Netanya to Build Mental Health Center for IDF Soldiers

The Israel Defense Ministry, Friends of the IDF in the USA and the Aguda LeMaan HaChayal Society for the Support of IDF Soldiers have signed an agreement to finance the construction of a mental health center for conscripts and active reservists.

The center will be established on the premises of the IDF Soldiers’ Support Society’s facility in Netanya (Beit Feldman), which is to undergo extensive renovation and expansion.

The center’s primary goal will be to provide service members with tools for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment that will allow them to quickly return to duty and resume normal life after demobilization.

After the project is completed, the center will operate:

A research centre that will be a key hub for advancing knowledge and understanding of the military experience, with research into mental health, trauma and resilience.

A training center for IDF commanders on resilience and mental health issues, which will include training commanders in the prevention, detection and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

A treatment unit that will provide comprehensive mental health services to both inpatients and outpatients, including individual psychotherapy, group therapy, sports therapy, physical rehabilitation and hydrotherapy.

A training center for therapists where professionals will receive training and tools for effective trauma therapy.

The cost of establishing the center, $40 million, will be covered by Friends of the IDF in the USA, and the maintenance will be carried out and paid for by the Defense Ministry and the IDF Soldiers’ Support Society.