Dr. Paul Garfinkel Mental Health Program

Dr. Paul Garfinkel Mental Health Program for Israel’s Immigrants

 Israel has always been known as the land of immigrants. With its population now exceeding 7 million, Israel has hase provided a home to countless immigrants since the early days of the State. They are the country’s strength and pride. We have all heard stories about the challenges new immigrants face in adjusting to their new lives. Among these challenges one area is seldom mentioned, the psychological burdens newcomers must face, beyond their acclimation to the new country. Herzog Hospital/Ezrath Nashim, the first psychiatric hospital in the Middle East dating back to 1894, has focused its attention on mental health needs since its early beginnings. We are painfully aware of how difficult it has been for individuals in need of counseling to find a therapist who speaks their mother tongue.

 Through the establishment of the Dr. Paul Garfinkel Mental Health Program for Israel’s Immigrants, we at Herzog Hospital have now changed that. A program has been initiated to provide psychological counseling specifically geared to the Ethiopian and Russian immigrants in their native Amharic and Russian languages. The establishment of the Dr. Paul Garfinkel Mental Health Program for Israel’s Immigrants marks an important advance in the psychological services available in Israel. And it will become one of the key services in our outstanding Community Mental Health Clinic as it expands into Herzog’s new Ambulatory Health Center.