For more than two decades Friends of Kaplan Medical Center has supported the Center. It has helped to supplement the health-fund budget, purchase vital medical equipment, complete essential renovations, and conduct life-saving research. The Kaplan Medical Center itself was established in 1953 and is one of the largest hospitals in the CLALIT network, Israel’s largest Health Services provider as well as the second largest health services provider in the world. In addition, the Center is an academic medical institution affiliated with the Hebrew University Medical School in Jerusalem.