In principle, the ICA provides 5-year funding for healthcare positions, provided that the Oncology Institute hire the healthcare professional upon the completion of the 5-year period.
The upgrade of the entire multi-professional psycho-oncological care network for cancer patients across Israel has been made possible thanks to this investment.
Among other activities, a network of community oncology nurses has been established, in addition to a network of ostomy nurses, and breast health nurses and social workers and patient navigators, as well as psycho-oncological staff members who receive ongoing professional training sessions provided by the ICA.
Breast Cancer Care Coordinators and Patient Navigators:
The ICA continues to provide funding for special nursing and social work jobs for healthcare professionals who serve as breast cancer care coordinators and patient navigators accompanying patients across the disease trajectory - diagnosis, treatment and follow up.
This ICA-initiated project aims to accompany the breast cancer patient throughout the entire period that breast cancer remains a personal concern - from diagnosis to follow-up - and to provide her with information, support and assistance, thus helping to significantly ease the burden of coping with the disease.
This service is currently provided in many centers across the country. Some of these centers have already permanently established this service and the ICA continues to update personnel who meet at ICA headquarters throughout the year.
Thanks to ICA's efforts, a national network of health professionals has been formed to maintain regular contact with breast cancer patients, and attend to their well-being.
Additional Nursing Services:
The ICA provides funding for Breast Cancer Care Coordinator and Patient Navigator jobs as well as and Palliative Care Nursing jobs at the following medical centers: Western Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Poriyah Medical Center in Tiberias, Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Upper Galilee Hospice and Clalit Health Services.
Psycho-oncology Services:
The ICA continues to provide funding for Social Work jobs at the following medical centers: Western Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Ha'emek Medical Center in Afula, Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Hadassah Mt. Scopus and Hadassah Ein Karem Medical Centers in Jerusalem, Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, "Edy's House" - Ma'agan Community Support Center for Cancer Patients and their Families in Beer-Sheva, Clalit Health Services and Maccabi Healthcare Services.
The ICA continues to finance psychology jobs in oncology units at the following oncology institutes: Western Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Ha'emek Medical Center in Afula, Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Bnei Zion Medical Center in Haifa, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel in Petah Tikva, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tzrifin, and Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
Diet and Nutrition Services:
The ICA continues to support diet and nutrition services at the following medical centers: Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tzrifin and Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
Bone Marrow Transplantation
The ICA continues to provide the necessary funding for professional posts for the complicated procedure of autologous (self-donated) bone marrow transplantations and donor bone marrow transplantations, in children with cancer, at the Pediatric Oncology Center at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel in Petah Tikva.
The ICA has helped finance the unit's operation since its establishment, and continues to assist in financing its personnel as well as professional training for employee development.
Additionally, assistance has been provided to pediatric oncology wards at Hadassah Medical Center Ein Karem Campus, Tel Aviv Medical Center, and Rambam Health Care Campus, where ICA assisted in the set-up of the hospital's Pediatric Oncology Ward.
The National Umbilical Cord Blood Bank:
This Bank was established as a joint venture between the Magen David Adom Blood Service, Wolfson Medical Center and the Hadassah Medical Organization, with funding from a generous donation provided by the Friends of the ICA in London, headed by Vered Aharon.
This ICA-funded national service is operated by the Magen David Adom Blood Service. ICA's financial assistance has helped purchase a freezer for preserving umbilical cord blood dedicated in memory of the late Natalie Shaya and has also funded a part-time Lab Technician position to manage the Cord Blood Bank; an additional post has also been financed to collect cord blood doses in labor and delivery rooms at the Hadassah Medical Center, Ein Karem Campus.
Palliative Care Programs for Advanced Stage Cancer Patients:
The ICA continues to operate the Home Hospice Services at Sheba Medical Center Cancer Hospice at Tel Hashomer, which ICA helped finance.
The ICA also continues to support healthcare programs incorporating palliative care and psycho-social nursing care, which are provided at hospices and through Home Hospice Services throughout the country and aimed at providing palliative care for advanced stage cancer patients. These ICA-assisted programs are run at medical centers and community clinics across Israel.
The ICA invests efforts in developing and promoting new programs and innovative projects to enhance services provided to cancer patients, while prioritizing unique projects directly involving the treatment of patients and their families. The following is a list of this year's ICA-supported projects:
"Patient and Community Relations" - palliative care consultation provided by the Upper Galilee Hospice in the geriatric, internal medicine and surgical wards at the Rebecca Sieff Medical Center in Safed.
Upgrade and incorporation of the Psychological Service in oncology and palliative care at the Oncology Unit, Hematology and Hemato-oncology Ward at the Rebecca Sieff Medical Center in Safed.
A social worker at the Institute of Human Genetics at the Western Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya.
Support and information groups for family members of advanced staged cancer patients at the Western Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya.
Treatment for uterine and cervical cancer patients treated with internal radiotherapy (brachytherapy) at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.
"Mothers for Mothers" - support group - at the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Department at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.
Accompaniment of advanced stage oncology patients and their families at the Division of Oncology at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.
Traditional Arab nutrition and medicine training services, to support patients from Arab society at the Oncology Service at Linn Medical Center in Haifa.
Continuity-of-care for breast cancer patients at the Institute of Oncology at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba.
Support group for parents of childhood cancer patients of Arab society, at the Division of Pediatric Oncology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva.
A social worker for the Ear Nose and Throat Clinic and Head and Neck Tumors Clinic at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
Palliative Care Service at the Oncology and Hematology Institute, at the Hospital Admissions Dept. and Hemato-oncology Dept. at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
Intake services for newly diagnosed patients and patients with recurrent disease at the Hematology Institute at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
Treatment for newly diagnosed Russian speaking breast cancer patients at the Breast Oncology Institute at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
Psychological Service at the Ear Nose and Throat Division and Head and Neck Tumors Clinic at Sourasky Tel Aviv Medical Center.
Crisis intervention service for inpatients - providing emotional and systemic solutions for inpatients and for advanced stage cancer patients at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer.
Cognitive rehabilitation for children with premalignant syndromes and children recovering from cancer at Hadassah Medical Center Ein Karem Campus, Jerusalem.
"Making it easier to cope - nutritional aspects for children", Support Service for the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Dept. at Hadassah Medical Center Ein Karem Campus, Jerusalem.
Psychology Service at the Oncogenetic Clinic at Hadassah Medical Center Ein Karem Campus, Jerusalem.
Survivors Clinic, Integrative Medicine at the Hadassah Medical Center Ein Karem Campus, Jerusalem.
Social worker for the Head and Neck Tumors Clinic at Hadassah Medical Center Ein Karem Campus, Jerusalem.
Accompaniment and support for patients, Beit Nathan Jerusalem.
"Coping Together" - a support group for newly diagnosed cancer patients at the Oncology Institute and the Gynecology-Oncology Unit at the Soroka Medical Center, Be'er Sheva.
"My Story", playback workshop for cancer survivors at Edy's House - Ma'agan Community Support Center for Cancer Patients and their Families in Beer-Sheva.
"The Secret of Memory", Workshop for Enhancing Cognitive Capacities at Edy's House - Ma'agan Community Support Center for Cancer Patients and their Families in Beer-Sheva.
"Beyond Words", Self-Expression and Creative Art Therapy at Edy's House - Ma'agan Community Support Center for Cancer Patients and their Families in Beer-Sheva.
Kindly contact us, should you wish to contribute to this project. Please note that all donations received are transferred in full (no overhead is taken).
Lili Lev Biller
Committees and Projects Coordinator
Telephone: +972-3-571.95.74
E-Mail: lilib@cancer.org.il