ALYN Hospital
Encyclopedia
ALYN Hospital is a comprehensive rehabilitation center for physically challenged and disabled children, adolescents and young adults. Located in Jerusalem, Israel
, ALYN is a private, nonprofit facility and treats all patients, regardless of religious belief, nationality or ethnic background.
, Dr. Henry Keller, who dedicated his life to voluntary work amongst physically challenged children in Jerusalem.
Following a polio
epidemic in Israel in the 1940s and 1950s, the Ministry of Health provided ALYN with an old monastery building in Katamon that was used as a treatment center, residence and school for 200 children suffering polio.
In 1971, a donation by Malcolm and Dorothy Woldenberg made possible the building in the Kiryat Yovel
neighborhood of Jerusalem of the ALYN Woldenberg Family Hospital, a modern hospital and rehabilitation facility.
Today, ALYN Hospital is one of the world's leading hospitals specializing in the active and intensive rehabilitation
of children who are afflicted with a broad range of physical disabilities.
The Rehabilitation Department treats patients ranging in age from babies to young adults and suffering from injuries sustained in road and domestic accidents and terror attacks, severe burn
s, various feeding disorders
, congenital or progressive muscle, nerve and bone diseases, severe respiratory disorders, or those requiring rehabilitation after orthopedic
and neurosurgical
procedures, or a period of rehabilitation treatment
for whatever reason.
The Day Hospitalization Rehabilitation Unit provides treatment for patients who still require comprehensive rehabilitation but are already able to return to their home. Patients continue with day hospitalization after being discharged from the Rehabilitation Unit's hospital ward or they are referred from other sources, such as clinics.
The intensive care Respiratory Rehabilitation Unit treats patients so as to wean them off artificial ventilation, achieve the best possible regulation of ventilation for patients who need continued ventilation and determine correct ventilation treatment for patients with respiratory failure
.
The Shachar Rehabilitation Educational Medical Day Care Center provides an educational framework for children who have rehabilitation and medical needs and whose medical condition needs to improve before they can be reintegrated into the community. The center includes a pre-school day care center for children aged 6 months to 3 years, kindergartens, an after-school integration program and school classes. It provides services including occupational therapy
, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy
, speech therapy, and psychological counseling in addition to support by medical specialists and social work
ers.
Wheels of Love began in 1999 with 9 Israelis who cycled through Israel and raised approximately $65,000 for ALYN Hospital. In 2007, more than $3,000,000 was raised.
In the fall of 2009, ALYN Hospital hosted its 10th Annual Wheels of Love Charity Bike Ride. The ride attracted 370 international riders, 250 Israeli one-day riders and 35 volunteers from around the world, making it Israel's largest charity sporting event.
, an actor, advocate and chairman of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF), visited Israel to learn about their work with stem cell research. During his intensive tour, Reeve visited ALYN Hospital, the Weizmann Institute of Science
, and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
.
Following his visit to ALYN, Reeve stated that he was in awe of the work being done, particularly in regard to spinal cord injuries.
31.768716°N 35.168669°W
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, ALYN is a private, nonprofit facility and treats all patients, regardless of religious belief, nationality or ethnic background.
History
ALYN Hospital was founded in 1932 by an American orthopedistOrthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
, Dr. Henry Keller, who dedicated his life to voluntary work amongst physically challenged children in Jerusalem.
Following a polio
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
epidemic in Israel in the 1940s and 1950s, the Ministry of Health provided ALYN with an old monastery building in Katamon that was used as a treatment center, residence and school for 200 children suffering polio.
In 1971, a donation by Malcolm and Dorothy Woldenberg made possible the building in the Kiryat Yovel
Kiryat Yovel
Kiryat HaYovel is a neighborhood in southwestern Jerusalem on Mount Herzl. It was built in the early 1950s to house new immigrants...
neighborhood of Jerusalem of the ALYN Woldenberg Family Hospital, a modern hospital and rehabilitation facility.
Today, ALYN Hospital is one of the world's leading hospitals specializing in the active and intensive rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
of children who are afflicted with a broad range of physical disabilities.
Departments
The hospital operates the following departments:The Rehabilitation Department treats patients ranging in age from babies to young adults and suffering from injuries sustained in road and domestic accidents and terror attacks, severe burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
s, various feeding disorders
Dysphagia
Dysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty in swallowing. Although classified under "symptoms and signs" in ICD-10, the term is sometimes used as a condition in its own right. Sufferers are sometimes unaware of their dysphagia....
, congenital or progressive muscle, nerve and bone diseases, severe respiratory disorders, or those requiring rehabilitation after orthopedic
Orthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
and neurosurgical
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
procedures, or a period of rehabilitation treatment
Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
for whatever reason.
The Day Hospitalization Rehabilitation Unit provides treatment for patients who still require comprehensive rehabilitation but are already able to return to their home. Patients continue with day hospitalization after being discharged from the Rehabilitation Unit's hospital ward or they are referred from other sources, such as clinics.
The intensive care Respiratory Rehabilitation Unit treats patients so as to wean them off artificial ventilation, achieve the best possible regulation of ventilation for patients who need continued ventilation and determine correct ventilation treatment for patients with respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
.
The Shachar Rehabilitation Educational Medical Day Care Center provides an educational framework for children who have rehabilitation and medical needs and whose medical condition needs to improve before they can be reintegrated into the community. The center includes a pre-school day care center for children aged 6 months to 3 years, kindergartens, an after-school integration program and school classes. It provides services including occupational therapy
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy is a discipline that aims to promote health by enabling people to perform meaningful and purposeful activities. Occupational therapists work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally disabling condition by utilizing treatments...
, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...
, speech therapy, and psychological counseling in addition to support by medical specialists and social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
ers.
Charity Bike Ride
“Wheels of Love” is ALYN's annual charity bike ride through Israel to raise money for the children at the hospital. It is a five day, 480 kilometres (298.3 mi) bike ride that attracts cyclists from all around the world. “Wheels of Love” has routes designed to accommodate a variety of riding and intensity levels: Off-Road, On-Road, On-Road Challenge and Touring.Wheels of Love began in 1999 with 9 Israelis who cycled through Israel and raised approximately $65,000 for ALYN Hospital. In 2007, more than $3,000,000 was raised.
In the fall of 2009, ALYN Hospital hosted its 10th Annual Wheels of Love Charity Bike Ride. The ride attracted 370 international riders, 250 Israeli one-day riders and 35 volunteers from around the world, making it Israel's largest charity sporting event.
Christopher Reeve's visit
In July 2003, Christopher ReeveChristopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
, an actor, advocate and chairman of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF), visited Israel to learn about their work with stem cell research. During his intensive tour, Reeve visited ALYN Hospital, the Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science , known as Machon Weizmann, is a university and research institute in Rehovot, Israel. It differs from other Israeli universities in that it offers only graduate and post-graduate studies in the sciences....
, and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is a research-intensive institute of technology in Haifa, Israel. Originally called the Technikum, it was founded in 1912...
.
Following his visit to ALYN, Reeve stated that he was in awe of the work being done, particularly in regard to spinal cord injuries.
2010 Haiti earthquake relief
In February, a team of medical experts from ALYN Hospital specializing in the rehabilitation of amputees went to Haiti to assess needs for providing rehabilitation for the injured and training Haitian therapists. The delegations went under the auspicies of ISRA-AID and Tevel B tzedek. The delegations continued to provide therapy for the earthquake patients until June 2010. in Israel.External links
31.768716°N 35.168669°W