High Risk Patient Goes Missing Erev Rosh Hashanah

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Raphael Poch

The night before Rosh Hashanah, United Hatzalah volunteers from the Rechavia neighborhood of Jerusalem received a call for assistance to help search for a high-risk missing person. The missing person, a 92-year-old man living with Alzheimer’s, had wandered off from his home sometime after 5 p.m.

Police forces were very concerned for his welfare as teams had been searching for him for a number of hours, night had fallen and it had begun to get cold outside. At approximately 11 p.m. United Hatzalah dispatch received simultaneous calls from the police duty officer and the Security Manager for the Jerusalem Municipality requesting urgent assistance with the search.

United Hatzalah volunteer teams arrive where Avremi Friedman found the missing man.

The organization immediately dispatched a team of volunteer EMTs, paramedics and doctors some of whom traveled in their own private cars while others searched while riding ambucycles. Additionally, the Israelife Etzion Search and Rescue team was activated and a joint command post was set up with police near the man’s home on Mendele Mocher Seforim St in Rechavia.

Volunteers formed teams who searched on foot, by ambucycle and with SUVs. A coordinated effort was launched across vast areas of central Jerusalem in an effort to find the missing elderly man.

Just after 3 a.m. the efforts and the search paid off. United Hatzalah volunteer EMT and ambucycle driver Avremi Friedman radioed in and said that he had found the man lying on the edge of a roadway 2 kilometers away from his house.

“After doing an extensive search of the likely locations that this man may have gone, someone mentioned that he liked to frequent the national library in the Givat Ram campus of Hebrew University. I headed over there on my ambucycle. For me it was a drive of just a few minutes. I arrived and asked the guard if he had seen anything. He replied in the negative and so I continued my search down Museum Row, just outside of the campus. After a few moments of driving I saw two vehicles parked with their lights on and a group of young women outside of their cars. Next to the cars I saw something on the road. I thought there had been a car accident. As I pulled up to the scene the young women told me that they had been driving in the opposite lane and seen something on the road. They turned around and found this man lying on the street. They had no idea what to do.”

Part of the United Hatzalah volunteer teams who took part in the search for the missing man pose for photo after he was found. Credit: United Hatzalah

Avremi said that the incident ended with a certain ironic twist. “As I picked up my phone to look at the photo of the missing man, I realized it was this individual lying on the street before me. I checked his vital signs which were all in order. I tried calling Dr. Adam Ballin, the United Hatzalah volunteer who was spearheading the search, and right as I was calling him to tell him I found the missing person, he was calling me to tell me that all of the search parties were calling it quits for the night and that the search would resume in the morning. Adam I said, don’t call anything off, I found him. Adam thought I was pulling his leg for a moment, but as I restated what I had just told him, he was shocked. He rushed over and sent the rest of the rescue teams to my location. Both he and another doctor, Doron Shpirer, checked the man’s vitals before the police returned him to his family.”

Avremi reflected on the events of the evening. “The work we do is selfless and holy. We rarely get thanks, but once in awhile patients do thank us. In this instance, the patient had no idea what was happening. He had no clue that he was in danger of being run over by a truck while lying on the road, and he had no idea that he was even missing. This entire mission is one that we will never be thanked for by the person whom we helped, and that shows us that this is really the highest calling of all. Doing an act of loving-kindness for someone who can never repay you, nor even thank you, is a truly Godly act, and that is what I love about the work that I do as a volunteer with United Hatzalah.”

Medical first responders and a police cruiser were dispatched to the location. After an on-site assessment, the man’s injuries appeared to be light so he was brought to his house for positive identification. The man’s wife and son were overcome with joy on being reunited with their husband and father.

The man underwent a thorough physical examination by Dr. Doron Shpirer, a United Hatzalah volunteer who lives in the area. Dr. Shpirer ascertained that other than some minor cuts and abrasions, the man was in good shape and would be able to stay at home. His family invited the volunteers up for a warm drink and celebratory apples dipped in honey, a customary food for the holiday.

“This was another tragedy averted thanks to the caring and selflessness of our volunteers,” said United Hatzalah Founder and President Eli Beer. “This Rosh Hashanah, a family is whole again because our selfless volunteers gave up hours of their precious family time in order to help a man who was in a dire situation and needed urgent help. Our volunteers dropped everything and answered the call. Something which they do time and again. I am proud of each and every one of them.”

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87 People Treated For Medical Injuries In Uman As Of Tuesday Afternoon

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Raphael Poch

United Hatzalah volunteers in Uman, both local and visiting, have treated 87 people for a variety of medical injuries as of Tuesday afternoon, a day before Rosh Hashanah begins. As the throngs of worshippers gathered in the city where Rebbe Nachman of Breslov is buried, numerous people were injured or suffered medical conditions that required continued treatment at the Breslov medical clinic in the city.

Jewish pilgrims stand by a United Hatzalah location marker in Uman

Some suffered from dehydration, others fainted, fell from high places, sustained minor injuries or wounds, burns, serious cuts, and shortness of breath.

Veteran United Hatzalah volunteer EMT and Uman mission leader Nati Osteri said, “Near the gravesite of Rebbe Nachman, United Hatzalah together with Hatzolah Ukraine setup dispatch locations where teams of volunteers are stationed during the holiday. These volunteer responders will head out to any medical emergency in their vicinity and provide fast and professional care to anyone who needs it. If needed, our teams will evacuate the injured or sick person to the medical clinic that has been set up here in Uman by the Breslov community.”

United Hatzalah ambulance in Uman

President and Founder of United Hatzalah Eli Beer said, “Ahead of the holiday, our teams on the ground put up signs around the city of Uman and the compound that encapsulates the gravesite of Rebbe Nachman. These signs divide the city into smaller and more precise and noticeable locations and will allow our responders to reach those in need of medical care faster by providing them with a recognizable reference point. In case of any medical emergency, people in Uman should call the local number for our dispatch center which is 063-800-1221. This number reaches our main dispatch center in Israel, which will then dispatch the volunteers in Uman via our two-way radio system and our specialized smartphone application that we have adapted specifically for this mission.”

Another United Hatzalah ambulance in Uman

Beer added that “According to the statistics provided by our department of volunteer affairs, we are expecting hundreds of our volunteers to be on the ground over Rosh Hashanah, and all of them will have medical equipment which the organization set up in Uman ahead of the holiday. They also have been instructed to respond with the same tenacity, professionalism, and care that they provide in Israel to anyone who needs it in Uman and the surrounding area. We wish everyone a happy and healthy new year and we hope that our services will not be needed this holiday season, but if they are, we will be ready and fully equipped to help.”

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The Year in Review – A Look Back at United Hatzalah’s Biggest Stories from 5777

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Raphael Poch

United Hatzalah has had an exceptionally eventful year, one which saw a new fleet of ambucycles dedicated, the first ever intensive care ambulance inaugurated, the organization launch two international mission and be recognized as a national rescue agency, the organization has achieved a myriad of goals which have been many years in the making.

United Hatzalah volunteers rescue people during the Haifa fires in November 2016

The national volunteer EMS organization United Hatzalah has grown by leaps and bounds and has graduated more than 500 new EMS personnel from courses all over the country. In an effort to recognize its new status and growth, the organization also rebranded and developed a new color scheme to help make it more recognizable in the eyes of the public.

Partnering with other EMS organizations such as the American Heart Association (AHA) and National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) has allowed the organization to build up its international brand and in the coming months United Hatzalah will begin training Gap Year Students in Israel who will be able to become certified EMTs both in Israel and in the United States.

The Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit grew exponentially from 30 volunteers to almost 200, with a goal of having 300 active volunteers by the end of the calendar year.

One of our EMTs teamed up with some of our U.S. staff and traveled some 1800 miles across the western United States to share the life-saving model with EMS teams there. While he was touring he was also saving lives, responding to EMS calls with local ambulance teams.

Thousands of people came to visit the national headquarters of United Hatzalah, which inaugurated its brand new, state-of-the-art dispatch center in Jerusalem which will be vital in helping the organization cut down on response time in the field.

Our volunteers saw some tough times and experienced the harshest side of living in Israel. Many of our volunteers responded to terror attacks that took place near their very homes and rushed out to help those in their community or those close by their location but they always helped form the goodness of their hearts even in tough times. More than one volunteer almost lost their home to the fires that ran rampant in Israel towards the end of November last year, but that didn’t stop them from helping others who were less fortunate.

The organization also reached out to segments of the population that are less fortunate, teaching the first ever EMS course given in sign language. It was instructed by the first ever deaf EMT volunteer in Israel.

These are just some of the highlights that the organization has undertaken since the last Jewish new year came around. All of this was done while the organization kept up their regular activities both small and large scale, with joint programs and MCI demonstrations with partnering organizations such as the IDF, the ISDEF, and many others. United Hatzalah also provided EMS support and coverage for the annual pilgrimage to Meron on the holiday of L’ag B’omer, which is the largest gathering of people in Israel every year.

Towards year’s end, the organization expanded its activities once more and now includes a new chapter in a new country. In coordination with the local teams, United Hatzalah opened a chapter in Uman in the Ukraine ahead of the holiday season so as to provide adequate medical coverage for the tens of thousands of people who travel there over the holidays.

Continuously innovating, and finding new ways to make Israel’s EMS response better, United Hatzalah is and will continue to be the most advanced and fastest volunteer EMS organization in Israel, and let’s not forget that all of the organization’s services are 100 percent free.

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First Rescue Organization in Israel to Implement Psychological Program Developed by Dr. Moshe Farchi – Father of PFA in Israel

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Raphael Poch

 It has been almost two years since United Hatzalah established the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit to treat and stabilize people who suffer psychological and emotional stress during a traumatic event. The unit has had much success and has received many accolades for its work in the field. Over the past few months, the unit has been working together with Dr. Moshe Farchi, founder and director of the Stress, Trauma and Resilience Program at Tel-Hai College.

Dr. Moshe Farchi poses with Miriam Ballin

Farchi is widely considered to be the founding father of the field of resiliency in the face of traumatic incidents and teaches a fully fledged three-year bachelor’s program and two-year Master’s Degree in Tel Chai college based on original and innovative models that he developed over the past few years. The focus of the course, and of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit is on reducing the immediate sense of helplessness and increasing the person’s ability to return to full effective function in less than two minutes of the traumatic event itself.

Both Farchi and United Hatzalah have implemented models that are aimed at training first responders, giving them the best professional skills for emergency mental health intervention.

Farchi trained the unit  responders to use  the SIX C’s model – a Psychological First Aid model that he developed on 2011. This model is recognized by the Ministry of Health as being the the Israeli national recommended model for psychological first aid.  “There is a desire to establish a standardized code of conduct for implementing Psychotrauma techniques in the field,” said Miriam Ballin, director of United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit.

 

Elite members of the organization’s unit attended lectures by Farchi to learn the method and become certified teachers of the method enabling them to teach others in the unit. Upon completing the course the elite members of the unit will educate the other unit members regarding the SIX C’s procedural methodology and will eventually pass on the techniques to the rest of the organization as well.

United Hatzalah is the first EMS and Rescue organization in Israel to recognize the need for emotional and psychological first aid to be implemented at the scene of a traumatic incident. The training of United Hatzalah’s volunteers is the starting point of the national EMS training program in the SIX C’s model.

 

“We do hope that the SIX C’s model skills will contribute to  United Hatzalah ability to provide psychological and emotional first aid in the field, to minimize the feeling of helplessness, and to enable those suffering from the trauma to be able to return to their surroundings and a level of functionality within a few minutes after the incident,” Farchi said.

“The success of the unit will only be enhanced by having Dr. Farchi’s model incorporated into our existing system,” Ballin added. “This is another tool up our sleeve that will enable us to better help those who need our services and that is always something to strive towards.”

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IRC and UH Locate All Missing People in Jewish Communities in the Florida Keys

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Raphael Poch

After four days of intensive work in the hard-hit Florida Keys, the commanding officer of the Israel Rescue Coalition (IRC) and United Hatzalah rescue teams announced that the team had helped to locate all missing people from the Jewish communities in the areas that were hit hardest by Hurricane Irma. “Following intensive efforts in Georgia, Naples and the Florida Keys, I am happy to announce that we have helped to locate and identify all of the members of the Jewish communities in those areas, who had lost contact with their loved ones or had been reported missing following the storm. Thankfully they are all doing well and are in good health,” said Shlomi Anavi the commanding officer of the rescue mission.

IRC and United Hatzalah volunteers together with local police force hand out food and water to Key West residents

Anavi further reported that since Wednesday the team had located, identified and treated some 35 people in the Florida Keys alone. “Over the past few days, we have located 35 members of the Jewish community who live in the Florida Keys whose relatives had reached out to us and reported them missing or had lost contact with them. Once people heard that we were operating in the region family and community members began to contact us directly or via social media outlets and asked for our help in locating these people.”

IRC and United Hatzalah volunteers help Key West residents.

In addition to locating missing persons, the team provided medical treatment for numerous injured people whom they found on the keys during their house to house searches. “We rescued one family who was trapped for a number of days in their house after all of the entrances and exits from the structure were sealed as a result of being damaged in the storm. We also aided the police and other rescue teams in handing out food and other aid to local residents who were not able to evacuate, many of whom had gone without clean water or food supplies for four days.”

IRC and United Hatzalah volunteers help Key West residents.

The team, which consisted of 10 people in total, has been operating in Georgia and Florida since last Sunday. “We have demonstrated that a small but highly trained group of rescue and medical responders from Israel can help and make a difference, not only in third world countries but even in countries as advanced and developed as the United States. The speed of our reaction time in arriving at areas of operation that we determined needed our help the most, caused us to be the first to arrive in many instances where people needed our help. Among these people were elderly, infirm, military veterans, sick and injured people, and many people who had no way of communicating with their loved ones due to the amount of destruction and the complete collapse of the electrical and communication grids,” Anavi added. “As our team heads back to Israel, we know that we return holding our heads high having completed a job well done.”

IRC and United Hatzalah volunteers help Key West residents.

 

IRC and United Hatzalah coordinate with national guard and military on the ground

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Israeli Team Assisting Florida Keys Residents Save Dozens on Tuesday, To Continue Rescue Operations in the Area For the Duration of Mission

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Raphael Poch

On Tuesday, the Israel Rescue Coalition and United Hatzalah first response teams divided up into two groups with one headed to Key West, and the other headed to Naples.

Israel Rescue Coalition and United Hatzalah members help clean up debris in Naples

In Naples, the team walked into pandemonium. Houses were completely destroyed and people were without food, water and electricity. The team was warned by local officials that there were groups of looters who had no hesitation to shoot at first responders. Luckily, the group did not encounter any of these groups. They worked with community centers that were taking in displaced people who had stayed in the city during the hurricane but were forced to evacuate their homes due to a lack of power, water and food. They joined cleanup efforts and helped feed some 500 people at a local Chabad house after clearing the damage that the house had sustained during the hurricane. In one location, Psychotrauma responders helped calm a man who had been stuck in an elevator for some time while emergency crews worked to extricate him.

IRC and United Hatzalah team member coordinating efforts with local EMS and law enforcement

In the Florida Keys, the situation was far more dire. Key West and many of the surrounding Keys had been without water or electricity since Saturday, and in spite of an evacuation order for the area, many people had decided to find shelter in the safety of their own homes. The highway leading to the Keys had flooded and there was no way in or out for many people who were trapped there.

IRC and United Hatzalah team members coordinate efforts with Monroe County (Florida Keys) Fire and Rescue services.

“One such person, a military veteran named John, lives by himself in the city of Marathon in the central Keys,” said Tamar Citron, a veteran Search and Rescue volunteer from Israel who is part of the IRC and United Hatzalah team. “John suffers from a respiratory condition that requires him to receive oxygen on a regular basis. Once the hurricane hit, he like all the residents who were still on the Islands were unable to leave. He took shelter from the storm in his bathroom and has spent the last four days without water, electricity or telephone reception. When we got to him he barely had any drinking water or food left.”

IRC and United Hatzalah team members go house to house to provide aid to residents and evacuate those who need it most.

“You are the first people to come down here and offer aid,” John told the group of rescuers.

“We provided him with water, food and a lot of positivity. We notified local authority and EMS teams that he was here and made sure that they followed up to properly care for him. Unfortunately, John is not alone and there are many people stuck on the Keys right now without access to food, water, electricity or a method of communication. Yesterday we were able to help dozens of people in a similar situation. On Wednesday, our entire team is heading down to the Keys to help rescue more of these people.”

IRC and United Hatzalah team members in the field with local rescue services

Another man by the name of John Conrad was visiting the Keys when the hurricane struck. “I’m from Tennessee, and I’ve been trying to make my way back to Fort Lauderdale since Saturday. I got caught in the hurricane and we had no food or water and no transportation. I decided I was going to make my way back to the mainland somehow, but then you guys came and picked me up. You brought me about a hundred miles today, and that is something I will never forget.”

The team brought aid, medical assistance and much-needed water and food to residents of the Keys yesterday. They conducted house to house searches for people who stayed be and were stranded by Hurricane Irma.

Destruction in Key West

EMT first responder Gavy Friedson who is also a member of the IRC and United Hatzalah team spoke about the plan for the team’s continued efforts. “We are going back to the Keys again this morning and will be there all day. The entire area is without water, power, food, plumbing or cell service and most of the homes are severely damaged. It has been reported that more than a quarter of all the homes in the Keys have been destroyed and are unlivable. We are on the way to assist with search & rescue ops such as door-to-door searches for missing people or families and unfortunately, there is a long list of missing people. Additionally, we will be bringing food and water to distribute to those who choose to stay. Currently, the only way to communicate is via satellite phone and thankfully our team has some but the residents don’t. We will help as many people as we can and continue to do so for the length of our mission here.”

Psychotrauma volunteer calms man stuck in an elevator as rescue workers try to reach him.

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Israel Rescue Coalition and United Hatzalah Team to Assist in Hardest Hit Areas, Florida Keys and Naples

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Raphael Poch

Ever since the Israel Rescue Coalition (IRC) and United Hatzalah (UH) emergency aid team departed for Florida it has been one rescue related stop after another. First, their flight was diverted to Atlanta, as all airports in Florida were closed. Then the team stopped to assist some 1,500 Iram evacuees who had taken shelter at the Toco Hills synagogue and in the surrounding community. The team then departed, following a delay due to severe tornado warnings in Atlanta, for Savannah Georgia, where they assisted in caring for some 90 senior citizens who had taken shelter in a Care Facility that had lost power. The medical staff of the facility was unable to arrive due to flooding of the area, but the  Israeli team was undeterred.

IRC and UH team welcomed to Florida by U.S. first responders

Team members cared for the residents and guests, provided medical care and assessments for those who needed it, as well as psychological first aid, which was performed by members of the team Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit.

Finally, on Monday evening, the team made it to Miami, Florida.The seasoned Israeli response team is comprised of members of Israel’s Search and Rescue Units, United Hatzalah EMS volunteers, as well as members of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit, tasked with providing psychological and emotional stabilization to people who have suffered or are currently suffering a traumatic incident. They wasted no time set up an operational command center in Miami Beach where the IRC will be overseeing operations for the team members as they will now split up into two forces.

The 9 Israelis were joined by 2 U.S. based team members on Monday but have more recently been joined by their fellow Hatzolah volunteers from the chapters of Miami-Dade and Hatzalah of New York as well as other volunteer EMS responders from other parts of the U.S.

Miami IRC and UH Team Control and Operations Center during a quiet moment

“We have been coordinating together with local authorities, including the U.S. National Guard, the Coast Guard, local law enforcement agencies and local EMS services,” said team leader Shlomi Anavi. “Our team currently consists of approximately 50 people and we are heading to the hardest hit and hardest to reach locations currently in Florida, which are the Florida Keys and the city of Naples,” Anavi added. Anavi himself has served as part of multiple search and rescue mission throughout Israel and around the globe and is also a certified EMT and ambucycle driver with United Hatzalah.

IRC and UH team driving through Florida

“We are going to get to everyone who we can reach and give them whatever help we can offer, whether it is supplies, rescue efforts, EMS care, or psychological care and help. We came here with a goal and with a purpose and we will fulfill that goal,” he added.

IRC and UH team members prepare supplies and equipment before heading out to the Florida Keys and Naples

Members from each segment of the team, (search and rescue, EMS, psychotrauma) will be dispatched to both locations in order to provide the necessary aid to residents of both locations. “We are going where we are needed most, that is what we came for, and that is what we will do. As the saying goes, ‘come hell or high water.’”

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Israel Rescue Coalition and United Hatzalah Team Helps Evacuees in Atlanta and Savannah Before Heading to Florida

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Raphael Poch

The Israel Rescue Coalition (IRC) and United Hatzalah (UH) Search and Rescue team that departed Israel on Saturday night landed in Atlanta early Sunday morning. The team stocked up on supplies to bring to battered Florida but was grounded due to severe tornado warnings that affected the area of Atlanta and southern Georgia all throughout Sunday. Not wanting to lose any precious time that could be spent helping Florida evacuees, the team headed to the Beth Jacob synagogue of Toco Hills where the congregation and synagogue itself were providing food and shelter for some 1,500 Irma evacuees.

The IRC and UH team outside of Beth Jacob synagogue in Atlanta Georgia where 1,500 evacuees were being cared for.

The IRC and UH team outside of Beth Jacob synagogue in Atlanta Georgia where 1,500 evacuees were being cared for.

The Orthodox Synagogue of Beth Jacob and its congregation took it upon themselves to house and feed the evacuees, who traveled north in order to escape the devastation of Hurricane Irma. As reported by Fox5 News in Atlanta, Rabbi Adam Stein of Beth Jacob Synagogue said, “This has been a very difficult time, but also a beautiful time; one in which communities have come together.”

Dr. Shula Wittenstein, a member of the IRC and UH team who is working as an EMS responder as well as a member of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response team, spoke about why the team felt it was important that they stop to help the evacuees in Atlanta. “We know what it’s like living in a country with a lot of terror, where we feel the impact every day. This is a different type of experience and challenge but it still involves a certain amount of tragedy and loss for many people. We want to reach out to these people in any way we can and help them immediately in the best and most professional way possible. It is pretty obvious that we have a big job to do here and I hope that we will be able to help as many people as we can. ” Dr. Wittenstein is a Psychologist who volunteers with United Hatzalah in Israel by providing psychological and emotional stabilization and first aid to people who need it in the immediate aftermath of traumatic situations.

IRC and UH team member standing with residents of the retirement facility in Savannah Georgia just after the power came back on Monday morning

IRC and UH team member standing with residents of the retirement facility in Savannah Georgia just after the power came back on Monday morning

“It’s amazing to see people from different backgrounds coming together to help out. For me, this is certainly coming out of my comfort zone. In Israel, we are used to helping individuals, even a lot of individuals in mass casualty incidents (MCI’s), but here we are seeing entire communities lose everything they had in one moment. It is a very difficult thing to go through,” said Wittenstein. Dr. Wittenstein has suffered a fire that destroyed her home, and she has also lived through the death of her brother. She said that what helped her get through both of those experiences were “people who expressed their caring from the heart.”

“There is nothing that helps as much as someone who comes along just to comfort you. I never underestimate any sort of outreach or intervention as long as it comes from the heart and is done in a professional, humble and respectful manner,” Wittenstein added.

IRC and UH volunteer Shula Wittenstein speaks to a resident of a retirement home in Savannah, Georgia.

IRC and UH volunteer Shula Wittenstein speaks to a resident of a retirement home in Savannah, Georgia.

She then described the goals of the mission. “Our goals are threefold. First, there is the search and rescue aspect of the mission. Then the medical team comes to treat anyone who needs immediate medical attention that hasn’t been found or seen to by local EMS teams. Then we have the Psychotrauma Unit, which is what I am a part of, whose volunteers help people to cope psychologically and emotionally with the loss and tragedy that they have experienced. We are a cohesive group working under a single operational commanding officer, and we are going to give everything we’ve got to do what United Hatzalah does best – help people in any way we can.”

After the team got to work assisting evacuees in the Synagogue and waited out the tornado warnings, they continued on to Savannah to spend the night On Monday morning the team assisted residents of a retirement facility that had lost power before continuing to make their way down to Florida.

The team consists of eight Israeli team members and another two members from the US. Of the Israeli contingent, four members are part of Israel’s Search and Rescue Units, three are EMS trained members of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit and one is a trained EMT.

Staff of a senior care center in Savannah thank United Hatzalah Psychotrauma and Crisis Response volunteers for helping out during the storm.

Staff of a senior care center in Savannah thank United Hatzalah Psychotrauma and Crisis Response volunteers for helping out during the storm.

The two US members, who are also certified EMTs, will be assisting residents and running team logistics on the ground. The organization has a US office which is dedicating almost all of its resources to providing logistical support and organizing community assistance.

The IRC and UH invite people from the community to get in touch with the teams should they feel they need assistance by contacting the U.S. based team members at  office@israelrescue.org

 

People interested in supporting the rescue efforts are invited to click here:https://israelrescue.org/campaigns/irmarescuemission

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Only 10% of Israelis Know How to Properly Administer CPR

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Raphael Poch

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you had a serious medical emergency and collapsed on the street? Who would help you? Sadly, according to a new study that was carried out by the Smith Institute, only 10% of the Israeli population knows how to administer CPR effectively in an emergency situation. The study was undertaken at the behest of United Hatzalah ahead of World First Aid Day, which will be taking place around the globe on Saturday, September 9th, but will be observed in Israel on Sunday, September 10th. Rafi Smith and Olga Pni’el from the Smith Research Institute.

United Hatzalah EMTs pretend to be bystanders performing CPR during a training exercise

United Hatzalah EMTs pretend to be bystanders performing CPR during a training exercise

Another disturbing fact that came out of the study was that many Israelis believe that they know how to perform CPR effectively on a person who collapses, when in reality, the CPR  they would administer would not be effective, and possibly even have detrimental side effects. According to the study, some 30% believe that they know how to perform effective CPR, while another 70% admit that they do not know how to perform effective CPR or CPR at all. 64% of the people asked said that they studied how to perform CPR under one program or another, many of whom were last trained in first aid during their IDF service, while only 31% percent said that they never learned how to perform CPR. More than half of those who responded (58%) said that they wouldn’t attempt to do CPR on a person who collapsed in their vicinity and that they would instead try to find someone else who knew how to perform CPR.

When taking personal history into account, only 24% of the people asked who had come across a medical emergency that required CPR actually tried to perform CPR, whereas 29% responded and said they simply froze and were unable to do anything.

The study was aimed at discovering how well the general populace of Israel could respond to a medical emergency that they came across before emergency responders could arrive. It was conducted on the 22nd and 23rd of August by having some 700 Israelis fill out a questionnaire on the internet and represents a cross section of the general populace of the country above the age of 18 years old. The margin of error in the study is estimated at 3.7%/

President and Founder of United Hatzalah Eli Beer said, “The success of first aid very much depends on how fast treatment can begin. This means that it is of vital importance for family members and passersby to begin first aid and CPR even before emergency services can arrive. We at United Hatzalah place incredible importance upon empowering and educating the community with regards to beginning CPR and providing first aid treatment even before our volunteers can arrive. It is for this reason that over the past number of years we have dedicated a large part of our resources to the Family First project which teaches people from the general public how to properly administer basic CPR as well as other first aid procedures. In commemorating World First Aid Day, we call upon the public to sign up for the courses, which are offered all across the country in a flexible four-hour session, and to take it upon themselves to know how to respond to a medical emergency should it arise in your vicinity. The people you will save will likely be your own family members, friends, co-workers and others closest to you.”

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Israeli Volunteer Doctor Talks About Her Experiences Helping People in Texas After Harvey

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Raphael Poch

My name is Dr. Miriam Staub and I was one of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response team members that were sent to help evacuees in Houston by the Israel Rescue Coalition (IRC) and United Hatzalah (UH). While in the Houston area, we bore witness to one of the most extreme rain events in American history. It has been very hard to explain how much that made me feel small and vulnerable on a personal level. In addition to the devastation, I and the team that accompanied me bore witness that Houston residents, as well as many other volunteers from around the United States, showed up to help. The volunteers came in droves and were so many in number that a new Facebook page was created on which people could put their names down in the available time slots and then show up to help. This was done in order to avoid overcrowding shelters with volunteers who wanted to help. Both the volunteers who arrived as well as the evacuees were equally gracious in accepting and appreciating the help that the IRC and UH offered.

 

Dr. Miriam Staub standing together with two paramedics that she treated.

Dr. Miriam Staub standing together with two paramedics that she treated.

Hurricane Harvey hit everyone, people from all backgrounds and walks of life. People all had one thing in common, they needed help. Everyone that we came across warmly showed us their appreciation for our help and offered their sincerest thanks for our traveling all the way from Israel to help.

 

The fact that we, coming from Israel cared enough about these people as a nation and as an organization, to help them on site really helped us in connecting with them. Almost everyone we spoke to was ready to extend their hands and open their hearts to us, as we had come ready to open ours to them. The ones that had lost everything and needed to be guided. We helped guide them, mainly through the storm of their own emotional turmoil. The ones who were there working,  as EMS responders, police, relief personnel, and volunteers, had an even higher appreciation for what we were doing and frequently enough I was pleasantly surprised when they asked to take a picture with me.

This was especially true when our team spent the night awake at Jack Brooks Regional Airport near Beaumont. The airport had been converted into a temporary rescue headquarters that provided services for people in transport from flooded areas to long term shelters in Dallas and other locations. The pilots and flight paramedics sat around and waited and when their names were called, ran to treat, stabilize and transport patients. The conversations we had reassured them and brought about a sense of calmness and security in them that gave them something to hold on to. Something palpable that would remind them of the emotions they were feeling during this intense operation. When we spoke about who we are and what our organization does it was touching for me to see many of the professionals take out their phones and look up what ambucycles were.

 

Dr. Miriam Staub and Dr. Sharon Slater standing together with a paramedic that they treated

Dr. Miriam Staub and Dr. Sharon Slater standing together with a paramedic that they treated

Ironically, one of the paramedics we met was named Israel and in addition to taking a photo with us for a memento, he asked if he could buy one of the orange shirts that were iconic to our team. I gave him a UH keepsake to remember us by.

 

Bottom line, the magnitude of the devastation, the overwhelming response of the population ready to help and the fact that our team was there right when we needed to be and doing the work that we needed to do, made for a very rewarding experience for both us and the people we helped.

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