{"id":84717,"date":"2025-07-25T17:01:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T14:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/?p=84717"},"modified":"2025-07-22T13:43:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T10:43:48","slug":"virtual-reality-helps-calm-children-in-jerusalem-clinics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/virtual-reality-helps-calm-children-in-jerusalem-clinics\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Reality Helps Calm Children in Jerusalem Clinics"},"content":{"rendered":"

The child sits quietly. The nurse approaches with a needle. But instead of tears or panic, the child is immersed in a quiet forest filled with colorful animals. The treatment begins \u2013 and ends \u2013 with barely a flinch.<\/p>\n

This is the new reality inside Clalit Health Services\u2019 pediatric clinics in Jerusalem District, where cutting-edge VR technology is being used to reduce anxiety and pain in young patients during medical treatments, vaccinations, and blood tests. The experience blends technology, imagination, and empathy into a smoother, more humane healthcare encounter.<\/p>\n

Not Just a Tool \u2013 A Whole New Experience<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The system, developed by Israeli startup ARVR Israel, allows children to wear a VR headset and enter relaxing virtual worlds \u2013 forests, oceans, and animated adventures \u2013 while undergoing real-life procedures<\/p>\n

(Jerusalem\u2019s Urban Shift: 1,300 New Homes Reshape the City<\/a>)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is part of our mission to bring advanced, compassionate care into the community \u2013 not just hospitals,\u201d says Erez Levy, Director of Clalit\u2019s Jerusalem District. \u201cIt helps children stay calm, and it allows our teams to carry out treatments more efficiently and kindly<\/p>\n

The initiative launched at two key sites \u2013 Clalit\u2019s Child Health Center at Beit Shemesh\u2019s BIG complex, and the clinic in Sheikh Jarrah \u2013 both reflecting the district\u2019s cultural and social diversity<\/p>\n

Less Crying, More Cooperation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Beyond the screens and goggles lies something deeper: a new way to build trust between children and caregivers<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as a child puts on the headset, fear turns into curiosity,\u201d says Mira Shorek, head nurse at the Beit Shemesh clinic. We finish procedures faster and with less distress. It\u2019s truly a game changer \u2013 for us and for the children<\/p>\n

Tali Haviv, head of innovation for Clalit in Jerusalem, describes the project with quiet conviction<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw the impact right away. Children cooperate more, they report less pain \u2013 and they leave with a smile. That\u2019s what matters<\/p>\n

Technology With a Heart \u2013 and in Every Language<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The VR platform includes over 50 immersive videos and is available in four languages \u2013 Hebrew, Arabic, English, and Russian \u2013 with adaptations for ultra-Orthodox and multilingual communities. It\u2019s not just innovative; it\u2019s inclusive<\/p>\n

(After-School Dilemma in Jerusalem: Parents Still Unsure<\/a>)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is simple,\u201d says ARVR founder Amir Rosenzweig. \u201cWe want to make healthcare more human, more peaceful, and more empowering. A smiling child after a needle \u2013 that\u2019s the whole story<\/p>\n

After proving itself in major hospitals like Schneider, Emek, Kaplan, and Meir, the system is now being rolled out in local clinics \u2013 where the real magic happens: in the everyday moments between caregiver and child, in all corners of Jerusalem<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New VR technology reduces fear and pain during medical procedures at community clinics in Sheikh Jarrah and Beit Shemesh<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":84718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Virtual Reality Helps Calm Children in Jerusalem Clinics","_seopress_titles_desc":"New VR technology reduces fear and pain during medical procedures at community clinics in Sheikh Jarrah and Beit Shemesh","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9320],"tags":[8895],"class_list":{"0":"post-84717","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jerusalem-news","8":"tag-beit-shemesh-en"},"acf":{"subtitle":"New VR technology reduces fear and pain during medical procedures at community clinics in Sheikh Jarrah and Beit Shemesh"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}