70 YEARS OF ACTIVITY For Cancer Patients

Israel Cancer Association // Annual Report 2022

‘Teletmicha’®: Emergency Emotional Support for Cancer Patients, Survivors, and Family Members

the National Insurance Institute’s medical committee. About 120 consultation meetings were held during the year. Legal Consultation Services The Israel Cancer Association’s Rehabilitation and Support Dept. provides guided, informative legal consultation services to cancer patients ahead of National Insurance medical committees, on matters solely stemming from the disease. Consultation is available on a volunteer basis and free of charge nation-wide by a lawyer. About 60 consultation meetings were held during the year. Sexual Consultation for Cancer Patients and their Partners The Israel Cancer Association’s sexual consultation service offers consultation on body image, sexuality, intimacy and fertility for cancer patients and their partners as well as singles – of all ages. The consultation includes information about the effects of cancer on sexuality and fertility, information regarding treatment and sexual rehabilitation as well as referral to other professional experts. The service is provided by Lena Kurtz-Almog , ICA’s Sex Therapist, and RN Livia Kislev , ICA Head Nurse. Throughout the year, the ICA organizes seminars on sexuality and fertility, professional trainings and lectures for survivors as part of its ‘Survivors towards a Healthy Life’® workshops. About 500 consultation meetings were held – frontal, online and over the phone.

The ICA’s Teletmicha® support hotline is supervised by MSW Orit Spira , the ICA’s Director of Rehabilitation and Support. Calls to Teletmicha® are routed to the social workers as well as nursing, psychology, speech therapy professionals and more. Live response is provided in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and English. Emergency Financial Assistance For several decades, the ICA has been supporting cancer patients and their families who are under financial duress, offering emergency financial assistance to thousands of cancer patients who due to the disease and treatments, are in need of aid. This assistance helps during their initial period of organization and until they are recognized as cancer patients by the authorities, and are taken care of by the social institutions in the community. The assistance is given to children and adults with cancer who are under financial duress during the diagnosis and treatment in oncology centers, such as chemotherapy. It is a one-time reward until the welfare and community services such as national security, health care funds and municipal services kick in. The assistance is determined by the ICA’s regional social workers and is given to children and adults, based on pre-defined medical and financial criteria, etc.

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