WASHINGTON — The Jerusalem Fund, along with the National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) Foundation and Physicians for Peace officially dedicated the Palestine Diabetes Institute in Al-Bireh, Palestine this week. Moving from rented space in Ramallah, the Institute now occupies two floors (800 square meters) in an office building donated by Haj Mahmoud Ateya Mansour and his son Nasser Mahmoud Ateya Mansour and has hired two staff endocrinologists, lab technicians, a nurse and an assistant.

The Palestine Diabetes Institute is a Jerusalem Fund initiative that has been four years in the making with major participation from the NAAMA Foundation and Physicians for Peace. The Institute addresses the growing diabetes epidemic in Palestine through education and treatment.

Dr. Eid Mustafa, Jerusalem Fund treasurer and chief financial officer, said, “The people of Palestine suffer greatly from the chronic disease of diabetes and the Palestine Diabetes Institute is the first such facility in the country. With the current political and military situation in Palestine, it is very difficult to get medical equipment and medicine to the sick and injured, people who are exposed to unsanitary and unsafe conditions as the result of blockades and military attacks and lack of financial resources to provide for themselves.”

The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development is an independent non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that maintains three programs. The Palestine Center hosts educational briefings and publishes analysis of the Palestinian experience and U.S. policy in the region. The Humanitarian Link provides short-term grants on a quarterly basis to humanitarian organizations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and surrounding refugee camps. The Jerusalem Fund Gallery hosts art exhibits, workshops, film screenings, concerts and more that showcase the rich artistic heritage of the region.