Building Hope and Healing for Southern Israel
The events of October 7, 2023, and the prolonged war that followed created the most severe mental health crisis in Israel’s history. Survivors, hostages and their families, soldiers, healthcare workers, and entire communities continue to face unprecedented levels of trauma, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Nowhere is this need greater than in southern Israel. As the only tertiary medical center serving more than one million residents of the Negev, Soroka is uniquely positioned to lead the region’s mental health recovery. Yet the South continues to face a critical shortage of psychiatric beds, specialized treatment programs, and integrated hospital-based mental healthcare.
To meet this urgent need, Soroka is building a new Center for Mental Health, a comprehensive facility that will unite advanced psychiatric care with the resources of a leading academic medical center, ensuring patients receive truly integrated care for both their physical and emotional health.
Spanning approximately 14,000 square meters, the new Center for Mental Health will provide a comprehensive continuum of care for children, adolescents, and adults. The center will include inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services, crisis intervention, psychiatric day treatment, specialized eating disorders care, early childhood mental health services, and advanced interventional psychiatry, including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). Designed to promote healing and recovery, the facility will also feature therapeutic gardens and restorative treatment environments, while serving as a hub for education and training to prepare the next generation of mental health professionals.
The new center will serve approximately 430 inpatients and more than 40,000 outpatient visits annually, dramatically expanding access to specialized mental healthcare while creating a new model for integrated psychiatric and medical treatment in Israel.
Donor Opportunities Please Contact:
Rachel Heisler Sheinfeld | Executive Director
American Friends of Soroka Medical Center
Office: 914-725-9070 | Mobile: 914-582-6750