The Regional Planning Committee of the City of Jerusalem, headed by Attorney Amir Shaked, ratified the plans for the expansion of United Hatzalah’s national headquarters in the Romema neighborhood. According to the plans submitted by the organization, the building will be expanded by adding six additional floors to the existing four floors.

The building is situated on the corner of Yirmiyahu and Ohaliav streets, opposite the Health Ministry building. The plans call for the addition of 3,000 square meters to the building that will allow the organization to expand its activities and increase the quality of training for its volunteers. The plans were drafted by Architect Michal De Lafergola

The building currently serves as the national dispatch center, an educational facility and office space for the organization’s limited staff that manages the national network of 5,000 volunteers.

President and Founder of United Hatzalah Eli Beer praised the decision. “I want to thank the city of Jerusalem and Mayor Lion for graciously ratifying the expansion of our national headquarters that serves as a base of operations for our volunteers across the country.”

Beer added, “We are already raising the funds for the construction work that will be necessary to add the additional training centers that will serve our medical volunteers as well as the volunteers from the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit and the Ten Kavod project. We plan to build new state-of-the-art simulation centers and expand our equipment distribution center. This is more than a building it is a home for our volunteers across Israel to come and train and feel like they have a place to call their own.”

Beer added that he felt it was important for the national headquarters to be in Jerusalem. “Many organizations have their headquarters in other cities and are okay with that. I feel that it is important that our national headquarters be in the capital of Israel. It is the source of strength for the nation and our headquarters are the source of strength for our volunteers.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)