This major unit will provide local residents and all those who work in Ashdod the highest level of screening in the field of preventive medicine, as well as a wide range of outpatient services. No longer will time-consuming trips to hospitals in other cities be necessary to take these tests. The Preventive Medicine Unit will promote good health on the community level by developing cost-effective strategies for the prevention and control of disease. Early identification of medical problems is both a boon to the patient as well as making good economic sense.

Testing will include screening for various types of cancer in high-risk patients; hypertension, the silent killer; bone density testing for osteoporosis; stress testing and echocardiography for diagnosis and monitoring of cardiovascular disease. Educational outreach programs are also planned.

These efforts will target not only the working population who may be at risk from exposure to environmental and occupational hazards. They will also be aimed at the often neglected and underserved population of women who are primarily homemakers and do not have outside employment. These women, most of whom are caregivers in their own homes and a mainstay of their own families, tend to be underserved by healthcare services. Trained healthcare professionals will provide this population with medical advice and behavioral counseling where necessary.