At the beginning of another new week at the offices of the Public Health Association in the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem, the phone does not stop ringing with more requests for assistance from all over the country.
The entire operation is managed by attorney Yasmin Nahum with a level head. Throughout the entire interview with her, the vibrating phone betrayed the dozens of calls she received, alongside the WhatsApp messages that flooded the screen, and the flow of emails that did not stop for a moment, all of which heralded that the Sunday that most of us are gradually getting into gear , differs from that of Adv. Nahum, which starts it in sixth gear.
But if for others this would create enormous pressure, the picture here is different, the load does not take her from her peace for a moment, "I will answer everything during the day and if necessary at night" she says, and at the same time she finds the right moments during the interview to reply to calls and messages, on the way Humble, patient and full of caring who does not betray for a moment the load on her desk.
Adv.
Tell me about you and the moment you became the CEO of the Public Health Association
I started my career as a young lawyer in a law firm in Jerusalem, where I actually got to know this wonderful organization - the Public Health Association.
For 4 years I represented the organization on behalf of the office, until I gave birth to my first son and decided to leave.
The truth is that I planned to stay at home for a year and raise my son comfortably, but then a call came from the organization's CEO at the time, Yehuda Cohen, who heard that I had left the office and offered me to come and be his assistant. Since then, I have been working at the Public Health Association. to a legal advisor and in fact I established the legal department of the organization, after that I was appointed vice president and four years ago I was appointed CEO of the organization. I went through an enriching and empowering path that allowed me to manage the organization in my own style and with my own agenda while getting to know in depth those who grew up with the organization.
Tell us About the Public Health Association, in what areas does the organization actually deal?
The Public Health Association deals extensively in a variety of aspects in the field of health and well-being. Our vision is to promote public health, the entire public, with equal responsiveness to every soul and in every aspect. The main populations we treat are people suffering from a disease Addiction, people with disabilities and people suffering from mental struggles and/or post-traumatic stress.At the same time, we lead diverse programs of health education and health promotion among the general population and especially among children.
Were you the first in the position of CEO of the organization?
Yes.
I am the first woman in the position of CEO of the Public Health Association. I was appointed to the position after serving in a variety of positions in the organization for 12 years. Accepting the baton of management and the trust placed in me by the members of the organization's executive committee, excited me and I did not take them for granted.
I entered the position during a challenging time, with the outbreak of the Corona virus , but this challenge motivated me to think outside the box, to strengthen the organization's ties with the various government ministries, to mobilize with all the energy and good will, to recruit employees and lead the organization to a place of very significant contribution to the country.
Something special that you are proud of?
Yes, I notice that many We are talking about gender equality and it was important for me to prove it on the ground and less to talk, it was important for me to give women a platform and maximum ability to express themselves, to my delight this is happening a lot, since the Public Health Association has a proven majority of women in all positions. The percentage of female employees in the organization is about 70% , and about 65% of the people who hold management positions in the association are managers. To this figure it is also important to add that most of the women have been in the organization for many years, some even decades, which indicates a fruitful and fertile work environment and, moreover, a work environment that allows growth for women as well.
Tell us about your activities as CEO "Lith since October 7th.
What changes have taken place, do you remember a particularly prominent case?
Naturally in an organization like the Public Health Association, the work doubles during times of emergency and distress.
This is true for the deterioration of populations that are already on the fringes of society, but unfortunately it is also true for the mental resilience of the entire population.
We provide support in times of emergency and are prepared for any need that arises, both among our patients and among new patients who arrive due to the situation.
As of October 7, we have received dozens of new patients in the field of addictions as well as in the field of mental health, and certainly those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Very quickly we also understood the magnitude of the event and opened up new torturers that did not exist as needed.
One of them was opened about two weeks after the outbreak of the war - the addiction treatment hotline, which still operates today and is flooded with inquiries every day.
This necessary solution was not available and therefore the Public Health Association mobilized to make it available to the entire population.
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Yasmin Nahum, CEO of the Public Health Association/official website, photo: Sharon Gabai
During the war, did you have any unique activity?
"Definitely. We always adapt to the situation and mobilize to provide a unique response. First, as I said, most of the populations we treat have grown, both due to the entry of more people into the circles of addiction, mental distress, etc., and due to the closing of other settings that failed to function during the war and the reception of patients In addition
,
we held various events and initiatives during the war to help the entire population, for example we held therapeutic workshops through art for the wives of reservists as part of our club - the hothouse, which treats IDF disabled people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Very recently, the Public Health Association, in cooperation with the Social Transport Association, held a special sorting week for tens of thousands of new items of clothing donated by textile companies and collected from all over the country at the "Pershim" vocational rehabilitation center in Ashdod, when the purpose of the sorting was - They were transferred in an orderly manner for the benefit of evacuees from the south and the surrounding area, who applied for assistance through a number of distribution centers. Thanks to the fruitful cooperation, many families of evacuees, who applied through distribution centers for assistance, benefited from new, high-quality clothes that were customized for them, and I am very happy that the place where we conducted the sortings is Sails."
Can you expand on the plant protected from sails?
"Mefrishim is a protected factory that employs about 80 contestants. The factory specializes in the production of ceramic tableware and ornaments, in industrial sewing work and in addition a wide variety of industrial work, and subcontracting work. The contestants undergo professional training in the field of sewing and ceramic work.
On the Black Saturday of 07.10 Rocket damaged the factory and it recently returned to activity, after being shut down for more than 90 days. The heavy damage caused to the place, immediately and directly affected the mentally challenged who need their daily routine taken from them, and the place that is a home and a place of work where they find peace and contentment, was shut down.
In the episode During the time that the place was shut down, we worked on finding an alternative, both to answer the contestants and to provide work orders from customers. The one who picked up the gauntlet was the Ashdod entrepreneur Tzachi Abu who donated an entire floor in one of his properties and it will be used by "Mfarshim" in the coming months."
How did the psychics react to the situation of missiles, alarms and fear?
"For those dealing with mental illness, dealing with the alarms and fear combined with a lack of employment was challenging and required a lot of support, which included, among other things, home visits and daily contact. During the long period, the team organized itself in terms of work orders and in terms of alternative work spaces, and within about two weeks of the outbreak of hostilities, we moved to work on a daily basis in three Hostels in the city of Ashdod, when some of the mentally challenged stay in them. This gave a partial and limited response, since most of them do not live in the hostels. Therefore, we made sure to maintain continuous and daily telephone contact with all the people in the framework.
I must take this opportunity to say a big thank you to my dear Abu Tzachi who, immediately after hearing the immediate need, mobilized for the noble cause, and donated an entire floor for the mentally challenged working on sails, and thanks to Tzachi's mobilization, a few weeks ago about 80 sail workers entered the new tabernacle.
It is an entire floor containing a very large open space with two protected spaces.
The place meets the needs of the mentally challenged for an interim period until a permanent alternative dwelling is found.
The contestants return to work with full strength and with a big smile in the studio where they go through processes of building work habits, developing work skills and life skills, strengthening interpersonal skills and strengthening a sense of competence.
The activity offered includes experiencing a variety of types of work and participating in groups such as: gardening, cognitive training, cooking, shopping and consumerism, and communication."
In addition to being a CEO, you are a mother of five children.
How to combine?
"As a mother of five children, I can say that combining a career and motherhood is a constant challenge, but possible. In this context, and personally, I do not see it as an obstacle, but a natural course that is part of life. The transition to motherhood, if anything, only sharpens our abilities and skills as women , starting from the simultaneous management of several events at the same time to the ability to make correct and courageous decisions under pressure. We are also sharpening our horizontal management abilities, alongside empathy for the environment and the dedicated employees. When you think about it like this, it is hard to think of a better management format than this."
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