EJGH EMS Mike Guillot Set to Travel Abroad to Share Best Practices

East Jefferson General Hospital Emergency Medical Services Supervisor Mike Guillot, along with several other local medical and emergency health care professionals from throughout the New Orleans area, will travel to Israel next month to learn and share best practices for dealing with catastrophic events, from natural disasters to terrorist attacks.

Doctors, nurses, administrators, and paramedics will spend Aug. 5-12 in Israel as part of an initiative by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans to introduce local medical personnel to Israeli emergency response practices.

“Just to be selected is a huge honor for Mike,” said EJGH President and CEO Gerald Parton. “He has done an outstanding job, not only preparing our hospital for emergency situations, but also our parish and region. Mike is well respected for his experience and expertise in emergency management.”

“Emergency response professionals in Israel have established a reputation as experts in quick and effective response to earthquakes, military, and terrorist scenarios,” said Federation President, Dr. Edward Soll. “In New Orleans, medical and health care professionals frequently juggle mass casualty situations. It’s the perfect partnership.”

Plans in Israel include visits to an Israel Defense Force (IDF) medical corps base and Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s first military hospital, known for its clinical research and global training model. Participants also will take part in a mass casualty simulation at Carmel Hospital in Haifa and ride in an ambulance with Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service.

The visit is a follow-up to a symposium in December 2013 when Israeli emergency response professionals traveled to New Orleans to participate in discussions on crisis management, operational readiness, emergency response best practices, and trauma protocol. The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans organized both exchanges as part of the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Partnership2gether Peoplehood Platform (P2G), which connects 450 Jewish and Israeli communities in 46 city-to-city and region-to-region partnerships.

Annually, P2G engages more than 350,000 participants around the world. New Orleans’ sister city in this partnership is Rosh Ha’ayin, Israel, located near Tel Aviv. Previous exchanges have centered around the two cities’ shared love of jazz music and food, with such participants as chefs John Besh, Jacques Leonardi, Alon Shaya, and David Slater, as well as musicians Matt Lemmler, Jason Marsalis, and Michael Pellera.

Guillot and the rest of the traveling party are set to depart Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on August 4. Updates throughout Guillot’s journey overseas can be found exclusively on EJGH.org.