Since the horrific events of October 7, Israelis have experienced high levels of fear, anxiety and insecurity. Children and adolescents are particularly susceptible to emotional and psychological trauma and are among the most vulnerable groups during a terror attack or war. Increased parental mental stress and lack of emotional support are known to be risk factors that can reduce children’s resilience, further increasing stress in the family.
Children’s health and mental wellbeing require a focused and tailored approach. The Goshen Initiative, inspired by the pioneering work of Professor Frank Oberklaid, founding director of the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, has been at the forefront of this focus for over a decade.
Goshen's Medical Director Dr. Hava Gadassi, along with paediatricians Dr. Dafna Idan-Prusak and former team member Dr. Fuad Alsana - currently Health Fund Clalit's regional director for the Southern Negev - as well as research director Dr Maya Yaari, all trained under Prof. Oberklaid. They and their teams have crafted comprehensive programs aimed at bolstering resilience and emotional well-being in Israel.
Goshen has been researching, developing and delivering training and resources to health professionals and parents; its research shows that prompt response to acute mental stress can significantly reduce the risk of developing more severe problems over time. Goshen is today playing a central role in mental health programs for children who are victims of abuse and neglect.
In the current situation since the start of the war, Goshen's efforts include a series of webinars for paediatricians offering practical tools for helping patients suffering trauma with over 1,800 participants as well as a trauma-aware medicine course for paediatricians and family physicians with 33 paediatricians and family physicians participating.
During this time, Goshen’s incredible work with ‘Tipat Halav’ early childhood clinics and teams has included webinars for 150 nurses, 90 supervisors and 30 team doctors for their own emotional support and guidance as well as tools to support parents and children facing trauma and anxiety. In addition, Goshen has facilitated a series of professional peer meetings to help teams cope with the stressful current challenges.
We are immensely proud to be associated with Goshen’s work in bringing about systemic change to the scope of community paediatrics as well as providing information and resources for parents to enhance delivery of childhood care in all sectors of Israeli society.
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