The Azrieli Foundation donated $10 million to the University of Haifa this week to establish the Azrieli Advanced Nursing Center, expanding the school’s nursing program, the university said on Wednesday.

Danna Azrieli, chair of the Azrieli Foundation Israel and of the Azrieli Group real estate firm, said that the donation was part of a broader effort by the foundation to invest in the Israeli health-care system. 

“We believe that investment in advanced nursing roles will be key to shaping healthcare services in the country for all population groups. This is crucial, in particular during this challenging time, given the impact of the war and the shortage of available medical professionals,” Azrieli said in a statement. “Our support for the establishment of the center complements many other initiatives that the foundation is undertaking to strengthen the Israeli healthcare system and our investment in the health of all Israeli citizens.”

Among other initiatives, in 2017, the foundation donated $50 million to Bar-Ilan University to help create its Azrieli Faculty of Medicine.

Shoshi Goldberg, Israel’s national chief nurse and head of the Nursing Administration at the Israeli Health Ministry, hailed the center as “one of the most ambitious nursing initiatives ever launched in the country” and said in a statement that the foundation’s gift “represents an extraordinary commitment to advancing the profession.”

Though the growing physician shortage is more generally discussed, Israel also faces a looming nurse shortage. According to Israel’s Health Ministry, there are 5.3 nurses for every 1,000 people in Israel — well below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation average of 9.9 per 1,000 people. Without significant intervention, the shortage is expected to worsen as a large percentage of nurses are nearing retirement age.

“The nursing profession in Israel suffers from a severe shortage and remains far from realizing its full potential. Despite the extensive and advanced training nurses undergo — including baccalaureate and masters’ academic degrees, specialized training, and certifications — their professional potential is not fully utilized,” Efrat Shadmi, a nurse, researcher and founding director of the center from the university’s School of Nursing, said in a statement. “The center strives to change this reality by developing new methodologies for integrating advanced nursing roles, providing a research-based resource to support national policy decisions and by enhancing nurses’ involvement in technology development and implementation.”

According to the University of Haifa, the Azrieli Advanced Nursing Center will comprise three main elements: a training unit and advanced simulation center; a health technologies development unit; and a research unit. It joins the university’s recently opened Herta and Paul Amir Faculty of Medicine — one of three new medical schools opened in Israel in the past year as part of the effort to address the physician shortage. 

“In collaboration with our new Herta and Paul Amir Faculty of Medicine, we are laying the foundation for joint training that brings together nurses, physicians and professionals from the health and welfare sectors — fostering holistic, humane, and advanced healthcare,” Gur Alroey, president of the University of Haifa, said in a statement.