Dr. Miriam Adelson among Ometz award winners

Government watchdog Ometz will hold its 2013 award ceremony Thursday evening at the Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat Aviv.

Dr. Miriam Adelson will be awarded for her contribution to Israeli society in the social field. Adelson is a doctor of internal medicine and a leading expert in the field of drug addiction and rehabilitation. She and her husband Sheldon Adelson established the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse, Treatment and Research at the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, and she serves as the clinic's head.

Over the past 20 years, 792 addicts have been treated at the clinic, which currently serves 320 patients. The clinic and is run under the medical direction of Professor Shiri Bar, with Ze'ev Balas as director.

"My husband asks me if I miss working as the head emergency room doctor, and I answer him that in an emergency I saved one person from a heart attack, but in this field, with every person you save, you save another 20 people around them -- their parents, their children, their siblings. This is a segment of the population that does not cry out, they are dejected and weakened, and we are committed to giving them the best treatment, for their well-being and for society's well-being," said Adelson.

The clinic is thought to be at the forefront of rehabilitation treatment, particularly for heroin addicts, with a 70 percent sobriety rate a year following treatment.

"Thanks to this clinic, today I am working, I am in contact with my children, and three months ago my son got married," said Sima, who has been treated at the clinic for about eight years. "Thanks to the treatment, my feelings have come back, I have my life back. Today I get up in the morning like any regular person."

Patients are accepted on the basis that they have tried rehabilitation at least once in the past. Methadone is used to treat patients physically, and does not cause them bodily harm. They then agree to follow the clinic's treatment plan, which also provides them and their families with psychological counseling.

Treatment is partially sponsored by the Health Ministry, but the remainder is funded by the Adelsons themselves.

Adelson is also receiving the award for her work and contribution to the Taglit Birthright Israel program, which brings young people from around the world to visit Israel.

The Ometz award for person of the decade will be given to author David Grossman for his "work for the convalescence of Israeli society."

Dr. Yoaz Hendel, a former adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is now the chairman of the Institute for Zionist Strategy, will receive the prize for his work on social issues, specifically his establishment of the Blue and White Human Rights Association and its associated bodies.

Winners in the field of communications include Israel Hayom medical correspondent Ran Reznick, Channel 10's legal analyst and Maariv reporter Baruch Kra, and crime reporters Adi Meiri and Amir Zohar.

Among the winners is also retired Tel Aviv District Court judge Savyona Rotlevi for her work in children's rights; attorney Ilana Zingel for her work for rights of the ill and against medical malpractice; former Social Affairs and Social Services Ministry employee Daniella Dror for her contribution to the scouts youth movement and work for minorities; and Roni Golan for uncovering corruption in municipalities.

The two social organizations that will receive prizes are the Israeli Forum for Citizen Equal Rights and Obligations and First Hug Association for the Care of Abandoned Babies. Honors will also be shared among those who contributed to Ometz's struggle against public corruption: Yigal Ankori, Hananiah Weinberger, attorney Eli Yariv and Dr. Daniel Morgenstern.

Full disclosure: Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson own the company that is the primary shareholder of Israel Hayom.

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