This report is a summary of the Digital Health Roundtable (13.12.2023) on “Addressing Israel’s Critical Mental Health Needs Post-October 7” by GIHF-AI, the innovation project of ELNET in the field of Digital Health, including recommendations for action.
Given the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war, the European Leadership Network (ELNET) organized a GIHF-AI Digital Health Roundtable focusing on Digital Mental Health. Experts from the German and Israeli healthcare sectors discussed the impact on the mental health situation of the Israeli population, presented research findings and practical examples in the field of Digital Mental Health, and explored how bilateral cooperation can support the Israeli health community in dealing with trauma as well as jointly enhance mental healthcare in Israel and Germany.
Prof. Dr. Ran Balicer, Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) at Clalit Health Services, described the impact of the October 7 events on Israel’s mental health. Best practices from Germany were presented by Prof. Dr. Maria Böttche, Chairwoman of the DeGPT, in the form of use cases of internet-based treatments,and Prof. Dr. Malek Bajbouj, Managing Senior Physician and Head of Center for Affective Neuroscience CBF at the Charité, who demonstrated international Digital Mental Health collaboration projects. To enhance the understanding of dealing with mental health issues amongst children and adolescents and to highlight the importance of social work, Dr. Marianne Ledwon-Feuerstein, Chief Physician of the Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Luisenklinik Bad Dürrheim, presented her practical experiences when dealing with young people suffering after traumatic events.
The report complements the GIHF-AI Policy Briefing “Mental Health in Times of War” of December 12, 2023, which was published in preparation for the Roundtable.
The report was handed over to the representatives of the health ministries of Germany and Israel.
