Information on welfare services provided by the Cystic Fibrosis Association in Israel to its members
We would like to bring to your attention information about the welfare services provided by the Cystic Fibrosis Association in Israel to its members and information about the rights of Cystic Fibrosis patients in the various authorities.
Union Office
The union office is located at 79 Krinitzi Street, Ramat Gan.
Phone: 03-6702323.
Fax: 03-6702324.
Email: cf@cff.org.il
The office is open Sunday-Thursday from 08: 00-16: 00.
The association’s website: www.cff.org.il
The union’s CEO, Shira Zaguri, can be contacted by phone at the union’s office or by email at shira@cff.org.il.
The head of the social services, Riki Mechlin, can be contacted by phone at the union, via the email riki.machlin@gmail.com, or via the social facts at the CF center where the patient is being treated.
The project manager, Meirav Meir, can be contacted by phone at the union and via the email merav@cff.org.il.
Membership in the union
A union member can be a resident of Israel who is a CF patient or the family of a minor with a CF, a member of one of the health funds and is diagnosed by one of the CF clinics recognized by the union.
Membership in the union is conditional on the payment of a membership fee.
The amount per year is 200 NIS for a family and 100 NIS for adults over 18.
Only those who have paid membership fees are eligible for union services.
A graduate’s family that wishes to continue to be a member of the union will continue to pay a membership fee of NIS 200 per year, in parallel with the graduate’s payment.
It is recommended to pay the membership fee through a standing order at the bank (forms can be obtained at the union office or from the social worker of the CF center where the patient is treated), or by credit card. The fee is charged once a year in January.
Help detail
The association has a committee to help the individual, which allows patients who have difficulty meeting the expenses involved in medical care.
Help is provided according to medical, social, and economic criteria.
Who is eligible to apply to the committee?
Any graduate or family member of a young person who has paid union dues for at least three months.
How do you apply to the committee?
The referral is through the social worker of the CF clinic where you are being treated.
In which areas can you get help?
• A partial grant is given for medical expenses such as the purchase of essential medicines not in the health basket or drugs for which the deductible is high and for medicinal foods.
• In exceptional cases, assistance is provided to finance payment for pulmonary drainage treatment for those treated more than once a day. Also, in situations of severe patients, service is provided in financing travel to the hospitals and in-home help.
• Loans are given to purchase medical equipment, air conditioners or household electrical equipment, or dental care that are not included in the health basket.
The support of the individual committee depends on the union’s budget in the particular year. There are periods when assistance is provided in other areas. In any request, the committee should be approached through the clinic’s social worker, who will forward it with the required documents and its reasoned recommendation.
How is the amount of assistance determined?
Over the years, clear criteria have been set for assistance in the various areas. The requirements are subject to the union budget, so although the actual costs are very high, the aid is only partial. The variables taken into account are:
• Severity of the disease.
• The need for the treatment in question.
• The financial situation of the family.
Physiotherapy coordination
Cystic fibrosis patients are eligible for reimbursement for pulmonary drainage treatments (see details below). For physiotherapists or therapy students, please get in touch with Meirav Meir, the union’s project manager.
It should be emphasized that the association deals only with mediation and does not employ the caregivers directly. Care should be taken to receive guidance from the CFC physiotherapist before starting contact with the therapist.
Employment project
The social services, through specialized organizations such as the Rehabilitation Institute near Levinstein Hospital, the Goma Training Institute, etc., provide counseling in the field of employment placement, to those who have exhausted their rights in the Social Security (see below) or to those who need additional assistance in this area. Of the CF Center.
Newsletter and newspaper
The association publishes a number of leaflets and newspapers a year. The leaflets and newspapers review the association’s activities in the months between publications and pass on information regarding new treatments and medications.
Meetings
The association organizes family meetings, meetings for professionals, lectures, and various events for friends and families. You are welcome to send us topics that you are interested in, and we will try to respond to your requests and give them expression in the meetings and conferences that the association initiates.
In order to prevent infection among the graduates, the union has in recent years begun to broadcast the meetings live on the Internet.
