(From l to r) Umm al-Fahm Mayor Samir Subhi Mahamed, SPHERE Director Prof. Naim Shehadeh, SPHERE Deputy Director Dr. Sivan Spitzer, Tsfat Mayor Yossi Kakon, and Prof. Orly Avni, dean, Bar Ilan University Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, celebrate the launch of SPHERE’s new mobile unit.
The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE initiative newly launched a mobile diabetes unit that brings “one-stop-shop” care to residents across the North of Israel. The first-of-its-kind clinic, which will travel between 20 northern cities and towns, is part of SPHERE’s comprehensive model to eliminate health disparities in a region that sees the highest number of new type 2 diabetes cases annually in the country.
This unit, which will begin treating patients later this summer, came about through a robust partnership between SPHERE, health maintenance organizations, and local authorities. SPHERE released a video highlighting how its traveling team will deliver checkups, testing, and treatment to diabetic residents – who frequently lack convenient access to health services – that can help them better manage the disease and live longer.
The mobile unit was but one highlight of the 2nd annual SPHERE Conference on Diabetes and Obesity, which convened more than 400 participants, double the number of attendees who came to the first conference. Speakers and guests represented government institutions, hospitals and HMOs, academic institutions, local mayors, and health integrators from SPHERE’s 21 participating local authorities. Professor Naim Shehadeh, director of SPHERE, shared that the “conference featured groundbreaking research in the fields of obesity and diabetes, highlighting impressive progress in community health.”
Ruba Darawsha, Iksal health unit manager, answers a question, joined by (l-r) Dr. Nour Abed Elhadi Shahbari, Ministry of Health, Moshe Hevroni, Mateh Asher regional council, and Tsfat Mayor Yossi Kakon.
Russell Berrie Foundation Israel Program Director Binny Shalev said the cross-section of conference partners and attendees reflected a growing regional ecosystem that is tackling diabetes- and obesity-related disparities and promoting residents’ health in the North – a testament to SPHERE’s leadership. Dr. Sivan Spitzer, the initiative’s deputy director, credits SPHERE’s MESH model, which stands for Municipal Engine for Social Health, as being the driving force behind that ecosystem because it paves the
way for integrating health into municipalities’ core functions.
“MESH is currently implemented across all SPHERE cities and we’re already seeing groundbreaking achievements, including joint municipal and HMO interventions and new working relationships that break down siloes between all relevant stakeholders, including schools, businesses, and local community leaders,” Spitzer said. “For the first time ever, five-year municipal strategic plans are being created to reduce health inequities.”
A recent Jewish Standard article on SPHERE and the Foundation’s broader support of diabetes care and research in the U.S. and Israel suggests that SPHERE’s momentum may continue to grow. At present, Israel’s Ministry of Health is assessing SPHERE as a model program that could be rolled out nationwide, and possibly internationally, to strengthen coordination of comprehensive, integrated health care.