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Table 2 The Raphael Social Incubator: Participants, projects and their outcome

From: Development of a novel social incubator for health promoting initiatives in a disadvantaged region

Partner

Project

Innovative aspects

Outcomes

Roll Out Beyond the Local Organisation

External funding received to extend the project

Deemed as a Social Incubator Success

Social incubator success (rating 1)

 Local HMOs with Hatzor Social Welfare Services

Shared Mental Health Care

Creating an inter-agency shared care model across medical and social services for socially disadvantaged patients with mental illness

Balint groups established. 240 individuals received care through the project with reduction in health services use and medications

Three additional clinics established in southern and northern peripheries. Working with 3 of Israel’s 4 HMOs

Prestigious research grant from the Israeli National Institute of Health Policy Research

Yes - sustained and extended nationally

 Al-Manal, an NGO supporting Arab women, with Dugrinet, an NGO providing media training for charities

Empowering disabled Arab women as agents for health

Drawing on the potential strengths of isolated physically disabled Arab women to advocate for enhanced health services required by the disabled

Well-established team of 10 disabled Arab women. Audiovisual materials produced and meetings held with health service managers and in the community. Enhanced social circumstances for participants and self-esteem enhanced.

Another national NGO for physically disabled Arabs adopted parts of the program.

Grant from USA embassy MEPI program

Funding from the NGO Healing across the Divides

Yes - sustained and extended locally

 Beterem- Safe Kids Israel (NGO promoting child safety)

Community Champions for Child Safety

Creating a team of volunteers in disadvantaged Arab and Jewish communities to ‘champion’ child safety on postnatal wards and in kindergartens

Safety lectures to new mothers directly after birth delivered weekly at Nazareth hospital. Volunteers also visit local schools to give session on safety to students and staff.

Extended to another neighbouring Arab towns

Funding from the NGO Healing across the Divides, and from Generation to Generation

Yes - sustained and extended locally

Successfully ‘hatched’ with influence ongoing in some form (rating 2–3)

 Enosh, an NGO for individuals coping with mental illness

Lifestyle program for individuals coping with mental illness

Hiking as a regular and core activity to engender lifestyle change in the face of severe mental illness

20 active participants on hikes. Healthy changes also engendered in club environment: healthier foods, more physical activity. Medical students are now involved.

The initiative influenced the adoption of healthy lifestyle in Enosh branches nationally

Local lifestyle program is now supported by National Enosh and private donors

Continued within Enosh locally

 Safed Municipality- social welfare services

Clowning by the elderly for the elderly

Creating a team of elderly clowns and bringing medical clowning to the community setting

A dedicated team of clowns trained, reporting increased meaning in their own lives. Visits made to local retirement homes and other community organisations are ongoing to an extent

_

Prize received

Ongoing influence in Safed social services

 Carmiel Municipality Employment Office

Factory “health champions”

Establishing a network of trained factory workers to be ‘health champions’ within their factories

Four factories engaged. Changes in all four reported: eg healthier food options available in cafeterias; smoking policies and designated smoking areas outside factory instated.

_

_

Some ongoing influence in the factories

 Al-Taj Arab High School (NGO), Arrabeh

Arab high school girls as agents for health change

Training high school Arab girls to work inter-generationally to promote breast cancer awareness and mammography uptake

44 students trained and reported positive conversations with women in their families.

Ongoing lectures within school but no direct work with families

_

_

Some ongoing influence in the school

 Menachem Begin Amal High School in a low SES area

Enhancing self-esteem in high school students

Combining the drama curriculum with school psychology support services and community service in order to promote self esteem

Program well received with drama and counseling workshops on-going beyond the pilot year. No measurable increase in self-esteem found.

_

_

Some ongoing influence in the school.

 Child Development Center- Ziv Hospital

Autism: Play Project

Culturally adapting a USA evidenced based program for Arab and Jewish families

22 families enrolled. Therapists gained skills. Marked improvement in play skills and parent-child communication in 8 families completing the course. Approach still used in Center but no home visits

_

_

Some ongoing influence in the Child Development Center

Successfully hatched but not sustained (Rating 4)

 ENOSH, an NGO for individuals coping with mental illness

“Phototherapy” in mental illness

Increasing community awareness of mental illness and encouraging self-expression of individuals coping with severe mental illness through teaching photography in the framework of an NGO

7 members completed the photography course and exhibited their work to the public in Safed City Arts Center.

_

_

Successful implementation but not sustained

 ENOSH Safed, NGO for individuals with mental illness.

Using Jewish sources to engage ultraorthodox men coping with mental illness

Engaging ultraorthodox Jews to cope with their severe mental illness in a culturally specific way, in a community where mental illness is often hidden

13 Haredi men with mental illness attended a 12 week course with positive benefits.

_

_

Successful implementation but not sustained

 Upper Galilee Regional Council

Eco-friendly Kibbutz

Developing eco-friendly strategies in garden and play areas on Kibbutzim through raising awareness in the communities’ gardeners

Sixteen gardeners from 5 kibbutzim trained and a strategy implemented for working with the community and farmers to reduce environmental health risks

_

_

Successful implementation but not sustained

Never ‘hatched’ (Rating 5)

 Safed Municipality Social Welfare Services

Support group for isolated young Arab mothers

Connecting young mothers from a remote Arab neighbourhood to facilities and activities in the Jewish town

Coordinator appointed but mothers could not be recruited

  

Failure