerushalmi

Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital on Thursday inaugurated the new Sylvan Adams Emergency care center, which at 8,000 square meters stands as the largest ER in the world. It carries the name of philanthropist Sylvan Adams, a Canadian Jewish businessman who made his name in real estate, who donated around $28 million for its establishment.

Sylvan and his wife Margaret have already made numerous philanthropic contributions to Israel through their Margaret and Sylvan Adams Family Foundation. These include the Sylvan Adams Sports Institute at Tel Aviv University and other medical centers.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Yair Lapid were in attendance at the ceremony.

The facility is equipped with the latest technology in patient assessment enabling patients to self-triage, scanning in their identity documents or medical referral, and checking temperature and blood pressure levels before being assigned a medical professional for treatment. At each stage, the recording of any abnormal or critical results will immediately alert the medical staff. In addition, the hospital has dedicated sections for care to be provided based on the patient’s condition and psychiatric classification, a short-term hospitalization department, and includes the “Maor” Center for the acute care of victims of sexual assault. The technologies will enable greater streamlining of triage patient assessment, lower waiting times, and more efficient and effective medical care provision.

The building was designed by Sharon Architects in collaboration with Rani Ziss Architects and has three floors. The façade of the new building faces Weizmann Street with a reception and triage area where initial tests on the patient can be carried out. Medical care is provided by the medical staff and nurses who specialize in emergency care, with knowledge of a variety of areas of medicine and who are skilled in performing complicated and life-saving procedures.

On the ground floor of the new building there is an inpatient department that includes spacious halls that are being upgraded to the highest standards. The inpatient hall includes around 100 monitored beds – the largest number of beds in emergency care departments in Israel. If needed, during an emergency event, this number can be doubled. Also on the ground floor is a shock and trauma room with advanced equipment and an imaging area that includes two CT machines – the largest number in emergency care departments in Israel. This includes use of groundbreaking artificial intelligence for viewing clinical findings in real time.

The first floor includes an ambulatory wing with 30 medical testing rooms and a large treatment hall. This wing also provides professional treatment from the emergency care team, and now, for the first time in Israel, is reinforced by professional advisors in the fields of cardiology, neurology, dermatology, and sexual health.

In addition, for the first time in Ichilov and Tel Aviv there is also a psychiatric emergency room.

At the ceremony, Prime Minister Lapid said that the new center will ensure that the citizens of Israel have quick, advanced and high-level treatment.

“This emergency room combines the very best the State of Israel has to offer,” said Lapid. “Our incredible human capital that produces the best doctors, nurses and medical teams in the world, and the technology of the hi-tech nation that equips them with the most advanced tools in order to fight for our health.”

The Prime Minister went on to explain that the Jewish tradition is one of compassion and mutual responsibility.