LeMa'anchem, an Israeli nonprofit that helps patients navigate complex medical care, announced on Sunday that Prof. Hezi Levy has joined the organization to oversee the establishment of a new center focused on anorexia and other eating disorders among children and adolescents in Israel. As demand rises, the organization said the initiative aims to close gaps in access to specialized treatment.
According to LeMa'anchem, the center’s professional vision is being led by Prof. Yosef Peres, former director of Schneider Children’s Medical Center, with Prof. Noa Ben Aroya, head of Schneider’s psychiatric division, expected to guide the clinical framework. The organization said it is developing the project alongside its medical leadership, including vice president Dr. Gadi Neuman and its volunteer physicians.
Levy to coordinate operations and build infrastructure
Levy will serve as a special project coordinator, tasked with building the operational and medical infrastructure needed to launch the center, LeMa'anchem said. His appointment brings senior management experience from the public health system, including his tenure as Health Ministry director-general and earlier leadership roles at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
LeMa'anchem said the planned center is intended to provide a comprehensive, coordinated response, from early identification and outpatient support to referrals for intensive treatment when needed. It also aims to make services accessible across sectors of Israeli society, including pathways designed to reduce delays in seeking help.
Leaders: “A life-saving framework”
Rabbi Yossi Erblich, LeMa'anchem’s founder and chairman, said the group regularly encounters families who feel overwhelmed while trying to find timely treatment. “Eating disorders are a real danger to life,” he said, adding that the initiative is intended to “build a quality therapeutic framework that will save lives and bring relief to many families.”
Peres said the planned center reflects a long-standing professional mission shaped by years of pediatric hospital leadership. “The distress in the field is crying out,” he said, and the goal is to create “a high-quality continuum of care that puts the child and the family at the center.”
LeMa'anchem said Levy will lead the project’s establishment phase and help define the standards, partnerships, and operating model required for the center’s launch. “I welcome Prof. Hezi Levy’s joining, to lead the set-up and infrastructure stages of this important initiative,” Peres said.