ESTH visits the Israel Cancer Association

September 29, 2010

Embassy ESTH office visited the Israel Cancer Association (ICA) headquarters in Givatayim.  In addition to housing the administrative and technical offices of this non-governmental organization, the facility also contains meeting rooms for training and support groups and a hostel for cancer patients in need of outpatient treatment but who live too far from a hospital with an oncology center to make a frequent commute.

ICA organized more than 1,000 activities in 2008 alone and expects a similar total at the completion of 2009.  The ICA’s efforts in breast cancer awareness, quality assurance of mammography machines, and its mobile mammography unit have helped make Israeli women 68% compliant overall with recommended mammography screening based on individual risk group.  ICA also recently won an international award for its public service announcement warning of the dangers of hookah (nargila) smoking.  The programs for cancer patient assistance and quality of life support are too numerous to mention, but include hospice, financial assistance, tutors for school-age children, family therapy, and post-illness support.  ICA also awards grants for science research on cancer; ICA research funding amounts to five to six times the annual sum available for cancer research from the Israeli government.  The ICA’s annual budget of approximately US $15 million is funded entirely by small donations generated, in large part, by schoolchildren participating in a yearly door-to-door campaign for the organization.  http://www.cancer.org.il/english/