ALYN Hospital () is a comprehensive rehabilitation center for physically challenged and disabled children, adolescents and young adults, located in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. ALYN Hospital 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

orthopedist Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

, Dr. Henry Keller, who dedicated his life to voluntary work amongst physically challenged children in Jerusalem. Following a

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

epidemic in Israel in the 1940s and 1950s, the Ministry of Health provided ALYN with an old monastery building in

Katamon Katamon or Qatamon (; ; ; from the Ancient Greek ), officially known as Gonen (; mainly used in municipal publications), is a neighborhood in south-central Jerusalem. It is built next to an old Greek Orthodox monastery, believed to have been cons ...

that was used as a treatment center, residence and school for 200 children suffering polio.ALYN Hospital History
Retrieved 2010-02-21 In 1971, a donation by Malcolm and Dorothy Woldenberg made possible the building in the

Kiryat Yovel Kiryat HaYovel () is a neighborhood in southwestern Jerusalem on Mount Herzl. It was built in the early 1950s to house Jewish exodus from the Muslim world, Jewish immigrants and refugees who fled the Arab world. Today, Kiryat HaYovel has a populat ...

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.

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 A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

and domestic accidents and terror attacks, severe

burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...

s, various feeding disorders, congenital or progressive muscle, nerve and bone diseases, severe

respiratory The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies gr ...

disorders, or those requiring rehabilitation after

orthopedic Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

and

neurosurgical Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, s ...

procedures, or a period of rehabilitation treatment for whatever reason.ALYN Hospital Departments
Retrieved 2010–02–22 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 Artificial ventilation or respiration is when a machine assists in a metabolic process to exchange gases in the body by pulmonary ventilation, external respiration, and internal respiration. A machine called a ventilator provides the person air ...

, 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 results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a r ...

. 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 (OT), also known as ergotherapy, is a healthcare profession. Ergotherapy is derived from the Greek wiktionary:ergon, ergon which is allied to work, to act and to be active. Occupational therapy is based on the assumption t ...

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and Physical therapy, physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and ...

speech therapy Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...

, and psychological counseling in addition to support by medical specialists and

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

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, 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 Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, activist, director, and author. He amassed Christopher Reeve on stage and screen, several stage and screen credits in his 34-year career, including playin ...

, an actor, advocate and chairman of the

Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει ...

(CRPF), visited Israel to learn about their work with

stem cell research In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...

. During his intensive tour, Reeve visited ALYN Hospital, the

Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( ''Machon Weizmann LeMada'') is a Public university, public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, fourteen years before the State of Israel was founded. Unlike other List of Israeli uni ...

, and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.Derfner, Larr
''Superhero Flies To Israel''
, (August 11, 2003), ''News & World Report'' Following his visit to ALYN, Reeve stated that he was in awe of the work being done, particularly in regard to spinal cord injuries.''Christopher Reeve: Trip to Israel July 2003''
Published 3 November 2008

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.ALYN Hospital joins IsraAID in Haiti
, (21 February 2010), i
''Israel 21c Innovation News Service''
Retrieved 2010-02-21

References

External links

ALYN Hospital

Wheels of Love International Charity Bike Ride
{{Coord, 31.768716, 35.168669, region:IL_type:landmark, display=title Hospitals in Jerusalem Hospitals established in 1932 Voluntary hospitals