New Appointment: Efrat Harel, Director of Social Services

The management of Schneider Children's Medical Center has announced the appointment of the new Director of Social Services, Efrat Harel. She takes over from Dr. Ofra Aran, who has retired.

Efrat Harel, a resident of Shoham, married and mother of two, previously served as a social worker in the Institute of Endocrinology and Diabetes, and as the coordinator of the Committee for the Protection of the Child at Schneider Children's. Before that she was posted to the Intensive Care Unit. Ms. Harel is a registered member of the Israeli Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (LICBT) and lectures to a range of professionals concerning children at risk on behalf of Clalit Health Services, the Ministry of Health and the Haruv Institute. She has a BA in General Psychology from Queens College, NY, USA, and an MA in Social Work from Yeshiva University, New York, USA.

Social Services at Schneider Children's deals annually with hundreds of thousands of infants, children and adolescents from all over the country and from all sectors and cultures. The hospitalization and medical follow-up, meetings with the patient and his family facing a new reality, require handling many changes on the personal, family and social levels. The team of social workers at Schneider Children's comprises over 25 professionals who provide appropriate responses to different populations from a variety of communities and who speak various languages. They form part of every multidisciplinary medical team in the hospital and assist the child and his family in coping with the situation of a sick child, hospitalization, and return to the community.

Prof. Joseph Press, Director of Schneider Children's, stated that "the hospital management and I congratulate Efrat Harel on her appointment as Director of the Social Services. Ms. Harel has worked at the hospital for many years and previously served in various positions as a social worker. I am sure that her experience and skills will bring her much success in her new position. At the same time, we express our appreciation to Dr. Ofra Aran for her many years of service, and pay tribute to her dedication and great contribution to the hospital. We wish her success in her retirement."