Pet Therapy at Herzog Hospital

The special services that the Children's Respiratory Unit provides continues to expand. A totally new program has been initiated using animals to stimulate each child. Specifically trained staff work with each child based on the child's capabilities. 

In this image a rabbit is cuddled up to a child, who, though mostly non responsive is actually petting the animal. 

The amazing work is covered in an article in YNET from October:

"Four-year-old Haim gets a daily "hugging hour". An hour where one of the nurses or teachers hugs and kisses him, talks to him and brings Avatar the rabbit or Mowgli the dog to keep him company. She is astounded by the child's slightest movement.

Though his head is thrown back and his eyes closed, he is encouraged to pet the rabbit. The little, distorted fingers move, and it seems that something in Haim's facial expression softens and calms.

"His mother had a difficult time holding him. She avoided it because she was afraid she might hurt him," says Miara. "On one of the visits I suggested that she try to pick him up and told her that we do it on a daily basis. She was so happy and excited because she realized it was possible. Since then she picks him up and hold him in her arms every time she visits." "

See article here: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4584856,00.html

Consider sponsoring a Pet Therapy session at Herzog Hospital! 

https://prohatch.com/project/herzoghospital

Ethiopian Trauma as told by JPost

The Jerusalem Post reported on the little known problem of the trauma Ethiopian Jews endured on their journey to Israel. Herzog Hospital’s Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma  identified the reality that almost all Ethiopian Jews suffered some trauma, such as a relative dying, sexual violence, or hunger on their trek across Sudan enroute to Israel. This was prior to their arrival in Israel and the many challenges of their absorption once they arrived in Israel.

Once Herzog’s Psychotrauma Center staff identified the problem, they developed a nationwide program to diagnose and treat the Ethiopian immigrants’ trauma. Here is the excellent article that was published in the Jerusalem Post-            

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Ethiopian-community-still-suffer-trauma-from-a-brave-exodus-390322.

This article brought awareness to this problem that has not been dealt with for so many years.

Kol Hakavod Dr. Brom! 

#HelpChildrenBreathe

 #HelpChildrenBreathe

$2,317 raised so far!

Help Us Raise Money to Provide Air for all Children! 

To Breathe. A luxury that not everyone has. Did you feel that, as your chest expanded and your lungs filled with air? Now imagine a child who does not know the luxury of being able to breathe on his or her own. A child who needs to be connected to a respirator 24/7 in order to breathe to stay alive. You try to call out for help but you can't because you don't yet know how to speak.  You're only six months old.

Herzog Hospital has launched a campaign that seeks to raise funding to support our mission of helping our children breathe. Herzog Hospital maintains the largest Children's Chronic Respiratory Care Department in Israel. This grew out of our extensive experience and success in treating older patients with chronic respiratory problems, including supporting them for extended periods of time on respirators and eventually weaning them away from breathing support.

Help us, we need you! Every donation counts!     Donate Here

Crowdfunding Our Way to $26,000 

What is crowdfunding? Great question! Crowdfunding is raising money on the internet through a large group of people. In this system, every donation truly counts, small and large. 

We want to raise $26,000.00 in 50 days. Help make that possible.Check out our campaign at https://prohatch.com/project/herzoghospital 

 and don't forget to SHARE, SHARE, SHARE on Facebook, Twitter, and by email! 

Jerry Solomon Running the Jerusalem Half Marathon

“Parkinson’s, Schizophrenia and the Middle East"

American Friends of Herzog Hospital would like to Invite you to an exciting event on Monday, February 9th at 7:30 PM.

“Parkinson’s, Schizophrenia and the Middle East"

  SPEAKER:
Stephen Schwartz  
International Director Resource Development
Herzog Hospital   
Jerusalem 
  
To be held at: 
The Home of Greta Faigen
in West Palm Beach, Florida
 
 Kindly RSVP to 
Email: sarah@afherzoghospital.org or at 212-683-3702

New Mental Health Centre for Jerusalem's Herzog Hospital Donated by Friends of JNF Canada

Dear Friend of Herzog Hospital, 

We are pleased to inform you that JNF Toronto and Herzog Hospital have joined forces in a special collaborative capital project to construct the Dr. Max and Gianna Glassman PTSD and Health Centre. This new Centre to be constructed on the Herzog campus will combine the hospital's Community Mental Health Clinic, its Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma, and its Children's Psychological ADHD Clinic. Currently, all of these facilities are located in separate facilities spread across Jerusalem.
 
This is a major development for Herzog, something we have been hoping to do for many years. The Glassman Centre will also enable us to expand the number of people who we can provide outpatient psychological services to.
 
If you are involved with JNF in your community and you would like to help organize a joint effort, please let us know. There are many garden areas being developed at Herzog that can be dedicated! 
 
We are very proud and honored by this new collaboration with the Jewish National Fund.

To Midnight Snack or Not to Midnight Snack?

According to National Public Radio "Sleeps link to Learning and memory are traced to brain chemistry." Scientists reported at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington DC that during sleep chemicals in the brain help us commit events to memory. Ravi Allada, a sleep expert from Northwestern University says that the most important thing that happens during sleep is the strengthening of memory, however, the connection was unclear until recently. At the meeting Jennifer Choi Tudor at the University of Pennsylvania explained that there is a brain chemical called 4EBP2 that is created in sleep and may play a role in memory. An experiment was done on mice and with the chemical their memory improved tremendously. 

Another thing interesting to note is that mice that ate during normal sleeping hours were more likely to do worse on memory tests than mice that did not eat. Maybe skip that midnight snack. 

To read more about the study check out the article on NPR.