2025 is a year of breakthrough, a year in which the nursing profession takes its rightful place as a central force influencing the quality of life of patients and the future of medicine in Israel. The nurses and doctors of Klalit from the Haifa and Western Galilee districts are at the heart of the action, leading clinical processes, promoting organizational innovation and taking part in
Significant in research.
Their work in the district is characterized by multidimensionality, initiative, and innovation. Since the beginning of the year alone, the brothers and sisters have initiated 19 groundbreaking clinical studies on topics such as strengthening personal and organizational resilience, promoting mental health in the community, and dealing with dementia and advanced treatment for heart patients, all for the sake of constantly improving the quality of care and the well-being of patients.
The following article features 7 brothers and sisters from all corners of the district, each of whom is leading a professional, technological, and clinical leap forward in their field. Through their stories, a new generation of nurses and brothers is revealed, who are promoting, researching, influencing, and redefining what community nursing is in an era of advanced medicine.
Lior Anafi, a diabetes specialist nurse, leads holistic care for hundreds of patients – from in-depth questioning to adjusting medication therapy and using advanced technologies such as sensors, Libra and insulin pumps. She describes the nurse today as the first and last address – not a stopover for a doctor, but a professional who leads end-to-end care. Lior says that today's patients come more prepared, demand quick answers and sometimes bring research from social media – which requires the team to be sharp, precise and up-to-date. In addition to her clinical role, she guides nurse managers, provides training on orientation days and even accompanies new teams in clinics. "My rule is simple," she says, "every meeting begins and ends with a smile – even when the decisions are weighty." In her opinion, the future is in the hands of nurses: "We are the ones who really touch – the emotion, the body and everything in between."
Qassem Abu Rumi, a responsible nurse and coordinator of the heart failure department, acts as a CPR instructor and leads clinical and organizational processes in the district – from responsibility for the uniformity of CPR carts to lectures on trauma care. He emphasizes that today's nurse and nurse are not only caregivers, but also initiators, teachers, instructors and leaders of change. Alongside his clinical role, he coordinates professional training and simulations, collaborates with multidisciplinary teams, and outlines processes that lead to a reduction in readmissions. Qassem notes that precisely in light of advanced technology, it is important to maintain personal contact with the patient, "to visit him at home, involve family members, be an anchor for him. This is part of our role." As someone who has been delivering lectures on preparedness to teams since the beginning of the war, he sees his work as a daily mission. "We are not just responding to a medical need, we are changing lives."
Sivan Livni, a nurse in charge at the community emergency room in Lin, describes her work as ongoing crisis management. According to her, "The patient comes to us at their most difficult moment, a look, a kind word and a human response are just as important as the medical treatment." In her opinion, in high-stress situations, a calming word or a hug from a team member can transform the entire experience. She changed the intake and classification processes for emergency room treatment, reorganized the division of labor, and led a collaborative approach in which the entire team holds knowledge, not just the nurse in charge. She believes that the generational gap in the ability to use medical software and hold emotional resilience workshops must be reduced. "We are not just in a service position; we are the first line of defense for patients in distress."
Tal Steckelmacher Kedar, coordinator of the women's health field, is involved in making customized services accessible, opening unique workshops, implementing digital tools, and personalizing pregnancy monitoring. Tal talks about the need for mental flexibility in the female population, where requests change – but trust is built through attention, emotion, professional guidance, and eye-level conversation. Tal initiated the introduction of midwives into community pregnancy monitoring, promoted seminars and training to accompany unique situations, and believes that the key lies in a combination of knowledge, compassion, and a customized approach. Her vision: to develop the expertise of a 'comprehensive female nurse' from adolescence to old age. "Every woman needs someone who knows the way and walks by her side."
Sivan Fedida, a nurse in Tift Halav and an ambassador for the LGBT community, strives to turn every encounter with a parent and child into an opportunity for change. She identifies developmental delays and refers for further treatment, helps parents deal with the challenges of parenting in the digital age, and offers practical advice based on knowledge and experience. "Parents come with questions from the Internet. I am here to be their reliable and sensitive source." Sivan has completed courses in identifying violence, breastfeeding counseling, and public health, and participates in emotional counseling programs. She emphasizes that the transition in medicine is from a general patient to a whole person "with fears, background, values, and aspirations. We need to adapt ourselves to him, not the other way around."
Anna Cohen, a nurse in charge at the Child Health Center in Yokneam, leads the "Painless Clinic" project, which adapts sensitive therapeutic approaches to children, from soap bubbles to a sock puppet named Tuttit. She believes that a blood test can be a positive experience, if approached correctly. As part of her role, she conducts emotional intake for children with medical anxiety, builds an adapted treatment plan together with the parents, and leads professional dialogue between the clinic teams. She guides parents in group meetings, is a partner in research for the early detection of juvenile diabetes, and sees each meeting as an opportunity: "to touch the emotion, strengthen confidence, and build a different, inclusive, and empowering medical experience."
Michal Eidelman Ohana, a clinical nurse specialist in psychiatry, founded the district's mental health system, initiated procedures, treated crisis cases, and trained generations of staff members. Over the past decade, she has led the transition from a traditional role to an independent clinical role, which includes authority to make medical decisions, conduct psychological assessments, and accompany women suffering from depression around pregnancy and childbirth. During the Corona period and the war, she conducted remote treatments such as ICBT and video calls, but emphasizes: "A robot's caress will not replace a staff member's caress." She notes that the field of mental health has moved from the margins to the center of medical discourse, thanks in part to a decrease in stigma and an increase in inquiries. Her sense of mission was instilled in her from childhood, inspired by her mother, a nurse, and her aunt, a doctor, and today she strives to train more and more nurses who will lead change. To the younger nurses, she advises: "Wait, learn, listen to the veterans – and most importantly, remember why you got into this profession."
Rinat Buchanik, the director of nursing at Klalit in the Haifa and Western Galilee district, concludes: "The work of the nursing teams in the district takes place on the continuum between compassion and excellence. Nurses and doctors in all areas of service, from community emergency care to Tifat Halav, prove that the nursing profession is far beyond clinical work. They are visionaries and full partners in leadership and change."
Ronen Nudelman, Director of the Haifa and Western Galilee District at Klalit, talks about the brothers and sisters in the district and congratulates them on their honor.
International Day: "Your role is one of the most central and influential in the healthcare system. In recent years, you have expanded the boundaries of the role, initiated, researched, educated, and led processes that shape the face of nursing work in the community. All of this makes you a key figure in medical care and a leading force in shaping the healthcare services of the future."