Establishing the Future of Healthcare in Tel Aviv

The last few months have brought to the public's attention the critical importance of high-quality, timely rehabilitation treatments: Israeli media has been filled with stories about young soldiers who were severely injured in Gaza and who are now miraculously recovering – largely thanks to impressive rehab treatments. Indeed, the events of October 7 and the ensuing war have made it abundantly clear that Israel's healthcare system must be prepared to provide comprehensive, long-term physical and mental rehabilitation care to large numbers of soldiers and civilians of all ages contending with a wide range of conditions.

However, even before the recent surge in demand for rehabilitation services brought on by these tragic events, the supply of available beds in Israeli rehabilitation hospitals was shamefully insufficient. In fact, the number of rehabilitation beds per capita in Israel is among the lowest among OECD countries and is decreasing as the population grows. As a result, rehab centers are extremely crowded, and their staff cope with difficult conditions.

Moreover, as life expectancy rises, Geriatric Medicine faces critical demand. By 2030, Israel will have 1.5 million elderly citizens, and they are expected to account for 17% of the total population by 2065.

Currently, over a third of the patients in rehab wards are over 65 years old, with demand expected to soar with increased longevity.

Meeting national trauma with resilience

Years before the current spotlight on rehabilitation needs, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and the Tel Aviv Foundation understood the importance of upgrading Israel's rehabilitation resources and decided to prioritize the construction of a state-of-the-art rehabilitation campus in Tel Aviv-Yafo. The project entails relocating the Reuth Tel Aviv Rehabilitation Hospital – whose current facilities are antiquated and inadequate – to a new top-tier healthcare campus in northwest Tel Aviv that will provide cutting-edge care in a nurturing and healing environment.

Although Reuth is considered one of Israel's leading rehabilitation hospitals, its current home is a 60+-year-old building in Tel Aviv's Yad Eliyahu neighborhood. Originally established as a geriatric center, today it provides the entire spectrum of long-term rehabilitation care and strives to restore functional independence and empower patients to reintegrate into society. The hospital has 356 beds for patients who require hospitalization, as well as offering out-patient rehab and ambulatory services.

Among the services Reuth provides to thousands of patients every year: general rehabilitation, care for chronically ventilator-dependent patients, post-Covid rehabilitation, geriatric rehabilitation, complex nursing for children and youth, head injuries rehabilitation, the treatment of eating disorders, and the treatment of chronic and acute pain at the Pain Institute.

"We are the largest day hospitalization and ambulatory rehabilitation hospital in Israel. We care for patients from all over the country and are very proud of our excellent and highly dedicated team of professionals," says Ido Sharir, CEO of Reuth, adding that, "At the same time, we recognize that our current facilities are in dire need of improvement." One of the current frustrations is that the hospital is always so full that it only has space to accept one out of every five prospective new patients and must turn away all the others.

Revolutionizing physical and emotional care in Israel

The new flagship project is expected to revolutionize the field of rehabilitation in Israel, and will position Tel Aviv as a leading city for advanced medicine. The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality recently signed an agreement with Reuth for the allocation of the land at the site of the former Sde Dov Airport – Tel Aviv's newest prestigious neighborhood on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

"The Tel Aviv Foundation is proud to partner in the establishment of Reuth's new and advanced campus, which will provide services for patients from all over the country," says Dr. Hila Oren, CEO of the Tel Aviv Foundation. "The opportunity to take part in urban development on the Sde Dov site, including creating groundbreaking public spaces, is urbanism at its best and is wholly aligned with the foundation's values."

Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo and Chairman of the Tel Aviv Foundation Ron Huldai said: "Strengthening the field of rehabilitation will be a major challenge for Israel in the coming years due to, among other factors, the many soldiers and civilians who received physical and psychological injuries on October 7th and in the Israel-Hamas war. The Reuth Association and the Reuth Tel Aviv Rehabilitation Hospital have an important role to play in these efforts."

Once Reuth moves into the beautiful new 4-acre campus, it will be able to offer a larger number of people even higher standards of care. The number of beds will grow to at least 450 and there will be much larger spaces for physical therapy and other treatments. The new hospital will include spacious inpatient wards, an outpatient complex, a hydrotherapy pool, an R&D incubator, hyperbaric chambers, an advanced imaging institute, state-of-the-art operating rooms and more.

The project was designed by the prestigious MYS architecture firm with the aim of providing a relaxing and nurturing environment not only for the patients but also for their families and for the staff. As such, there will be many green public spaces as well as commercial areas and cafes. Moreover, the complex was planned to be environmentally friendly and to minimize waste.

The process of securing building permits and other approvals is expected to take around 18 months, and the construction will then take 4-5 years. Accordingly, the new Reuth Tel Aviv Rehabilitation Hospital is projected to open its doors in 2030.

The project's total budget is $230 million, of which $55 million will be funded by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality through the Tel Aviv Foundation, and $55 million is expected to be covered by the Israeli government. The Tel Aviv Foundation and the Reuth Tel Aviv Rehabilitation Hospital have launched a campaign to raise the remaining $120 million with local and international partners.

About the Tel Aviv Foundation

Chaired by Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, the Tel Aviv Foundation is tasked with raising the quality of life in the city through education, culture, welfare, environment and innovation. Since it was founded in 1977, it has initiated and built more than 1,000 projects around the city – touching the lives of all Tel Avivians. The Foundation's founders and subsequent Mayors of Tel Aviv-Yafo envisioned a vibrant, thriving, egalitarian and pluralistic city filled with cultural, educational and economic opportunities for people across Israel.

The Tel Aviv Foundation's main focus in the early days was to build parks, playgrounds, and community centers throughout the city, as well as such landmarks as the Suzanne Dellal Center in Neve Tzedek, the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and the Charles Clore Park along the beach. Its early accomplishments also included the Café Europa initiative, which offers Holocaust survivors a place to meet, exchange stories, and take part in social activities. Still today, the Foundation remains involved in developing the cityscape. Recent projects include the construction of the Sylvan Adams Velodrome, the Shoshana and Zevulun Tomer City Museum of Tel Aviv-Yafo, the Cees and Phil Wynn Beach Sports Community Center and many more. The Foundation develops multifunctional innovative public spaces, welfare and community programs and initiatives providing immediate solutions to those in need.

Following the October 7 attack, the Tel Aviv Foundation took on a national role – including providing support to evacuees from the northern and southern conflict zones, working closely with the Sderot Municipality and the Netiv Ha'Hasara community, establishing the Orphans Fund to support children who have lost a parent as a result of the war, and cultivating new partnerships with the Jewish diaspora. The Tel Aviv Foundation is utilizing resources, experience, knowledge and partnerships to benefit not only Israel but the Jewish world as a whole.

For more information, go to telavivfoundation.org or reuth.org.il >>

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Partnered with the Tel Aviv Foundation