According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 75,000 COVID-19 cases have been documented since March 2020 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with over 12,000 confirmed cases in East Jerusalem. Like countries around the world, Palestine observed a three-month lockdown. The lockdown proved to be an added barrier to accessing healthcare and other necessities, where such access is already challenging due to military checkpoints imposed by Israel. 

A group of healthcare providers and social workers joined together to form the Hizma Emergency Medical Committee early on during the pandemic that provided food aid as well as medical support in terms of supplying needed medication to the residents of Hizma, a Palestinian town located several kilometers outside of the Old City of Jerusalem. There was also a physician on 24-hour call caring for COVID-19 cases. During this time, the emergency medical committee noted that the only outpatient care clinic in Hizma needed remodeling, and so, Dr. Fawzi Abukhalil, a physician based in Miami and originally from Hizma, started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $45,000 and collaborate with Rebuilding Alliance to remodel an outpatient clinic in Hizma with a population of 10,000 individuals. 

The outpatient care clinic required renovations that included the need for clinic space, new equipment and furniture as well as enhancing the workflow. The clinic started with one room for the physician and one room for the nurse. Now, the clinic has four rooms for urgent/emergency care, speciality care, pediatric care and immunizations and a room for the physician. The clinic is now run by a physician, two nurses and a pharmacist. Furthermore, a reception area was also added, as well as a kitchenette area, an additional restroom and best plumbing and lighting infrastructure. 

Working with Rebuilding Alliance on this project, proper allocation of funds to the remodeling of the outpatient clinic was ensured, and as of November 1, 2020, the outpatient care clinic is operating in its new and reformed structure!

Here is the GoFundMe page for the project