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ABOUT Place2Heal

Place2Heal is a non-profit organization founded and based in Israel.

Place2Heal takes existing spaces in cancer treatment centers in Israeli hospitals and transforms them into more positive and healthy environments.

A cancer diagnosis is terrifying and patients undergoing treatment feel fear and stress. These feelings have been shown to negatively impact recovery and the well-being of patients, their caregivers and families.

We know that warm, healing and comfortable environments reduce negative feelings and stress for cancer patients and their loved ones.

Our mission is to create a space which allows our patients a more healing and stress-free environment whilst receiving cancer treatment. In turn, this improves their mood and allows them to focus on the beauty around them for the duration of their hospital visit.

WHO is JUDY?

Place2Heal was founded by Judy Bogen in 2016. In 1993, Judy made Aliyah from the United Kingdom. Together with her husband Robert, she raised three children. Judy has enjoyed a career in marketing, human resources, and general administration.

In 2008, she and her family were on shlichut in Silver Spring, MD in the United States, when she was diagnosed with stage 1, grade 3 breast cancer. Judy underwent surgeries and four months of grueling chemotherapy. She was treated at the Suburban Medical Center in Bethesda MD.

Her doctors, Dr. Rebecca Kaltman and Dr. Pamela Wright supported her every step of the difficult journey.

When she returned to Israel in 2011, she had follow up care in a Jerusalem Medical Center. While her care was outstanding and the staff caring and professional, the condition of the outpatient centers weighed heavily on her mind. Having seen how beautiful and calming centers could be, she decided to bring about change here in Israel’s cancer treatment centers.

Judy studied the correlation between one’s emotional state and one’s surroundings, and in 2016 established Place2Heal.

“I founded Place2Heal to encourage patient-centered care and to improve the patient’s experience in the hospital. “The professional treatment in Israel is excellent, but the physical environment leaves much to be desired and I want to change that in every center that needs us,” says Judy.

“My personal experience has led me on a journey that I never thought I would take. My cancer sent me on this journey, but it does not define who I am. I have taken this mission on myself and will continue to work tirelessly to improve the conditions in oncology day care unites in Israeli hospitals.”

Judy serves as the Head of the organization, with the assistance and support of Place2Heal’s Board Members:

Efrat Benjamin, Shira Brodie, Benji Pushett, Dr.Carolyn Weiniger, Daniel Barnett and Jonathan Finkelstone, Rebecca Barnett.

WHAT we DO?

Place2Heal works with hospital staff, interior designers and engineers to renovate the spaces in which cancer patients undergo treatments. Using calm lighting and visuals, comfortable furniture, warm colors and cool textiles, Place2Heal carves out privacy and serenity for patients and their loved ones, even during stressful times.

Our philosophy is based on the concept of Evidence Based Healthcare Design (EBHD), where studies have shown that our environment has a direct impact on our mood and stress levels. We allow patients to focus on wellness over illness.

There are 27 cancer centers in Israel and 30,000 people are newly diagnosed with cancer every year. We at Place2Heal plan to create healing spaces for as many cancer patients and their families as possible.

HOW we WORK?

P2H seeks out hospitals whose treatment units are in need of upgrading and speaks with them about working together to create an optimum healing environment.

Working with the CEO, engineering department and interior designers, we consider the number of patients, and the specific needs of the space.

We plan a budget and a vision for the project. To keep costs down, we do our best to work with volunteers and in-kind donations.

With budget approved, we decide on colors, design, furniture, window treatment, carpentry, and more. We seek competitive price quotes and travel the country to find the very best materials for the project.

We frequently visit the work site, ensuring the quality and consistency of the work and are in constant communication with hospital staff.

When renovations are complete, furniture and carpentry work is delivered and assembled.

PROJECTS

“Place2Heal is your chance to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves.
We can bring a direct change to cancer patient’s lives and from my personal story, I know just how important that is”

Place2Heal’s flagship project in Israel began in 2019 at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel.
The first stage of the renovation was finished in March 2020, and currently the second
stage is in the final planning stages.
Concurrently, Place2Heal is initiating new projects in various hospitals throughout the State of Israel, and these are expected to be finished over the next two years.

Before and After

DONATE

Help us change the experience of cancer patients in Oncology day care units in Israel!
Please choose one of the options listed below to make your donation.
You may also select an amount of your choice.
If you would like to donate in honor of a family member to commemorate a significant
or special occasion, please do.

100 ILS

250 ILS

500 ILS

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your CHOICE

WHAT people say

"I sense that the environment in which I (still...) receive treatment (currently photopheresis, 4 days a month, for about 5 hours each time), has an impact on my mood and possibly (though not clinically proven) on my stats. Whenever I go in for treatment, the less people around me, the calmer the staff are and the the clutter or lack of - all have an impact on how strained I feel. When the setting is calm, quiet and I sense I have my own physical space - I feel more relaxed and my recovery after treatment is also faster. If, on the the other hand I find myself coming in on a day which is hectic, without having my own quiet corner, it unnerves me and I finish the treatment completely fatigued. With no doubt, having calm images, quiet settings and an "inviting" area, makes the world of difference."

"I’ve had chemotherapy twice with a 7 year gap. The first time was a lonely and pretty traumatic experience. However, the second time was in a dedicated chemotherapy unit. There were individual bright rooms furnished in purples, peaceful and serene artwork on the walls, with comfortable recliners for the patient and chairs for visitors. There was an option to be alone or chat with others in the unit, making the whole experience more relaxed, easier to cope with and less traumatic. The unit didn’t have a ‘hospital’ smell and drinks and snacks were offered. Unfortunately, chemotherapy is debilitating but, in my experience, the environment and surrounding while undergoing the treatment made a huge difference to getting through it."

"A patient enduring the enormously stressful and intense experience of cancer treatment can be nothing short of terrifying. An environment designed to be soothing, comforting, and peaceful, coupled with operational efficiencies, integrated health delivery and a focus on optimizing the patient’s experience can really make all the difference- and can be highly impactful on the path to getting the patient better."

Sara

"Going through breast cancer treatment was scary and full of unknowns. Having my surgery and chemotherapy in a warm and caring environment helped me to get through the process with one less worry. My nursing care was top notch and extras such as support groups, yoga and meditation, and an arts program made me feel less like a patient and more like a person."

"Being able to undergo chemotherapy in a comfortable environment made all the difference to me. I had a view, a place I could escape to in my mind. The room was painted in soft colors and the chairs were comfortable. Sometimes, I would sleep for several hours during my treatment and the low noise level and soft chairs made that possible. My husband also had a comfortable chair for the duration of the treatment. This too is important as we were there for many hours at a time. Chemotherapy was a very challenging time in my life and my surroundings at the treatment center helped me through this, as did the very kind staff who always reminded me that I was not alone."

"Some rooms in my chemotherapy center have windows which I really like on a sunny day. The natural light gives me energy, takes away anxiety and stress, and brings positivity into the room."

Ofra, Head nurse, Oncology Day Care,
Wolfson MC.

“Dear Judy, when the space is comfortable and more positive for the patients, it is comfortable and more positive for us too. Thank you for taking this initiative and doing this praiseworthy work!”

Leah

I would love to see empowering quotes and words on the walls. When my mind races with worry powerful messages hel soothe those fears."

In Honor of Cheryl Stern

Judy Bogen, Founder of Place2Heal remembers Cheryl Stern, as her inspiration for creating this unique organization:

“In the winter of 2009, I’d recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Sitting at my daughters’ basketball game, I was introduced to Cheryl. She was diagnosed two weeks after me, which instantly created a bond. We had started this journey together, and I had hoped we would finish it together too.

Cheryl worked in the school library and we spent time, either talking or emailing, about our treatment, side effects and general day to day struggles.

Cheryl had a strength that was like nothing I had ever seen. She would get up in the morning, go to work or to shul, socialize and simply push herself to carry on, despite this terrible disease coursing through her body.

She was always positive and full of life, even hosting a bar mitzvah for her son just a week after finishing treatments. How she found the physical and emotional strength – I will never know.

When the time came for my family and I to return to Israel, Cheryl and I stayed in touch, sending notes of support and phone calls of our ups and downs.

Cheryl’s cancer returned and then returned again. During this entire ordeal, she was lively and inspiring, always getting as much as she could out of her day.

She was determined and strong, with a supernatural capacity to overcome challenges. I was devastated when we lost her. I will never forget receiving the news that her light had finally gone out. The comfort and friendship she added to my life inspired the creation of Place2Heal.”