The Pediatric Rehabilitation Department is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of children with acute or chronic disabilities. The Department's mission is to achieve the maximal possible improvement in the functional and cognitive capabilities of these children, with special regards to each child's needs, within the family framework.

A multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses and paramedical personnel undertakes treatment. The rehabilitation programs- from the time of admission until the child's full return to school within his community-are adapted to the individual needs of the child and the family.

The department has expertise in the management of pediatric physical disabilities including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burns, amputations, perinatal brain injury and Cerebral Palsy, spinal cord and spinal column malformations, neuromuscular and skeletal disorders and oncological conditions such as brain tumors.

The Department's staff consists of two senior physicians together with a team of nurses and paramedical professionals including physiotherapists, hydrotherapists, occupational and speech therapists, psychologists and social workers. The Department has its own education center with a full staff of teachers and specialists in art and music therapy. The center has the capacity for telemetric distance teaching and on-line communication with the child's school.

Inpatient Unit
The inpatient unit occupies the fourth floor of the recently inaugurated Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital and includes 18 beds for intensive inpatient rehabilitation. The daily treatment program is individualized to the changing needs of each child and family and includes a complete range of paramedical therapies with special emphasis on the child's educational needs. The inpatient unit has special areas for Hydrotherapy, Speech Therapy and Psychological Intervention as well as five classrooms and an Art Therapy and computer center. Facilities are provided for parents to stay with the child throughout the hospital admission procedure and to participate in the rehabilitation process.

The hospital's third floor includes the department's main physical and occupational therapy areas. Special areas are provided for Biofeedback and Cognitive Therapy treatment.  There is also a fully equipped exercise room for children and special rooms for younger children and toddlers.

Outpatient and Day Admissions Unit
The outpatient and day admissions program enables patients to be discharged earlier from the hospital accelerating the rehabilitation process. The individualized treatment program started in the inpatient unit is continued on a daily basis in the framework of the day admissions unit. This enables the families to develop a normal daily routine with gradual integration of the child back into the regular school system. A room for the day care center is located on the third floor.

Specialist clinics enable outpatient multidisciplinary evaluation, diagnosis and long-term follow up and treatment of disabled children. The therapeutic programs are undertaken with the mutual participation of each child's school, primary physician, and community health services.

Special Services
The Department provides a number of unique and special rehabilitation services for both inpatients and outpatients including:

• Neuropsychological assessments
• Assessment of technological requirements such as computer components, communication devices, special accessories required for daily living and a seating clinic to define individual wheelchair specifications
• Definition of rehabilitation requirements and planning for the home environment
• Evaluation and management of Bladder and Bowl Incontinence
• Nursing service for the management of pressure sores

Department at a Glance
Number of Beds - 18
Number of Inpatients per Year - 150
Number of Outpatients per Year - 600 + 1500 Day Care Visits
Director - Dr. Amichai Brezner
Address - The Edmond & Lily Safra Children's Hospital
E-mail - abrezner@sheba.health.gov.il
Tel - 972-3-5302043