October 7 – War in Israel

The emergency campaign funds raised were restricted to emergency needs, however the general operational budget of the organization in Israel to save lives 24/7 is $54 million. This must be raised to fund the day-to-day lifesaving activities of the organization. The operational dollars allow the organization to train more volunteer medics, run our 24/7 National Dispatch and Command Center, purchase and deploy every day and advanced medical equipment, purchase and maintain vehicles, upkeep 96 regional volunteer houses (Beit HaMitnadevs), and run our many programs, Ten Kavod (supporting Holocaust Survivors and other elderly), Psychotrauma (in the field psychological trauma treatment), Hospital ER program (staffing Israel ER rooms with volunteer medics), and more. Given the supply chain issue of bringing supplies into Israel, inflationary pressures have also affected our need.

We have a Procurement Team within the organization that goes through a rigorous sourcing process for all purchases of the organization. This allows us to purchase the highest quality medical supplies, equipment, and vehicles, at the best possible prices (almost always in bulk orders). We have a multiple bidding process to ensure lowest price for highest quality.

The most important way to support the organization today is unrestricted funds that allows United Hatzalah to continue taking steps to prepare for escalation in the north, and other parts of the country, as well as have the resources to pay for all the day to day emergency medical response, including medical supplies, communication equipment, the technology that makes rapid dispatching of medics possible, and much more.

As tensions escalate in the north, and United Hatzalah continues to respond to 2,000 routine emergencies daily, we must ensure sufficient funds to continue to equip, train, and protect volunteers, and supply them with backup radio and satellite communication gear for the event of power and communication failures

The two most important types of donations are the Day of Lifesaving ($18,000 USD), which sponsors an entire day of lifesaving in Israel, all 2,000 emergency calls, and can be dedicated in someone’s honor or special occasion, or of a yartzeit, and Adopting a Medic ($10,000 USD), which allows us to train and equip a brand new volunteer medic to increase our volunteer corps and save more lives.

In response to October 7th the organization realized the need to purchase new types of vehicles, including bullet proof ambulances and response cars, mass casualty incident command center vehicles, emergency logistics vehicles, volunteer trailers, and more. This was in addition to the ongoing need for more ambucycle, ebikes, ambulances, ambucars, and other vehicles used every day by volunteers across Israel. Hundreds of new vehicles are already on the road, responding to everyday emergencies and ready for another mass casualty incident. The delivery of the vehicles has been delayed due to a combination of factors, including supply chain disruptions and logistical challenges exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly the war in Israel. Our organization’s priorities and resources have been focused on preparing for the most immediate threats, as determined by security and tactical assessments from the IDF and the Defense Department. Additionally, the workforce at our ports, government offices, and suppliers has been significantly reduced due to emergency army reserve duty. Moreover, obtaining necessary approvals from the Health Ministry and Transportation Ministry has taken longer than usual, further contributing to the delays. These challenges have affected the availability of critical components and delayed the timely production and delivery of the vehicles. We are working closely with our suppliers and partners to navigate these obstacles and expedite the process, ensuring that the vehicles are delivered as soon as possible.

To ensure preparedness for Israel’s increasing EMS needs, works are already underway to construct a 3-floor, bomb-proof Southern Regional Command Center in Sderot, which will boost first response infrastructure in Israel’s embattled south. Year-round, it will serve as a training and equipment supply center. In times of crises, this facility will be a critical resource in directing our response, such as deployment of volunteers and establishment of field hospitals. We are also planning a similar center for northern Israel. Likewise, we must reinforce our logistical and medical equipment capacity by erecting a new and larger National Logistics Center. We are also in the process of training hundreds of new volunteers to help us reinforce our medic corps and reduce response times.