N.J. doctors visit Israel, learn to handle attacks

Three East Brunswick physicians among group of 17 doctors on trip

By dick metzgar
Staff Writer

By dick metzgar
Staff Writer

Like so many of our institutions, the medical profession will never be quite the same since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Now that it is apparent that all parts of our country must be on the alert for terrorism, a new dimension has been added to the responsibilities of medical personnel who must respond to terror attacks at a moment’s notice, wherever they happen.

The Israelis are experienced in such matters because they have had to deal with terror attacks for decades.

With that in mind, three doctors from East Brunswick, all associated with area medical centers, were among 17 American doctors who traveled to Israel in May to learn the latest biological, chemical and nuclear readiness techniques. Seven of the doctors, including Dr. Howard Noveck, Dr. Neil Rothstein and Dr. Harris Bram, all of East Brunswick, were from New Jersey.

The team trained with hospital personnel who practice medicine while maintaining a high-alert state of readiness for terrorism.

The trip was sponsored by the Jewish Renaissance Foundation (JRF) of Perth Amboy.

The American doctors received intense training in the areas of hospital planning and readiness; nuclear, biological and chemical warfare procedures; medic and paramedic training; challenges of unconventional warfare to medical personnel; establishment of mobile field hospitals, triage and rehabilitation for victims during mass casualty events.

"This program promotes the sharing of resources in the global fight against terrorism," said Dr. Alan Goldsmith of Spotswood, founder and chief executive officer of JRF. "The willingness of Israeli physicians to offer guidance to their American counterparts helps New Jersey and the U.S. and is important."

"The purpose of the trip was to coordinate an approach to how one can deal with mass casualties and disaster, particularly when the arsenal would be nuclear or chemical in nature," said Noveck, a cardiologist with offices in Old Bridge, Edison and Cranbury, and who is associated with several local medical centers. "Sadly, Israel has had to contend with this for a long time and has become an expert in the field. Learning from them is quite an intensive course and bringing this knowledge back to New Jersey and the U.S. is very important."

The local physicians said the trip was enlightening to them.

"It was a new experience for me," said Bram, an anesthetist and pain management specialist who is associated with Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch. "The Israeli program is extremely well coordinated as far as responses from the government, military and the civilian population are concerned in the event of a terror attack emergency. It is amazing how they have managed to cut through all the bureaucracy."

For example, Bram cited the deadly disease of smallpox, which could possibly be one of the deadly diseases in terrorists’ arsenal.

"A simple example of how the Israelis would respond is in the case of smallpox," Bram said. "If only one case of smallpox in any part of the world was verified, the Israelis have a procedure in which the whole country could be inoculated at a moment’s notice."

The American doctors said the trip heightened their awareness concerning terror attacks from the medical standpoint.

"It was an absolutely great experience," Noveck said. "It opened my eyes on how we as doctors should deal with life on a day-to-day basis knowing that there is the potential for terror attacks. Israelis use experts to evaluate what type of medical personnel to bring in depending on the type of emergency, which could be a number of things such as trauma, anthrax or radiation. But it’s not just a doctor problem. The whole community must be coordinated."

This fall, medical personnel nationwide will be invited to attend JRF’s "Medicine in the Era of Global Terrorism" symposium in Atlantic City. The symposium will feature biosecurity training and will conclude with a keynote address from Gov. James E. McGreevey.