A hospital clown from the Arab community recently joined the team of hospital clowns at Schneider Children’s. Sarhan Mahamid, known among children as “Dr. Sarhio” is the first Arabic-speaking hospital clown in Israel. Sarhan has been assigned to the team in the Emergency Room at Schneider Children’s and accompanies children from the moment of their arrival at the hospital. His easy approach and delightful tricks promotes confidence and calm among children and their families from the Arab community.

Schneider Children’s team of 12 hospital clowns, who have all studied “the science of humor”, operate throughout the various hospitalization departments and appear in cheerful figures from the children’s world so that they and adults alike can easily connect to them. Dressed in delightful costumes and colorful makeup, hospital clowns aim to reduce suffering and relieve pain through humorous antics. Their objective is to be funny, provide respite and assist the medical staff in the conduction of various procedures.

The clowns, who undergo special training, work under the aegis of the hospital’s Educational Center, a recognized pedagogic entity of the Ministry of Education, which supervises their tasks based on the needs of each child and assesses results. According to Maskit Shochat, director of the Educational Center, “Schneider Children’s serves as a bridge to peace and is open to all children in Israel and the Middle East irrespective of race, religion or nationality. The addition of Dr. Sarhio to our team of hospital clowns promotes improved communication with patients and their families from Arab communities. Clowns emphasize the child’s healthy aspects and generate positive feelings at a time of adversity.”