Emergency medics future-proofing lives
UNITED HATZALAH of Israel’s mission is to provide firstresponse emergency medical care. On a daily basis, it plugs the gap between the time an emergency call is made and the time an ambulance arrives, right across Israel. This speed of response can be the difference between life and death, the difference between paralysis and injury, the difference between permanent injury and full recovery. The service was established to future-proof the lives of those who need it and to allow them to rebuild their lives to the fullest extent. And this reality is never more true or more in need than right now.
The level of demand on United Hatzalah of Israel’s services has exploded since October 7.
In the initial days of war, the organisation immediately mobilised all 7,000 of its volunteer medics. Those who reside in Israel’s southern communities responded to calls in their own neighbourhoods to ensure both IDF personnel and civilians alike received emergency medical treatment, often under heavy gunfire. United Hatzalah volunteer medics worked shoulder to shoulder with the IDF to rescue local citizens and its backup medical teams from across the country raced southwards, establishing large staging areas to treat patients on the outskirts of attacked communities. By the end of the first day of fighting, 1,500 United Hatzalah volunteers were engaged in treating and transporting hundreds of injured.
As the situation continues to unfold, United Hatzalah continues to respond to the crises in the south while ensuring EMS readiness for the next phase of war. Almost daily United Hatzalah medics attend to victims of missile attacks across the country while at the same time continuing to support the routine emergency medical needs of the Israeli public.
In addition, on any given day, United Hatzalah of Israel’s volunteer medic team responds to around 2,000 calls, ranging from heart attacks to strokes, to choking, to allergic reactions, to women in labour — and everything in between. Thanks to United Hatzalah’s community-based approach, its volunteer medics are able to respond to these calls in less than three minutes right across the country and an incredible 90 seconds in some urban areas. This exceptional and world-leading speed of response allows its medics to provide critical and immediate medical treatment in those initial minutes after any incident, maximising the likelihood of a positive outcome.
United Hatzalah also offers atthe-scene emotional stabilisation treatment to ensure those impacted by medical emergencies can cope emotionally with the emergency in real time. This is delivered by a dedicated unit of trained volunteers within United Hatzalah who will also provide information about where to turn for ongoing community support or further psychological assistance before leaving the scene.
Psychological first aid during or immediately following a trauma has been shown to be effective in preventing the onset of PTSD and has been an important part of United Hatzalah’s response in recent weeks in particular. On October 7, United Hatzalah’s psychotrauma and crisis- response unit raced to the affected kibbutzim and yishuvim to treat Israeli civilians, soldiers and first responders and it has also been making the rounds among the many hotels housing refugees from the South.
There is no question that a medical emergency of any kind and at any time can leave both physical and emotional scars on those affected and this has never been more relevant. Rapid treatment at the scene for both the body and the mind can, at the very least, ensure that the long-term impact is as little as is possible for any given situation. Rebuilding may be needed, but ultimately, those in need of United Hatzalah’s services will be in the best position to heal and start to move forward with their lives.
Please help United Hatzalah of Israel provide first-response emergency medical care in Israel.
This response can be the difference between life and death
Psychological first aid is effective in preventing onset of PTSD