Interdisciplnary Clinlc For Treatment By Medical Cannabis

About

The clinic is designed for patients suffering from a range of diagnoses, when their treating physician has seen fit to recommend treatment with cannabis, in cases that comply with the criteria of the Ministry of Health. The clinic provides a service for issuing licences and prescriptions, the appropriate cannabis treatment and professional ongoing support, using a multi-professional and holistic approach.

Treatments

The fields of treatment at the clinic include, inter alia:

• Chronic neuropathic pain,
• CRPS
• Extensive pain and fibromyalgia
• Post trauma (PTSD)
• Neurological disorders (Parkinson’s, Tourette’s)
• Head injuries

Staff

Clinic Director: Dr Ben Amit, Psychiatrist and Pharmacologist, graduate of Ministry of Health training for issuing licences for medical cannabis.

Senior staff:

• Rafi Heruti, Head of the Medical Rehabilitation Faculty, Tel Aviv University, Head of the Rehabilitation Division, Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital Tel Aviv.

The clinic works in cooperation with physicians from the Pain Clinic and Ambulatory Care:

• Dr Alon Renveni, Director of the Pain Institute
• Dr Anatoly Lifshitz, Specialist in rehabilitation and in pain alleviation
• Dr Dana Gefen Doron, specialist in neurological rehabilitation and head injuries

Clinic secretary: Shahaf Nissimov

Research assistant: Orna Robinson

Visit to the clinic

Prior to the visit to the clinic, the clinic’s team will help the patient collect all the documents required for the purpose of issuing or renewing a licence (as described below). Thereafter an appointment will be made for the patient for an introductory meeting and assessment. At the end of the appointment a treatment program with cannabis will be determined and further meetings with the clinical team will take place when necessary.

To make an appointment at the clinic please ensure you have the following documents:

• Insurance undertaking form from the financing entity such as the Ministry of Defence, if relevant.
• A written recommendation for treatment by cannabis from the treating physician
  • The treating physician is required to be a specialist in the disease from which the patient is suffering, for example, a neurologist in the event of Parkinson’s, a pain specialist in the event of chronic pain, an oncologist in the event of malignancies. A recommendation from the family physician is insufficient.
  • In the event that the visit is for the purpose of increasing the dosage, the letter must include a detailed recommendation for such.
• Updated medical notes from the family physician.
• A report for medications issued by the HMO, for the past 3 years at least.
• In addition please bring the following documents, if required:
  • A consumption table in the event that the visit is for the purpose of increasing the cannabis dosage.
  • In the event that the reason for the visit is post trauma (PSTF) please bring a “PTSD Appendix Form” which the treating psychiatrist is required to fill in prior to the visit.
  • In the event that there is additional medical history, please bring a letter from the appropriate physician that he has no objection, for example: In the event that in addition to the main reason for receipt of cannabis there is also a psychiatric history, please bring a letter from the treating psychiatrist according to which he has no objection from a psychiatric aspect for receipt of a licence for cannabis.

The documents should be transferred to the “Kol Reuth” call center:

Telephone: 03-5081000

Fax: 073-2701632

Email: [email protected]

After receipt of the documents, the documents are transferred for the approval of the Clinic Director, prior to making the appointment.

After receipt of the licence and determination of the treatment with cannabis, the clinic patients are required to continue with continuous medical follow up with the specialist who referred them to the clinic, and ongoing follow up at the clinic, the objective of which is to identify and treat any side effects, improve the results and prevent addiction.

Research and teaching

The clinic is affiliated with the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, and takes an active part in teaching and training medical and health professions students. The clinic works in collaboration with the Research Institute of the Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital Tel Aviv, and is a partner in leading research with the objective of improving medical knowledge relating to treatment by cannabis.

Dr Ben Amit

Dr Ben Amit concluded his studies at Tel Aviv University on the Dean’s Honours List for his MD thesis on the subject of anti-depressant drugs. He has graduated with a psychiatry specialism from the Geha Mental Health Center during which he served as a psychiatric consultant to the Beilinson and Sharon Hospitals, as a national representative of specialists and as a governing council member of the Association of Psychiatry.

He has undergone training with the Medical Cannabis Unit of the Ministry of Health and has extensive experience in treatment by means of medical cannabis. Simultaneous to managing the Cannabis Clinic, Dr Amit serves as Chief Psychiatrist of the Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital Tel Aviv and as a specialist consultant for the Hospitalization Division. Furthermore Dr Amit is an active researcher and lecturer in the fields of neuroscience and pharmaceutical development, and holds an M.Sc. with Honours in Pharmacology from Oxford University, and diploma studies from Stanford University and MIT as well as a graduate of continuing medical studies for the alleviation of pain from the Technion.