Psychotrauma

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Filling a void

In 2016, United Hatzalah established the revolutionary Psychotrauma Unit which consists of trained volunteers who can provide emotional stabilization support at the scene of traumatic medical emergencies such as terror attacks, Mass Casulty Incidents (MCI’s), rocket attacks and the like. In addition to emergency medical treatment, this unit provides Israel’s people with psychological first aid on scene, and thereby prevent Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), in addition to urgent medical relief.

The Psychotrauma & Crisis Response Unit was created out of need. At a medically traumatic scene or crisis, the physical needs were being met but the bystanders, the family, and the people that were not injured in the situation, were left to fend for themselves after experiencing an extremely difficult situation.

While EMTs and paramedics are highly trained to treat physical injuries, they have limited or no training on how to deal with traumatized, disoriented, or highly agitated people in the chaos of an emergency. United Hatzalah established the Psychotrauma & Crisis Response Unit to address and correct this situation.

The unit is unique in its commitment to arrive to the scene within minutes to provide emotional stabilization treatment, enabling the victim to cope emotionally with the situation in real time. Once there, our responders identify the traumatized victims and witnesses, and provide clinically tested emotional stabilization treatment as needed. They also engage family members and bystanders to provide information about where to turn to for community support or further psychological assistance before leaving the scene. Psychological First Aid administered during or immediately following the trauma has been shown to be effective in preventing the onset of PTSD.

When the unit’s intervention is needed, United Hatzalah’s dispatchers use a GPS-based dispatch and communications system to notify the closest and most appropriate responders, who immediately spring into action. The range of scenarios that our psychotrauma team respond to is diverse, from mass-casualty incidents, such as terror attacks, to intensely private tragedies, such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS or “crib death”) or suicide. At the scene, volunteers are often met with hysteria, trauma and shock from patients, family members and bystanders. At United Hatzalah we understand that just like physical injuries, emotional injuries must be treated in real time.