Mission Statement
Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) is an Israeli-based international humanitarian project, whose mission is to improve the quality of pediatric cardiac care for children from developing countries who suffer from heart disease and to create centers of competence in these countries. SACH is totally dedicated to the idea that every child deserves the best medical treatment available, regardless of the child's nationality, religion, color, gender or financial situation.
SACH is motivated by the age-old Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam – repairing the world. By mending the hearts of children, regardless of their origin, SACH is contributing to a better and more peaceful future for all of our children.
The SACH mission is achieved through:
- Providing life-saving cardiac surgery and other life saving procedures for children from developing countries at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel;
- Providing a full outreach training program for the medical personnel from these countries in Israel;
- Leading surgical and teaching missions to partner countries in the developing world;
- Holding pre-operative and follow-up cardiology clinics in Israel and abroad.
Children We Help
The Children brought to Israel are treated at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon and hosted at the Children’s home in nearby Azor.
Since 1995, Save a Child's Heart (SACH) has treated more than 2,300 children suffering from congenital and rheumatic heart disease aging from infancy to 18 years of age from the “four corners of the Earth” - 37 countries where adequate medical care is unavailable.
40% of the children who underwent cardiac surgery are from Africa; 49% from the Palestinian Authority, Jordan & Iraq; 4% from Moldova, Russia and former USSR and 7% from China, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
The number of children treated by SACH has grown dramatically from 48 cases in 1996 to over 200 in 2009.
At any given moment there are thousands of children suffering from heart disease around the world who require our assistance.
Doctors We Train
The ultimate goal of Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) is to create centers of competence in developing countries where children can be treated independently in their own communities. SACH trains medical personnel from partner sites in Israel at the Wolfson Medical Center for in-depth post-graduate training in all facets of pediatric cardiac care including cardiology, surgery, anesthesia, intensive care, perfusion and nursing.
Training programs vary from three months to five years and are all held under the auspices of the Sackler School of Medicine of the Tel Aviv University and the Center for International Cooperation of the Foreign Ministry of Israel - MASHAV.
Since its inception in 1995, SACH has trained 50 physicians and nurses at the Wolfson Medical Center from China, Ethiopia, Moldova, Nigeria, the Palestinian Authority, Eritrea, Kenya, Russia, Vietnam and Zanzibar.
Dr. Ami Cohen & History
Save a Child's Heart (SACH) exists today because of the vision, passion and boundless energies of the late Dr. Amram (Ami) Cohen. An excellent surgeon, an inspiring leader, and a warm and caring person, Ami was the driving force that created SACH and turned it into an important contributor to children's health worldwide. Ami immigrated to Israel from the United States in 1992. He joined the staff of the Wolfson Medical Center and served as the Deputy Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, and Head of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.
In 1988, while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces in Korea, the head of the international organization, Save the Hearts approached Dr. Cohen. The organization was sending orphaned and indigent Korean children to western countries for medical care not available locally. Dr. Cohen was so impressed with the concept that he requested and received permission from his superiors to participate in the program. During the remainder of his time in Korea, he performed 35 pediatric cardiac surgeries.
Save A Child's Heart came into being in 1995 when an Ethiopian doctor referred to him by a mutual friend at the University of Massachusetts contacted Dr. Cohen. He asked for Dr. Cohen's help with two children in desperate need of heart surgery. From this beginning, SACH has repaired the hearts of more than 2,100 children from a wide variety of countries. Our greatest achievement is that all the children, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, or financial consideration are treated with finest medical care at the cutting edge of technology, provided by Save a Child's Heart in cooperation with the Wolfson Medical Center.
Ami died in a tragic accident while climbing the Kilimanjaro Mountain in August of 2001. Ami's passing left a painful void and deep sense of loss in the hearts of all who knew and worked with him. His life's project, Save a Child's Heart, transcends national boundaries and political differences, building bridges of peace and understanding between Israel and the nations of the world. The goals that he lived for are being carried on by the organization he so successfully created. This is a most fitting memorial to his uniquely productive life.
In His Own Words…
"I am convinced that for the vast majority of people who chose cardiothoracic surgery as a profession, idealism was initially a strong factor. For those of you who are reading this and just starting out, hold fast to your 'day after-vision' because, if it fades, despite all the skills acquired, there will be something missing. For those who are searching, join us and together let us make the network to help children with heart disease globally big enough to be equal to the task. There is work for everybody. There are no dollars and cents in it, but it is worth a fortune." - Dr. Amram Cohen
TO DONATE OR CONTACT THE ORGANIZATION:
http://www.saveachildsheart.org/
Save a Child's Heart Israel
1 Borochov St. Azur. 58012
P.O. Box 121
Azur, 58008
Israel
sach@013.net
Tel: (972)-3-558-9656
Fax: (972)-3-558-9657
