Management, excellence, innovation and cutting-edge infrastructure combine with humanization practices and the incorporation of an increasing number of services whose central objective is the benefit of the patient – a mission defined five decades ago and which permeates the vision for the future.
The history of Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein (SBIBAE) began with a dream of doctor Manoel Tabacow Hidal: to build a hospital for the Jewish community and for the population of the city of São Paulo, in return for the welcome given to immigrants in Brazil.
It was the 1950s, when São Paulo celebrated the 4th centenary of its foundation and the different immigrant communities paid tribute to it. The way that the Jewish community chose to demonstrate its appreciation is expressed in the Manifesto to the Israelite Collective of São Paulo, released on June 1955, 1958: “The signatories appeal to the Israelite Collective of São Paulo to obtain the necessary and indispensable elements for carrying out such a meritorious work (...) whose purposes aim to provide comfort and assistance to the sick and less privileged, also constituting a contribution by the Community to the solution of the assistance problem in São Paulo”. Three years later, in 1895, the foundation stone of the future hospital was laid by Hans Albert Einstein, son of the famous Jewish physicist, Albert Einstein, on land donated in Morumbi by Emma Klabin, in memory of her father, Hessel Klabin, emigrated from Lithuania to Brazil in 28. Sixteen years after the signing of the Manifesto to the Collective and the creation of SBIBAE by a group of Jewish doctors and businessmen, on July 1971, XNUMX, the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein was inaugurated, which over the years years, would become a fundamental part of national progress in the area of health.
The year following its inauguration, it became one of the first hospitals in Brazil to implement an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), with four intensive care beds and six semi-intensive care beds. The initiative helped to disseminate a fundamental care model for critically ill patients, with a 35% recovery rate. Impressive number for the time; today, that number is above 90%.
Fifty years after the inauguration of the first building, in the World's Best Specialized Hospitals 2022 ranking, by the American magazine Newsweek, released last September, Einstein achieved a prominent position in nine of the ten specialties evaluated. In three of them - Oncology, Orthopedics and Gastroenterology - it was considered the best hospital in Brazil and Latin America. The hospital was also recognized in six other areas: Cardiology, Cardiovascular Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Endocrinology and Pediatrics. The ranking includes organizations from 21 countries and was prepared based on professional recommendations, patient surveys and different medical performance indicators.
The title of “best hospital in Latin America” was also awarded to it in a ranking by América Economía Intelligence – for the 12th consecutive year. The classification considers safety criteria, human capital and patient experience. The M'Boi Mirim Municipal Hospital - Dr. Moysés Deutsch, the only public sector hospital on this list and managed by Einstein, ranked 29th. Its achievements also include, in 1997, the ISO 9002: 1994 Certification of the Intensive Care Center, having been the first in the world to receive such certification; in 1999 it was the first hospital outside the United States to obtain accreditation from the Joint Commission International, among others. These first 50 years are just the beginning of a story that will have many new pages.
From his first steps, Einstein was inspired by four basic Jewish principles, which guide his actions to this day: the commandments of good deeds (mitzvah), health care (refuse), social justice (tzedakah) and education (chinuch). In the various administrations that have followed since 1955, these values have been maintained in meeting the growing demands of society, under the watchful eye of their directors, headed by Manoel Tabacow Hidal (1955-1979), Jozef Fehér (1979-1995), Reynaldo André Brandt (1995-2001), Claudio Luiz Lottenberg (2001-2016) and Sidney Klajner (from 2016).
From the beginning, it was established that one third of the hospital beds would be allocated to free care. An agreement signed in 1973 with the Israeli Federation of the State of São Paulo guarantees free care for patients referred by its social service. Since then, philanthropy actions and community-oriented programs have been on the hospital's agenda with the Einstein Programs in the Jewish Community and Residencial Israelita Albert Einstein (formerly Lar Golda Meir).
Expansion plans have always been part of the project. Thus, in 1958, land was purchased next to the first building, in Morumbi; in 1973, another in the same location, and, in 1977, with municipal authorization for the incorporation of the area between the lands, the construction of a new building began, with the laying of the Foundation Stone of the Safra Building, which would now house the Center Diagnosis and Treatment Doctor. Four years after its opening, in 1982, it already offered 23 diagnostic services (in 1980 there were only three), in addition to a Day Clinic, then a new concept of hospitalization for minor procedures and exams.
In 2009, the Vicky and Joseph Safra Pavilion was opened, enabling the implementation of a new model of care in Outpatient Medicine, combining humanization, agility and solutions. Patient-centered care and humanized practices on the various fronts – promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation – led Einstein to be the first Hospital in Latin America to receive, in 2011, the Planetree designation, which recognizes institutions that operate within these concepts.
Mitzvah and Tzedakah
In 1959, Joana Wilheim, Fanny Aronis and Judith Schachnik created the Volunteer Department, initially made up only of women and focused on creating major fundraising events, in parallel with the construction of the Hospital. Keeping an eye on society's demands, the Volunteer Department created, in 1969, even before the Hospital's inauguration, the Pediatric Assistance Service which, from 1977 onwards, included a ward for outpatient children who required hospitalization or surgery, with a bed in the pediatric ICU and support for all specialties. At that time, activities coordinated by volunteers already contributed to mitigating the effects of the first hospitalizations at Einstein.
Volunteering has been essential to the success of the Hospital's various initiatives, especially in continuing its commitment to needy populations, in continuous partnership with professional teams. The Einstein Program in the Community of Paraisópolis (PECP) was created in 1998 and integrates education, social services, sports, arts, health and professional training, having provided more than six million services since its implementation. The work of attention and development of the local community is carried out by the multidisciplinary team of Einstein and Einstein Volunteering, which finances professional training activities, arts and communication workshops, sports and infrastructure renovations. In 2001, PECP became known as “Complexo Telma Sobolh”, in reference to the president of Volunteering and creator of the program.
The complex has 5.500 square meters of built area, consisting of six major centers: Art and Communication, Professional Training, Education, Sports, Health and Social Services. All of this is possible thanks to a dedicated and committed team made up of Einstein employees, partners, service providers and more than 120 volunteers, key players in ensuring that all activities take place in an integrated manner and focused on the social evolution of each citizen.
Einstein's most recent 20 years show how partnerships with the public system improve the population's health. The first contract with SUS was signed in 2001 and, currently, the Hospital manages more than two dozen health units. What's more: since 2009, it has participated, with other hospitals of excellence, in the SUS Institutional Development Support Program (Proadi-SUS), carrying out research, technology assessment, management and specialized assistance to strengthen the SUS throughout Brazil. In the three-year period ending in 2020, Einstein invested its own resources worth R$620 million in around 40 projects. In the context of Partnerships with Public Authorities, Einstein manages 27 health units in the city of São Paulo, having already provided 3,8 million services. The Integrated Organ Transplant Program is made up of 93% of SUS patients.
Education, healing and technology
Education is a fundamental value in Judaism, so Teaching, Research and Innovation have always been in Einstein's DNA, with the institution having advanced a lot throughout its history. At the Ordinary General Assembly of SBIBAE, on March 6, 1972, Manoel Tabacow Hidal already said: “The concept that this institution enjoys in the nation's educational circles is such that, three times, the board of directors was consulted to transform this Hospital in School of Medicine.” He then mentioned initiatives from the State government and the University of São Paulo, in 1967, the Ministry of Education and a private university in São Paulo, both in 1971.
The implementation of the Faculty of Nursing took place in 1989. Manoel Tabacow Hidal's dream - the Course and Graduation in Medicine at the Faculty Israelita of Health Sciences Albert Einstein - was realized with the authorization of the MEC, with maximum marks, on July 2, 2015. Its operation began the following year. One of its differences is the professional attitude approach, which aims to train doctors with responsible participation in the health system.
In 1991, the then president of SBIBAE Jozef Fehér said: “The time has come to invest in people. It is the people who make the buildings, machinery and medicines of a hospital institution. They are the ones who feel the joys and sorrows of those who depend on them, they are the ones who provide services and represent the patient-hospital interface”. The Hospital's current teaching structure reflects this philosophy through the programs and actions of the Abram Szajman Health Education Center (CESAS). This Center offers a wide range of courses – from undergraduate courses in Nursing and Medicine, to medical and multidisciplinary residencies, master's degrees, doctorates, refresher courses, specializations, technical courses and distance learning. In 2006, the Minimally Invasive Surgery Center was opened. Two years later, another innovation: the acquisition of the Da Vinci surgical robot, making Einstein a pioneer in robotic surgery in Brazil and, currently, the owner of the largest robotic park in Latin America.
The Realistic Simulation Center (CSR), opened in 2007, was an important complement to the education-oriented infrastructure, with the mission of expanding teaching methodological options and offering new forms of learning and training to CESAS students. Its facilities reproduce different clinical and surgical scenarios, using simulators, robots and actors, to train the knowledge acquired.
In addition to being a reference in research through the Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa (IIEP), which houses the Clinical Research Center, the Experimental Research Center and the Brain Institute, its research confirms that IIEP is the Brazilian institution with the largest number of citations in scientific articles. In 1987, the first Bone Marrow Transplant was performed at Einstein, starting a pioneering service in a private hospital. In 1995, the Hospital performed the first unrelated umbilical cord cell transplant in the country and created an umbilical cord bank.
In 2002, the Integrated Organ Transplant Program began, with the aim of carrying out, through the SUS, liver, kidney, pancreas-kidney, heart and lung transplants. In 2018, the Hospital became the largest liver transplant center in Latin America, with almost two thousand procedures performed until that year. The Hospital is also at the forefront of cancer treatments. The Einstein Family Dayan-Daycoval Oncology and Hematology Center was a pioneer in the application of the concept of integrative medicine and relies on the use of complementary therapies with proven results in psychosocial well-being. “Einstein’s role is to create innovative solutions to the health system’s main challenges. We seek the best way to deliver health, well-being and sustainability, not just diagnosis and treatment. And there is no end to this”, says the current president, Sydney Klajner.
In 1999, the first Einstein Advanced Unit was opened in Alphaville, aiming to accommodate a demand for expanding services to other regions of São Paulo. In 2006, the Ibirapuera Advanced Unit was opened, in 2010, Perdizes-Higienópolis and the new Checkup house at the Jardins Unit, with a personalized model of comprehensive and multidisciplinary health assessment. Service was also expanded in the Advanced Units, with a Day Clinic, treatments such as chemotherapy and an Immunization Clinic. The units offer Diagnostic Medicine and Adult and Pediatric Emergency Care, with the possibility of removal in a mobile ICU.
The challenge of Covid-19
The biggest challenge Einstein has faced in recent years has been the Covid-19 pandemic. The Hospital received the first Brazilian diagnosed with the disease and, from then on, played a prominent role in the fight alongside the health authorities. He was involved in generating information about the disease, researching tests, vaccines and treatments, among others.
It tested medicines through the Academic Research Organization (ARO) Einstein, which has been coordinating multicenter clinical research projects since 2017. And it helped prepare the public network, including the implementation of the field hospital at the Pacaembu Stadium and relevant physical expansions, built in about a month and a half, at the Vila Santa Catarina Municipal Hospital – Dr. Gilson de Cássia Marques de Carvalho and at the M'Boi Mirim Municipal Hospital – Dr. Moysés Deutsch.
At Einstein, management, excellence, innovation and cutting-edge infrastructure combine with humanization practices and the incorporation of an increasing number of services, whose central objective is the benefit of the patient. Mission defined 50 years ago and which permeates its vision for the future.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Collection of the Historical Center of the Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein Hospital
HISTORICAL MILESTONES
1955 – Foundation of the Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein (SBIBAE)
1959 – Creation of the Women's Activities Commission, embryo of the Volunteer Corps and current Volunteer Department.
1969 – Beginning of Assistant Pediatrics
1971 – Opening of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein
1972 – Opening of the ICU
1981 – Inauguration of the Study Center
1986 – Arrival of the first Magnetic Resonance Imaging device in Latin America
1987 – Carrying out the first bone marrow transplant in a private hospital
1989 – Opening of the Einstein College of Nursing
1991 – First liver transplant
1997 – The Intensive Care Center is the first in the world to receive ISO 9002–1994 certification
1998 – Creation of the Israeli Teaching and Research Institute (IIEP)
1999– Achieves Joint Commission International accreditation
1999 – Opening of the first Einstein Advanced Unit, in Alphaville (SP)
2001– Partnership with the Public Health System (SUS)
2002 – Opening of the School of Health
2004 – Creation of the Medical Residency Program
2004 – Creation of the Abram Szajman Health Education Center (Cesas)
2007– Valuing stroke care - Primary Stroke Center Certificate from the Joint Commission International
2008 – First robotic surgery. The hospital is currently considered a center of excellence in the segment
2009 – Inauguration of the Vicky and Joseph Safra Pavilion
2013 – Partnership with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
2014 – Creation of the Multiprofessional Residency Program
2015– Start of the Adequate Birth Project
2016 – Medicine degree at the Albert Einstein Israelite Faculty of Health Sciences inaugurated
2017 – Start of activities of the Academic Research Organization (ARO) Einstein, which coordinates multicenter clinical research projects
2017 – Opening of Eretz.bio Startup Incubator
2020 – Preparation and care for Covid-19 cases
2021 – Goiânia has the first Einstein hospital outside of São Paulo
2021– Newsweek magazine considers Einstein one of the best health centers in the world.
