PHOTOS: MDA Working Hand-in-Hand With Hatzoloh Branches Around Israel

(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Magen David Adom works hand-in-hand with branches of Hatzoloh nationwide, including over 20 different branches around Israel, in addition to chessed organizations. They all operate with the MDA app for smartphones, which has significantly reduced response time to emergency calls.

MDA, the national rescue organization of the State of Israel, operates in accordance with the law of 1950, has in recent years been leading a unique approach in which it operates many Hatzoloh organizations in the country, all working side-by-side with MDA, thus ensuring optimal medical treatment in the shortest possible time. This includes Hatzoloh Tzfat, Hatzoloh North, Hatzoloh, Nazareth, Afula, Rehovot, Petach Tikvah, Hatzoloh South, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Yavniel, Zaka, Kfar Chabad, Hachovesh Har Nof, Ezer Mizion, Holon/Bat Yam, Ashkelon, Elad, Shvelah, Hatzoloh Yosh, Tiveria, Ezra LeMarpeh, Lev Mala and other organizations and branches.

It is pointed out that the overwhelming number of volunteers in these organizations are chareidim who have been trained by MDA around Israel. They are then given equipment and they respond to emergency calls, activated by the smartphone app that uses the GPS of the phone to determine the closes volunteers available. They also incorporate technological solutions to meet halachic demands to operate on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim.

On the average, it takes 15 seconds for a ‘101’ emergency dispatcher to send the call to the app system, which immediately activates volunteers in the geographical area of the emergency call. The response to the app by EMTs and paramedics is usually within 4 seconds.

These volunteers, who are regular working people including teachers, attorneys, gardeners, municipal workers, high tech and much more, put everything aside and respond to the emergency call.

Ushi Slomowitz, who heads Hatzoloh in Israel, praises the ongoing cooperation between his organization and MDA. He thanks MDA for the professional training and continuing education they receive, along with equipment. He explains “When MDA gets a call, the information is transferred to us in real time via the app, permitting an immediate response. MDA provides all the necessary medical and rabbinical guidance along with the halachic solutions towards this winning integration of organizations to save lives”.

Hatzoloh Nationwide Executive Director Rav Avraham Reichmann adds, “We feel a great pride working and being a part of the national rescue organization, MDA. It is a professional organization I view with paramount importance the fact that MDA not only trains our volunteers but also takes care of continuing medical education and has periodic exams to make certain volunteers maintain a high standard of professionalism.

“Our organization and its branches provide additional manpower to MDA, at times to standby at events. We just completed the large operation for Lag B’Omer at the Rashbi in Meron. This was a classic example of the cooperation between MDA and Hatzoloh nationwide…”