ABOUT US
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
General
Volunteer
Finances
Affiliation
ALL ABOUT UNITED HATZALAH OF ISRAEL
What is United Hatzalah?
United Hatzalah is an organization of over 6,500 volunteers (medics, paramedics and doctors) who provide an immediate response within minutes of any medical incident for free. United Hatzalah volunteers respond to more than 700,000 calls per year throughout Israel, saving lives every day.
Why is United Hatzalah necessary?
United Hatzalah volunteers provide lifesaving medical care on the scene, prior to the arrival of an ambulance. United Hatzalah medics arrive on average in 3 minutes or less from the the time of the call. In metropolitan areas, the average response time is 90 seconds or less.
United Hatzalah medics treat and stabilize the patient and then cooperate with the arriving ambulance crew, which typically arrives 8-15 minutes after the initial call for help. In outlying areas, the wait for an ambulance can be significantly longer.
Why does response time need to be
under 3 minutes?
First responder volunteers begin treatment in order to stabilize a patient’s condition. Receiving initial treatment within 3 minutes of the incident assures a higher chance of survival in critical situations, and speedier recovery for many other injuries and illnesses. Brain death and permanent death transpires 4 to 6 minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest. A victim’s chances of survival are reduced by 7% to 10% with every minute that passes without defibrillation and advanced life support intervention.
How is United Hatzalah different from the local Hatzalah in the US or elsewhere?
In many places, Hatzalah is used by the local Jewish community as an alternative EMS service for the Jewish community. There is an informal brotherhood of independent Hatzalah organizations throughout the world. They each operate according to the protocols of their own respective medical and executive boards. In Israel, United Hatzalah complements the existing urgent medical service organizations and has volunteers from all walks of life.
What is the difference between United Hatzalah and ambulance services?
United Hatzalah arrives within the first critical minutes of a call, thanks to its community-based response system, ambucycles, and the LifeCompass System. Treating victims in this crucial time frame minimizes potential brain damage and other serious threats, and often results in lives being saved. If an ambulance arrived 15 minutes later, the person could dead if the ambucycle wasn’t there in the crucial moments. In addition to other Israel ambulance services, United Hatzalah now has 50 ambulances on the road that are free of charge.
How many calls does United Hatzalah respond to?
United Hatzalah responds to more than 2,000 calls a day, more than 700,000 calls a year, of which approximately 25% are critical life saving situations, and since its conception, we have gone to more than 5,500,000 calls.
OUR MEDICS – THE PRIDE OF UNITED HATZALAH
Who are United Hatzalah’s volunteers?
United Hatzalah’s volunteers are medics, paramedics or doctors – secular and religious, male and female, Jewish and non-Jewish. All calls are responded to and treated regardless of religion, ethnicity, and gender.
What do volunteers do when called to a scene?
United Hatzalah volunteers rapidly provide treatment and stabilization of the patient, and then integrate with the arriving ambulance crew to assist in the swift and efficient continuation of care and evacuation to a hospital.
United Hatzalah also serves an important function of calling off ambulances for those cases when they are summoned but not needed. This frees the limited number of ambulances to respond more rapidly to urgent medical calls.
How do United Hatzalah medics reach the scene in such a short time?
United Hatzalah medics are dispersed throughout Israel and serve in the areas where they work, study and live. As soon as United Hatzalah’s dispatch receives a call, the LifeCompass System immediately identifies the volunteers closest to the incident. A volunteer could be working in an office building downtown and might receive a call to help a heart attack victim from the very same building.
What are the qualifications of the first responder volunteers?
All United Hatzalah first responders are trained and certified as EMTs, Paramedics or MD’s by the existing medical training authorities under the supervision of the Israeli Ministry of Health.
Beyond donating, how else can I get involved in this organization?
Organize group fundraisers (e.g, raise money to collectively purchase urgently needed equipment and vehicles)! Hold a parlor meeting in your home/community! Sign up for our bi-weekly email updates! Represent us in your local community! Sign up and become a first responder volunteer (if you are in Israel)! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media channels! Spread our name!
Contact us at [email protected] for additional opportunities!
There are many worthy organizations that exist today. Why should I prioritize United Hatzalah as one of the few to which I will lend my support?
Annually, United Hatzalah responds to more than 648,000 urgent calls, of which approximately 25% are critical lifesaving situations. Israel is the home to all Jews and sacred to the 3 major world religions. Millions of people visit it annually. We all have a stake in Israel. Saving lives and helping the sick and wounded is a universal need of the highest order. United Hatzalah is not about saving Jewish lives, it is about saving lives in Israel. Unity is the nucleus of this organization!
FUNDING OUR ORGANIZATION
Does the government support United Hatzalah financially?
The government does provide limited funding and local municipalities provide project-related support. The majority of United Hatzalah’s support comes from individuals and foundations in Israel and internationally.
Does United Hatzalah charge for its services?
Unlike other Israeli ambulance companies, United Hatzalah does NOT charge for its services and does not pay its volunteers. We work out of passion and dedication – all our equipment is provided by donations. (Even our ambulances are free of charge!)
Are there opportunities to donate in honor
or in memory of others?
Yes! There are many opportunities. Any of our products can be donated in honor or in memory of others, just click “Make a dedication with my donation.” Visit our website or reach out to us at [email protected].
How can I make a donation to United Hatzalah?
Visit our Donation page and select from the wide range of donation options available. Call us at 646-833-7108 in the US or +972-2-500-2020 in Israel.
Donations in the US can be made out and mailed to
Friends of United Hatzalah
442 5th Ave, Suite 1866
New York, NY 10018
Tel: 646-833-7108
Fax: 212-898-0424
Tax ID: 11-3533002
Donations in Israel can be made out and mailed to United Hatzalah of Israel
United Hatzalah
78 Yirmiyahu Street
POB 36233
Jerusalem 91361
Charity No: 580465979
Who supports United Hatzalah?
United Hatzalah relies on the generosity of individuals, federations, foundations and other charitable organizations around the world.
What is United Hatzalah’s annual budget
and how much is spent on overhead?
United Hatzalah’s 2021 budget was approximately $33.5 million. Of this amount, approximately 92.4% was applied directly to the organization’s services (training, vehicles, equipment, volunteer activities) and approximately 7.6% was applied to organizational management. Click here to review our 990 for 2021 (PDF) and click here to review our Audited Financials.
Where does the money go?
Friends of United Hatzalah is the largest funder internationally of United Hatzalah of Israel. All funds donated go directly to life saving activity in Israel.
Do you have a Donor Privacy Policy?
Yes. Friends of United Hatzalah of Israel is committed to respecting the privacy of our donors. All donor information will not be shared with, sold to, rented to or exchanged with any third party. We collect and maintain the following types of donor information: name, address, phone number, email address. We will use your information to complete transactions and to communicate with you appeals and foundation happenings. We do not retain any credit card numbers, and those given to us can only be used for donation purposes. We assure you that the identity of all our donors will be kept confidential and use of donor information will be limited to the internal purposes of Friends of United Hatzalah of Israel.
Financial Documents
EVERY LIFE MATTERS
What is Friends of United Hatzalah?
Friends of United Hatzalah supports lifesaving organizations in Israel including United Hatzalah of Israel and Israel-Life, which collectively use the power of volunteer medics and innovative GPS technology to arrive at urgent medical calls within 3 minutes
Is this a political organization?
United Hatzalah is NOT a political organization. Although we have volunteers from all sectors of Israeli society, we do not promote any political agenda. The only goal of United Hatzalah is that of saving lives.
Is this a religious organization?
United Hatzalah was established based on the Jewish value of the sanctity of life and on the well-known Hatzalah model, working within larger Jewish communities around the world. United Hatzalah volunteers come from all walks of life, religious and secular, Jewish and non-Jewish (including Arabs, Druze, Christians), male and female. Patients are treated regardless of race, religion, origin or ethnicity.