Photo taken by: Anat Sudai

The authority’s vision and the importance of health

In 2019, the Ramat Gan Municipality joined the Efsharibari in the City program with the following objectives:

• Promoting a healthy lifestyle across all life stages, from infancy to old age, while reducing health disparities
• Enhancing the mental and physical resilience of the city residents

The authority’s Department of Health manages the program and strives to achieve these goals. 

Organizational structure: the Department of Health operates under the Department of Social Services and has 18 employees (Tipat Halav, mother and child health care nurses, the department secretary, the manager of Harmony Center, the project coordinator, the municipal dietitian, and the department manager).

Improving the physical environment

• Constructing floor game tracks in the public gardens across the city (March 2021)

Eli Cohen Garden

Golden Heart Garden

• Resuscitation devices: the Ramat Gan Municipality purchased resuscitation devices and placed them in public spaces and in senior clubs across the city. This year we are embarking on a process to map and ensure accessibility to these devices for the residents (2021).

Efsharibari in the community

• An annual program addressing healthy nutrition has been initiated in youth after-school facilities by the Welfare Department. An updated menu was created, instructions were provided on food consumption in between meals, as well as information about events in the after-school facilities. Additionally, a cooking workshop was arranged for the housekeeping team, and various annual meetings consisting of workshops and activities around nutrition were held, with the aim of fostering positive habits among the children attending the after-school facilities.
• Making healthy nutrition available for families in need who receive food baskets from the local authority by providing year-round customized recipes with the groceries included in the food baskets, accordingly with the national nutrition recommendations.
• An annual program for promoting healthy nutrition among young people through the Local Youth Council (2021-2022).
• Creating a group of health coordinators for elderly people: a collaborative team consisting of the Social Service Division, the Seniors' Department, and the Health Department is dedicated to enhancing and establishing decision-making groups to address the health needs of the city's veterans (2021-2022).
• Harmony Center: the home for parents and infants, was created to provide solutions for both new and experienced parents to address issues relating to baby development.

One unique program of which we are exceptionally proud

• Leading topic: Healthy nutrition
• Name of program: Food boxes for children entering first grade
• A short description of the program: Ramat Gan is a healthy city and is participating in an ongoing program to promote the health of its residents. We, at the Health Department, distribute healthy food boxes for children entering first grade to ensure they have a healthy and productive year ahead. The box consists of a magnet with the Nutritional Rainbow Diet symbol, a greeting from the mayor, an information leaflet with healthy breakfast recommendations, a coloring page of the Nutritional Rainbow Diet, and a calendar featuring breakfasts.
• Collaborations: bodies/organizations, and residents who take part of this program pointed out major collaborators - the Efsharibari Education Division. This is the second year of successful collaboration with the Education Division, and all parties involved in this program cannot wait to the beginning of the year.

Efsharibari in Education

Health promoting schools in 2019
Elementary schools: 11
High schools: 1

• Food box distribution for 2500 children entering first grade throughout the city schools. The box consists of a magnet with the Nutritional Rainbow Diet symbol, an information leaflet with healthy breakfast recommendations, a coloring page of the Nutritional Rainbow Diet, and a calendar featuring breakfasts.
• Distribution of "Equal in Motion" games for all the kindergartens in Ramat Gan (120 kindergartens) with the aim of fostering an active lifestyle among kindergarten children.
• Food allergies and coeliac disease: through a parents' survey, we collected valuable data regarding this matter. We conducted lectures via Zoom on various related topics, established a dedicated WhatsApp group for communication with parents of children with allergies, and developed an information tab on the Health Department's portal containing details about various allergy-related subjects.

Publicity

Every year we celebrate World Walking Day in the city, with a range of activities for diverse target audiences in different locations. The main event takes place in the national park. Additionally, peak events are conducted throughout the year for early detection of diseases such as diabetes and breast cancer, for the benefit of the residents.

Further reading

Efsharibari in the City: map of participating local authorities and companies (Hebrew)
Efsharibari in the City guide for local authorities (Hebrew)