History of ALYN Hospital
ALYN Hospital was founded in 1932 as a voluntary organization by Dr. Henry Keller, an American orthopedic surgeon who dedicated his life to volunteer work with children in Jerusalem. From its earliest days, ALYN was established to care for children with physical disabilities, at a time when pediatric rehabilitation was not yet an organized field in Israel.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, during the polio epidemic in Israel, the Ministry of Health allocated an historic building to ALYN that had previously served as a monastery of the Orthodox Church in the San Simon neighborhood. The building was designated as an emergency hospital, marking a significant stage in ALYN’s development and its growing role as a leading pediatric rehabilitation center.
Over the years, ALYN’s growth was shaped by key figures in the fields of medicine and rehabilitation, among them Dr. Edgar Heilbrunner, a pioneer in pediatric rehabilitation in Israel, who contributed to the development of the multidisciplinary rehabilitative approach that continues to guide ALYN’s work.
In 1971, ALYN inaugurated its current campus in Kiryat Yovel, Jerusalem. Set against the backdrop of the Jerusalem Forest and the Ein Kerem neighborhood, the hospital’s unique location provides a calm and open environment that supports recovery, rehabilitation, and hope—values that have accompanied ALYN since its founding.
ALYN Hospital is acknowledged worldwide as a premier hospital specializing in pediatric rehabilitation. It is the only facility of its kind in Israel. ALYN’s reputation in diagnosing and rehabilitating infants, children and adolescents with physical disabilities, both congenital and acquired, is meticulous. The children treated at ALYN come from Israel and abroad. The hospital welcomes all patients regardless of religion or nationality.
ALYN is fortunate to have a multidisciplinary team providing a wide range of medical services, paramedical therapies and additional state-of-the-art rehabilitation services. ALYN’s various departments and services include: the Rehabilitation Department, the Day Hospitalization Rehabilitation Department, the Respiratory Rehabilitation Department, Multidisciplinary Outpatient Clinics, the Shachar Rehabilitation Educational and Medical Daycare Facility, incorporating infant, kindergarten and school classes, The Skill Building Center, Maslul – the Dyna and Fala Weinstock Therapeutic Sports Center and the Legacy Heritage Independent Living Neighborhood for Ventilator-Assisted Young Adults. In addition, ALYN is a center of research and teaching for professionals training in the field of pediatric rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation Plan
The children at ALYN face a variety of physical challenges. Once the team at ALYN assesses each child’s needs, the rehabilitation plan is determined. Some children require short-term rehabilitation. Others must learn to cope with complex injuries and medical conditions (including children who require ventilation) requiring long-term rehabilitation. At ALYN we recognize the importance of assisting the families as their children begin the rehabilitative process, which can be long and complex. The families of all the patients at ALYN receive instruction from the staff as to how they can best help their children meet the challenge of their rehabilitation.
To help the children remain motivated throughout the often difficult demands of their rehabilitation, ALYN includes animal assisted therapy, computer technology therapy, virtual reality games, medical clowns, hydrotherapy and exercising in MASLUL, ALYN’s Therapeutic Sports Center. All of the treatments are incorporated into each child’s regular rehabilitation schedule.