Israel Youth Village
At the request of the Jewish Agency, JHI will begin a new Health Screening Program in four Israeli Youth Villages operated by the Jewish Agency and Israel’s Ministry of Education, beginning in spring 2011.
Each Youth Village houses approximately 250 at-risk children between the ages of 12 and 16. Each child . These at-risk youth, either abandoned or from an unstable home environment, have been relocated to the Youth Village to provide a secure foundation from which to grow and prosper. Approximately 30-40% of the residents in the Youth Villages are Ethiopian. Significant numbers of the at-risk children have undiagnosed mental and physical health issues that, without identification and a referral, cannot receive treatment under the basket of services provided by Israel’s Ministry of Health. JHI will replicate the highly successful health screening project it has provided in Ethiopian Absorption Centers throughout Israel, in conjunction with the Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Health, over the past five years.
The JHI program will include: Sending teams of specialists in four components vision screening, hearing screening, oral health education, and psychological screening. JHI teams will consist of JHI participant medical care professionals. An ophthalmologist will test each child for vision deficiencies, determining what corrections are needed. Those requiring vision corrections will receive referrals to local providers. An Audiologist will perform audiometer screenings to determine hearing acuity. The pass/fail test will determine if the child should be sent to a hearing specialist. A Dental Hygienist will conduct classes teaching children the proper oral health methods, explaining health issues that relate to poor oral health and screening for possible mouth cancers. Each child will receive a toothbrush, floss and toothpaste. A psychologist will administer mental health tests, to determine if advanced testing or treatment is indicated.
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One of JHI’s newest endeavors is the development of an exciting program for Healthcare Professionals; allowing them to volunteer to visit Israel and work with Israeli healthcare providers on a professional basis. We are working with several partners to make this project viable. Some of our partners in this program are the Israel Medical Association (IMA); the Jewish Agency of Israel (JAFI) and the Ministry of Health of Israel (MOH).
The program will encourage healthcare professionals from the Diaspora to volunteer their expertise by blocking out a period of time in which to visit Israel and experience the opportunity of working with their Israeli counterparts, in various regions of the country, in their shared specialty. The program will allow the participants to have a matchless opportunity for professional exchange. Diaspora healthcare professionals will have a truly unique Israeli experience and have the additional opportunity to experience a training course in Emergency call up preparation in the one part of the world with the most hands-on experience in emergency response. The time length of the commitment will depend on two factors, the desire of the volunteer and availability of their Israeli counterpart.
Individual programs will be devised for each volunteer, making their experience unlike any other. A number of options will be offered and the details of the various programs made possible by the partners mentioned above will soon be available.