One thousand years ago people memorialized themselves in the Holy Land by carving a cross on church walls. Today you can see those small carved crosses throughout the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. These crosses represent the personal commitment of those who chose to protect the Holy Land and the Christian way of life in towns like Bethlehem.
One thousand years later, you too can show your commitment to Bethlehem by memorializing yourself or a loved one with a gift for construction at Holy Family Hospital. You or your loved one will be remembered by the inscription of your name on a plaque at the Hospital. You will be remembered for generations just like those early patrons of the Holy Land.
Holy Family Hospital is growing. The construction of a 16,000 square foot addition, along with the renovation and repurposing of the existing operating theaters, is well underway. It is forecast to be finished early summer 2025. This project will include a new three-story wing with two modern operating theaters, recovery and induction departments, a satellite pharmacy, four overnight rooms for residents or families of newborns, two classrooms, a biomedical workshop, a café for patients and staff and a new administrative suite with a meeting room.
The expansion and renovation will allow the Hospital to serve the women and children of Bethlehem more effectively. The new space will enhance the high-quality medical care provided our patients and their families. As Holy Family Hospital is also a teaching hospital, the new space is designed to enhance the education and formation of our staff. Last year, the Hospital trained over 220 nurses and midwives. Twelve medical resident doctors complete higher studies in Pediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynecology at our Hospital. The new smart classrooms will extend increased teaching and learning opportunities for medical professionals and patients alike. Teaching Days at Holy Family Hospital bring international experts to Bethlehem extending invitations to doctors and nurses from the entire West Bank. Since most of the medical staff cannot travel easily for continuing education, it is essential that we offer such opportunities in Bethlehem. Classes and workshops will also take place virtually in the new classrooms via smart technology where we host professors from around the world. Parenting, childbirth and lactation classes will be offered to parents and workshops on menopause and the importance of cancer screening will be available to the women of the community.
The café will provide a place for families to gather before visiting hours and a place to rest for those coming from afar. Since road closures and ad hoc check points make travel times unpredictable in the region, fixed appointment times are not offered at Holy Family Hospital. Instead, patients come during clinic hours with the most urgent cases taking priority. The new cafe will be a welcome addition for patients who need to wait.
The overnight rooms,
complete with private bathrooms, for the residents and on call doctors will make long shifts more endurable. These rooms can also be used for families of NICU patients traveling far from home. In case of road closures, the rooms will be available to accommodate staff between shifts.
The renovation will repurpose the existing operating theaters to house the sterilization equipment and the changing rooms for surgical staff and patients. This will allow for better infection control, easier access to the machinery and improved traffic flow.
The satellite pharmacy will serve the surgery facilities providing pharmaceutical and medical supplies for both laparoscopic and invasive surgeries. Women undergoing c-sections and gynecological surgeries will have uninterrupted access to anesthesia and all necessary medical supplies. After surgery, they will recuperate until stable in the new recovery department before moving to the postnatal ward.
The expansion and renovation of Holy Family Hospital demonstrates the tangible commitment of the Order of Malta to serve the women and children of the Holy Land. In 1985, we promised Pope John Paul II to dedicate ourselves to maintaining a strong presence in Bethlehem. In the year 2000, from the altar in Nazareth, John Paull II named Holy Family Hospital as a church priority for the millennium. Now, 100,000 babies later, we redouble our promise of continued care for the mothers and babies of Bethlehem.
Help us keep our promise to Pope John Paul II by remembering a loved one with your promise of support for the growth of Holy Family Hospital. You can direct your gift to our expansion project through a gift or a naming opportunity. You or your designated loved one could be memorialized on a plaque in Bethlehem marking your personal commitment to the Holy Land for generations to come.