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			{{Short description\|Volunteer-based emergency medical services}}
	{{Infobox organization		{{Infobox organization
	\|name = United Hatzalah		\| name = United Hatzalah of Israel
	\|image = ~~Ichod~~ ~~Hatzalah~~.~~JPG~~		\| image = UHNewLogo.svg
	\|image_border =		\| image_border =
	\|size = ~~150px~~		\| size = 250px
	\|alt =		\| alt =
	\|caption =		\| caption =
	\|formation = 2006		\| formation = 2006
	\|~~type~~ = ]		\| focus = ]
	\|status = ]		\| status = ], ]
	\|~~purpose~~ = free, volunteer-based ]		\| type = free, volunteer-based ]
	\|headquarters = ], ]		\| headquarters = ]
	\|location = ~~Israel~~		\| location =
	\|coords =		\| coords =
			\| area_served = ], Worldwide
	\|region_served = Israel
	\|membership =		\| membership =
	\|language = ]		\| language = ]
	\|leader_title = President/Founder		\| leader_title = President/Founder
	\|leader_name = ]		\| leader_name = ]
	\|main_organ =		\| main_organ =
	\|parent_organization =		\| parent_organization =
	\|affiliations =		\| affiliations =
	\|num_staff =		\| num_staff =
	\|num_volunteers = ~~2500~~		\| num_volunteers = 8000
	\|budget = ]$5 million		\| budget = US$20 million (2018)
	\|website =		\| website = {{URL\|https://1221.org.il/\|1221.org.il}}
	\|remarks = Awarded 2011 Israeli ]		\| remarks = Awarded 2011 Israeli Presidential Award for Volunteerism
	}}		}}
			'''United Hatzalah''' ("united rescue" in Hebrew: איחוד הצלה) is an Israeli volunteer-based ] (EMS) organization providing free service throughout Israel, with its headquarters based in ]. Its mission is to provide immediate medical intervention during the critical window between the onset of an emergency and the arrival of traditional ambulance assistance. It is one of many ] organizations in various parts of the world and the only one that includes women and non-Jewish volunteers.
	'''United Hatzalah''' (meaning "rescue" or "relief" in Hebrew: הצלה) is a free, volunteer-based ] (EMS) organization based in ]. Founded in 2006, it is the largest independent, non-profit and fully volunteer EMS organization in ], with more than 2,500 ] (EMT), ] and doctors dispersed throughout the country. From its LifeCompass Command Center, United Hatzalah uses advanced GPS-based dispatch technology to identify the closest and most qualified volunteers to the scene of an emergency and routes those individuals through a mobile device application. Cadres of trained civilian volunteers throughout Israel create a web of emergency first responders, each outfitted with medically equipped motorcycles (“ambucycles”) capable of reaching victims in as few as 90 seconds.<ref>{{cite web\|title=Just an ambucycle ride away\|url=http://www.jpost.com/Metro/Just-an-ambucycle-ride-away-386350\|publisher=The Jerusalem Post\|accessdate=30 March 2015}}</ref> The organization is funded exclusively through private charitable support.

			United Hatzalah of Israel was founded in 2006 with the merger of several small local hatzalah organizations. It has grown to become the largest independent, non-profit, fully volunteer EMS organization in the world, with over 8,000 volunteer medical first responders nationwide, and additional chapters in Panama<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Carni \|first=Yaron \|title=Israel's 'Uber For First Responders' Goes Global \|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/startupnationcentral/2019/05/30/israels-uber-for-first-responders-goes-global/ \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=Forbes \|language=en}}</ref> and Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web \|date=August 22, 2017 \|title=United Hatzalah Builds New Chapter in Uman, Ukraine Organization Now Active in Five Countries \|url=https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/emsworld/news/218483/united-hatzalah-builds-new-chapter-uman-ukraine-organization-now-active-five-countries \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com}}</ref> The organization provides free services to all citizens regardless of race, religion, or national origin. With the help of its Uber-like GPS dispatch system and a fleet of rapid response ambucycles,<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Isaac \|first=David \|date=2021-06-30 \|title=Miriam Adelson donates 150 lifesaving 'ambucycles' to United Hatzalah \|url=https://www.jns.org/miriam-adelson-donates-150-lifesaving-ambucycles-to-united-hatzalah/ \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=JNS.org \|language=en-US}}</ref> United Hatzalah has achieved an average response time of less than 3 minutes nationwide and 90 seconds in metropolitan areas.
	Within Israel, individuals may contact United Hatzalah through its direct emergency number, 1221; however, most dispatch information is received directly from national ambulance services. United Hatzalah in turn alerts and coordinates with local ambulance, Search and Rescue (SAR), fire, and police services, when necessary.

			United Hatzalah's national command center in Jerusalem uses an advanced GPS-based dispatch technology to identify the closest and most qualified volunteers and routes them to the scene of an emergency through a mobile device application. Approximately 1,000 volunteers are outfitted with medically equipped motorcycles, “]” capable of navigating around traffic jams to reach victims in as few as 90 seconds.<ref>{{cite news \|last1=Arom \|first1=Eitan \|last2=Schachne \|first2=Erica \|title=Just an Ambucycle Ride away \|date=January 1, 2015 \|url=https://www.jpost.com/Metro/Just-an-ambucycle-ride-away-386350 \|newspaper=] \|access-date=April 3, 2019}}</ref> The remaining volunteers respond to emergencies using their own private cars, or organizational emergency ambucars, e-bikes,<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Israel inaugurates first-ever fleet of emergency electric bicycles for first responders \|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/323965 \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=Israel National News \|language=en}}</ref> ambuboats,<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2021-08-29 \|title=United Hatzalah's Tiberias Chapter Introduces Aquatic Rescue Drone \|url=https://www.jems.com/operations/equipment-gear/united-hatzalahs-tiberias-chapter-introduces-aquatic-rescue-drone/ \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=JEMS: EMS, Emergency Medical Services - Training, Paramedic, EMT News \|language=en-US}}</ref> or ATVs,<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Poch854 \|date=2020-02-10 \|title=New Lifesaving ATV to Aid Gush Shiloh Residents \|url=https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/1829690/new-lifesaving-atv-to-aid-gush-shiloh-residents.html \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=The Yeshiva World \|language=en-US}}</ref> depending upon the location of the emergency. The organization is funded exclusively through private charitable support.
⚫	]
			]
⚫	== ~~Mission~~ ==
			Within Israel, individuals may contact United Hatzalah through its direct number, 1221; however, some dispatch information is received directly from national ambulance services. United Hatzalah in turn alerts and coordinates with local ambulances, Search and Rescue (SAR), fire,<ref>{{Cite web\|last=Poch\|first=Raphael\|date=2018-03-26\|title=Fire and Rescue Department Commissioner: "Fire Fighters should Also Be EMTs" {{!}} Saving Lives in Israel with Rapid Emergency Response\|url=https://israelrescue.org/blog/fire-and-rescue-department-commissioner-fire-fighters-should-also-be-emts/\|access-date=2020-06-22\|language=en}}</ref> and police services,<ref>{{Cite web\|last=Rudee\|first=Eliana\|title=United Hatzalah Hosts Mass-Casualty Drill in Conjunction with Israeli Police, Local Soccer Team\|url=https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/united-hatzalah-hosts-mass-casualty-drill-in-conjunction-with-israeli-police-local-soccer-team/2019/10/30/\|access-date=2020-06-22\|language=en-US}}</ref> and the IDF,<ref>{{Cite web\|date=2016-03-14\|title=Volunteer EMS Organization United Hatzalah, Israel Defense Forces Hold Cooperative MCI Drill\|url=https://www.jems.com/2016/03/14/volunteer-ems-organization-united-hatzalah-israel-defense-forces-hold-cooperative-mci-drill/\|access-date=2020-06-22\|website=JEMS\|language=en-US}}</ref> when necessary.
	United Hatzalah’s mission is to provide immediate lifesaving medical assistance during the critical window between the onset of an emergency and the arrival of traditional ambulance assistance. Services are provided free of charge without regard to race, religion, or ethnic background. As a designated national security asset by the ] (IDF) ], United Hatzalah’s LifeCompass Command Center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Their ultimate goal is to reduce response time from a previous national average of 20 minutes down to 90 seconds, which is within the critical lifesaving window.

	== History ==		== History ==
		⚫	]
	As a young EMT in Jerusalem, ] recognized that heavy urban traffic and narrow streets often prevented ambulances from arriving in time to save a victim. In response, he organized a volunteer unit of EMTs within his Jerusalem neighborhood. After the ] (Hebrew: מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Levanon HaShniya'') in 2006, Beer brought together more than 50 separate Hatzalah chapters to form United Hatzalah of Israel. Initially, volunteers responded to less than 200 calls per day by monitoring two-way emergency radio scanners. As cellular technology evolved, volunteers migrated to a managed ] network, which enabled two-way communications between dispatchers and volunteer medics.
			As a young EMT in Jerusalem, ] recognized that heavy urban traffic and narrow streets often prevented ambulances from arriving in time to save a victim.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Kessler \|first=Andy \|date=18 December 2022 \|title=Tech and the Wisdom of Crowds \|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tech-and-the-wisdom-of-crowds-guardian-missing-children-crime-elizabeth-smart-google-genes-11671383537 \|website=Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

			Initially, volunteers responded to fewer than 200 calls per day by monitoring two-way emergency radio scanners. As cellular technology evolved, volunteers migrated to a managed ] network, which enabled two-way communications between dispatchers and volunteer medics.
	Later, United Hatzalah standardized ambucycles—motorcycles retrofitted with a storage box mounted to the back of the vehicles—each of which contains a complete trauma kit, an oxygen canister, a blood sugar monitor, and an ]. These ambucycles contain all of the lifesaving equipment commonly found in an ambulance but on a vehicle nimble enough to weave through traffic, narrow alleys, or obstructed roadways.

			After the ] (Hebrew: מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Levanon HaShniya'') in 2006, Beer brought together more than 50 independent Hatzalah organizations to form United Hatzalah of Israel.
	United Hatzalah then partnered with NowForce to create a proprietary mobile dispatch application to receive calls, assess the unique capabilities, mobility and equipment of the closest volunteers, and then route the most appropriate medics to a given emergency. Today, all volunteers receive alerts on their mobile phone through the NowForce command-and-control application .

			In 2008 United Hatzalah developed the LifeCompass GPS dispatch technology and mobile app medley capable of tracking the location of volunteers in real time, assessing the unique capabilities, mobility and equipment of the closest volunteers, and routing the most appropriate medics to any given emergency. Today, all volunteers receive a standard-issue smartphone linked to the second generation LifeCompass 2.0<ref>{{Cite web\|title=Hatzalah adapts to technological revolution - Technology & Health\|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239797\|access-date=2020-06-22\|website=Israel National News\|language=en}}</ref> command-and-control system.<ref>{{cite news \|last=Siegel-Itzkovich \|first=Judy \|date=May 7, 2012 \|title=Gov't Dithers in Red Tape, Defibrillator Saves Life \|url=https://www.jpost.com/Health-and-Science/Govt-dithers-in-red-tape-defibrillator-saves-life \|language=en \|newspaper=] \|access-date=April 3, 2019}}</ref>
	== Results and Demographics ==
	United Hatzalah currently responds to approximately 800 calls per day and as many as 1,200 calls during large-scale emergencies such as the 2014 ]. In 2014, the organization answered more than 245,000 calls, with a volunteer corps of 2,500 medics, and a fleet of 440 ambucycles. Of the 2,500+ volunteer medics, 38% are ], 33.7% ], 23.6% Secular, 3.1% Muslim, 1.1% ] and .2% Christian, and .3% other.

			United Hatzalah responded immediately to the calls for medical assistance following ]' launch of ] on the morning of October 7.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Report {{!}} \|first=Staff \|date=2023-10-09 \|title=Operation Iron Swords update from United Hatzalah \|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2023/10/09/operation-iron-swords-update-from-united-hatzalah/ \|access-date=2023-10-16 \|website=Sun Sentinel \|language=en-US}}</ref> United Hatzalah set up a massive response in the south of Israel on the Gaza periphery to treat those injured in the ], and set up medical clinics throughout the Gaza periphery to treat wounded, alongside the ] medical units. The organization works around the clock to treat thousands of people and provides medical aid and supplies to civilians and military personnel affected by the terror attacks.<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Medics calling for more help in Israel - CBS News \|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/medics-calling-for-more-help-in-israel/ \|access-date=2023-10-16 \|website=www.cbsnews.com \|language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫	United ~~Hatzalah’s~~ lifesaving model has reduced average response time to three minutes; ~~the~~ ~~average~~ ~~response~~ ~~time~~ ~~across~~ ~~Israel,~~ ~~however,~~ ~~remains~~ ~~between~~ 10 to ~~12 minutes~~. On ~~sudden~~ ~~cardiac~~ ~~arrest~~ ~~calls—the~~ ~~best~~ ~~measure~~ of ~~emergency~~ ~~medical~~ ~~performance—United~~ ~~Hatzalah’s~~ ~~success~~ in ~~reducing~~ ~~response~~ ~~times~~ ~~and~~ ~~increasing~~ ~~quality~~ of ~~care~~ ~~have~~ ~~changed~~ in ~~lock~~ ~~step~~ ~~with national~~ ~~survival~~ ~~rates~~: In ~~the~~ 10 ~~years~~ ~~since~~ United ~~Hatzalah’s~~ inception, the rate of ] deaths has decreased by 50%, according to the Israel Heart Society. At 46.4 deaths per 100,000 people, the ] ~~reports~~ that Israel ranks 12th best out of 192 countries in terms of coronary-related mortality.<ref>{{cite web\|title=Global Atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control\|url=http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241564373_eng.pdf\|website=World Health Organization\|~~accessdate~~=1 April 2015}}</ref>

	== ~~SOS~~ ~~Mobile~~ ~~Application~~ ==		== Results and demographics ==
			United Hatzalah currently responds to approximately 2,000 calls per day and as many as 12,000 calls during large-scale emergencies such as ].<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2024-09-10 \|title=A Fleet in Honor of the Fallen \|url=https://themedialine.org/by-region/a-fleet-in-honor-of-the-fallen/ \|access-date=2024-09-10 \|website=Media Line \|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, the organization answered more than 750,000 calls, with a volunteer corps of 8,000 medics, and a fleet of 1,000 ambucycles.{{Citation needed\|date=February 2020}}<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Isaac \|first=David \|date=30 June 2021 \|title=Miriam Adelson donates 150 lifesaving 'ambucycles' to United Hatzalah \|url=https://www.jns.org/miriam-adelson-donates-150-lifesaving-ambucycles-to-united-hatzalah/ \|website=Jewish News Syndicate}}</ref>
	Following the high-profile ] and murder of three Israeli youths in June 2014, United Hatzalah responded with SOS, a one-swipe emergency alert application. Downloaded by more than 150,000 people, SOS sends a distress signal to United Hatzalah’s 24/7 dispatch center, while also transmitting the user’s GPS coordinates to law enforcement officials—a process that may otherwise require days of legal maneuvering. SOS is meant to function as an emergency safety and security alert system, complementing direct verbal communication with police, fire, or medical emergency dispatchers. The app was developed in conjunction with NowForce and may be downloaded for free at sos.nowforce.com in both English and Hebrew.

		⚫	United Hatzalah's lifesaving model has reduced average first-response time to three minutes. Sudden cardiac arrest calls are the best measure of emergency medical performance.{{Citation needed\|date=February 2020}}<ref>{{Cite journal \|last1=Perkins \|first1=Gavin \|last2=Lockey \|first2=Andrew \|last3=de Belder \|first3=Mark \|last4=Moore \|first4=Fiona \|last5=Weissberg \|first5=Peter \|last6=Gray \|first6=Huon \|date=1 July 2016 \|title=National initiatives to improve outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in England \|url=https://emj.bmj.com/content/33/7/448 \|journal=BMJ Journals - Emergency Medicine Journal}}</ref> Since United Hatzalah's inception, the rate of ] deaths has decreased by 50%, according to the Israel Heart Society. At 46.4 deaths per 100,000 people, the ] reported in 2011 that Israel ranks 12th best out of 192 countries in terms of coronary-related mortality.<ref>{{cite web\|title=Global Atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control\|url=http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241564373_eng.pdf\|website=World Health Organization\|access-date=1 April 2015}}</ref>
⚫	== Awards and ~~Recognition~~==
⚫	In April 2013, Eli Beer presented a ] talk titled, ~~“The~~ fastest ambulance? A motorcycle,” in which he describes the circumstances that led to him to re-imagine first-response medicine by training volunteer EMTs to respond to local emergencies and stabilize victims until official help arrives.<ref>{{cite web\|title=The Fastest Ambulance? A Motorcycle\|url=https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_beer_the_fastest_ambulance_a_motorcycle?language=en\|publisher=~~TedMed~~\|~~accessdate~~=25 ~~March~~ ~~2015~~}}</ref> The video has been viewed more than ~~990,000~~ times to date .

			United Hatzalah's volunteer base in 2018 is approximately 60% Jewish Religious, 30% Jewish Secular and 10% Minorities (Muslim, Christian and Druze).<ref>{{Cite web\|last=Andrew Tobin\|title=The first medic to respond to the Temple Mount terror attack was Muslim. Here's his story\|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-first-medic-to-respond-to-the-temple-mount-terror-attack-was-muslim-heres-his-story/\|access-date=2020-06-22\|website=The Times of Israel\|language=en-US}}</ref>
	During the March 2015 American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (]) Policy Conference—the largest yearly gathering of the pro-Israel movement in the United States—United Hatzalah was honored as a featured innovator. AIPAC’s Innovation Showcase was presented before 16,000 attendees and serves to highlight emerging technology developed in Israel but with worldwide impact.

		⚫	==Awards and recognition==
	In recognition of its dedication to save lives, Eli Beer, on behalf of United Hatzalah, has received numerous international accolades, including the Israeli Presidential Award for Volunteerism in 2011 and the Institute of International Education’s Victor J. Goldberg Prize in 2013. In 2015, United Hatzalah received the OMETZ Award for its operational professionalism and transparent management. Eli Beer was personally recognized the ] in cooperation with the ] (WEF) as a Social Entrepreneur in 2010. WEF subsequently named him a ] in 2012 for his efforts to create a multicultural, apolitical medical rescue organization.
			In recognition of his dedication to saving lives and efforts to create a multicultural, apolitical EMS organization, Eli Beer, on behalf of United Hatzalah, has received numerous international accolades, including the ] Social Entrepreneur Award (2010), the Israeli Presidential Award for Volunteerism (2011), the ] (WEF) ] award (2012), the Institute of International Education's Victor J. Goldberg Prize (2013), the OMETZ Social Responsibility Award (2015), the World Values Network Champion of Human Life Award (2016) and the Conference of European Rabbis Internet Entrepreneur Prize (2017).

		⚫	In April 2013, Eli Beer presented a ] talk titled, "The fastest ambulance? A motorcycle," in which he describes the circumstances that led to him to re-imagine first-response medicine by training volunteer EMTs to respond to local emergencies and stabilize victims until official help arrives.<ref>{{cite web \|title=The Fastest Ambulance? A Motorcycle \|url=https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_beer_the_fastest_ambulance_a_motorcycle?language=en \|publisher=] \|access-date=April 3, 2019}}</ref> The video has been viewed more than a million times to date.
	== See also ==

			During the March 2015 American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (]) Policy Conference in Washington DC, United Hatzalah was honored as a featured innovator in AIPAC's Innovation Showcase, serving to highlight emerging technology developed in Israel but with worldwide impact.<ref>{{cite news \|last=Siegel-Itzkovich \|first=Judy \|date=March 2, 2015 \|url=https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Ambucycle-zooms-into-AIPAC-conference-392729 \|title=Ambucycle Zooms into AIPAC Conference \|newspaper=] \|access-date=April 3, 2019}}</ref>
⚫	* ]

			United Hatzalah has earned the Israeli Midot Seal of Effectiveness (2015), the GuideStar Platinum Participant status (2016) and ] Four Star Rating (2016) for its operational professionalism and transparent management.
	* Israelife

			== International aid ==
			]
			In addition to providing emergency medical services in Israel, United Hatzalah has been active in providing medical care, humanitarian aid, and psychological first aid, in numerous international disasters. The organization sent teams to Haiti multiple times,<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2016-10-30 \|title=Israeli medical, relief groups continue helping in Haiti \|url=https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-medical-relief-groups-continue-helping-in-haiti/ \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=ISRAEL21c \|language=en-US}}</ref> Nepal after the earthquake in 2015<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Desk \|first=Jewish Press News \|title=Israeli Search and Rescue Organizations Arrive in Nepal \|url=https://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/israeli-search-and-rescue-organizations-arrive-in-nepal/2015/04/26/ \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|language=en-US}}</ref> as well as assisting after ]<ref>{{Cite web \|last=JNS.org \|date=2017-09-14 \|title=Israeli Aid Teams Deploy to Florida's Hardest Hit Areas in Wake of Hurricane Irma \|url=https://www.jewishexponent.com/2017/09/14/israeli-aid-teams-deploy-floridas-hardest-hit-areas-wake-hurricane-irma/ \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=Jewish Exponent \|language=en-US}}</ref> and Harvey<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Israel Rescue Coalition sends psychological aid team to help Harvey victims \|url=https://www.ems1.com/disaster-management/articles/israel-rescue-coalition-sends-psychological-aid-team-to-help-harvey-victims-RTBNManQQN7aMXyh/ \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=EMS1 \|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|title=Israeli emergency team helps 'Harvey' victims \|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/235059 \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=Israel National News \|language=en}}</ref> in 2017 in the United States.

			The organization's Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit also responded to the Pittsburgh ]<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Israeli psychotrauma team en route to Pittsburgh to aid terror victims \|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/israeli-psychotrauma-team-en-route-to-pittsburgh-to-aid-terror-victims-570493 \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=The Jerusalem Post \|language=en-US}}</ref> in 2018, and to Miami following the ] in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Sheinerman \|first=Marie-Rose \|date=June 30, 2021 \|title=Not just search and rescue: Israeli-backed efforts bring trauma therapy to Surfside \|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article252452368.html \|access-date=April 24, 2022 \|website=Miami Herald}}</ref> In 2022, the organization undertook a lengthy medical and humanitarian aid mission to Moldova and Ukraine following the ]<ref>{{Cite web \|title=United Hatzalah: The first medical team on the Ukrainian border \|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-700871 \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=The Jerusalem Post \|language=en-US}}</ref> that involved providing medical and humanitarian aid and food to Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, as well as flying in medications and food for hospitals and communities inside Ukraine, and extracting injured and ill refugees from Ukraine to receive medical treatment in other countries.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Desk \|first=Jewish Press News \|title=Hatzalah Covert Operations Deliver Medicine, Food, Aliyah Papers to Ukrainian Jews \|url=https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/hatzalah-covert-operations-deliver-medicine-food-aliyah-papers-to-ukrainian-jews/2022/03/28/ \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|language=en-US}}</ref> The organization also chartered a series of planes to bring in food and medical equipment and transport nearly 3,000 Ukrainian refugees to Israel<ref>{{Cite web \|title=United Hatzalah helps over 2,000 Ukrainian refugees come to Israel \|url=https://www.israelhayom.com/2022/03/23/united-hatzalah-helps-over-2000-ukrainian-refugees-come-to-israel/ \|access-date=2022-04-24 \|website=www.israelhayom.com}}</ref> in an operation codenamed Operation Orange Wings.

			In February 2023, United Hatzalah assisted in search-and-rescue operations in Turkey following the ], but cut short its mission due to intelligence of a "concrete and immediate threat" targeting the group.<ref>{{cite news \|url=https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/turkey-syria-earthquake-updates-2-12-23-intl/h_4c1435552ec2e844f6cf59a7b4258cdc \|title=Israeli aid group leaves Turkey due to 'immediate' security threat \|last=Gold \|first=Hadas \|website=CNN \|date=12 February 2023 \|access-date=12 February 2023}}</ref>

			In September 2023, United Hatzalah deployed an international aid team to Morocco to assist in the search-and-rescue operations after the ]. The group assisted in helping locals affected, providing supplies and rendering medical aid. <ref>{{Cite web \|last=Gale \|first=Ben \|date=2023-09-19 \|title=Israeli aid team in Morocco saves lives \|url=https://www.jns.org/africa/earthquake/23/9/19/319821/ \|access-date=2023-10-16 \|website=JNS.org \|language=en-US}}</ref>

			== Annual Concert ==
			]
			United Hatzalah organizes a concert on Sukkot.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-825771\|title=United Hatzalah concert raises funds for front line soldiers' protective gear\|publisher=Jerusalem Post\|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> Over the years, the likes of Ishay Ribo, Gad Elbaz, Shmuel, Avraham Fried, Mordechai Shapiro and Lior Suchard have performed at it.<ref>{{cite web\|url=ttps://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361175\|title=Avraham Fried, Mordechai Shapiro, Lior Suchard delight Jerusalem\|publisher=Israel National News\|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> In at the 2024 concert, Boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather donated $100,000 to United Hatzalah during the concert.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2024/10/22/boxing-champion-floyd-mayweather-donates-100000-united-hatzalah-bulletproof-vests-israel/\|title=Boxing Champion Floyd Mayweather Donates $100,000 to United Hatzalah for Bulletproof Vests for Israel\|publisher=Algemeiner\|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref>

		⚫	== See also ==
	* ]		* ]
		⚫	* ]
		⚫	* ]

	==References==		==References==
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	==External links==		==External links==
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			{{Emergency Services in Israel\|state=expanded}}
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Latest revision as of 10:52, 19 November 2024

Volunteer-based emergency medical services

United Hatzalah of Israel

Formation	2006
Type	free, volunteer-based emergency medical services
Legal status	Non-governmental organization, Non-profit organization
Focus	Humanitarian
Headquarters	Jerusalem
Area served	Israel, Worldwide
Official language	Hebrew
President/Founder	Eli Beer
Budget	US$20 million (2018)
Volunteers	8000
Website	1221.org.il
Remarks	Awarded 2011 Israeli Presidential Award for Volunteerism

United Hatzalah ("united rescue" in Hebrew: איחוד הצלה) is an Israeli volunteer-based emergency medical services (EMS) organization providing free service throughout Israel, with its headquarters based in Jerusalem. Its mission is to provide immediate medical intervention during the critical window between the onset of an emergency and the arrival of traditional ambulance assistance. It is one of many Hatzalah organizations in various parts of the world and the only one that includes women and non-Jewish volunteers.

United Hatzalah of Israel was founded in 2006 with the merger of several small local hatzalah organizations. It has grown to become the largest independent, non-profit, fully volunteer EMS organization in the world, with over 8,000 volunteer medical first responders nationwide, and additional chapters in Panama and Ukraine. The organization provides free services to all citizens regardless of race, religion, or national origin. With the help of its Uber-like GPS dispatch system and a fleet of rapid response ambucycles, United Hatzalah has achieved an average response time of less than 3 minutes nationwide and 90 seconds in metropolitan areas.

United Hatzalah's national command center in Jerusalem uses an advanced GPS-based dispatch technology to identify the closest and most qualified volunteers and routes them to the scene of an emergency through a mobile device application. Approximately 1,000 volunteers are outfitted with medically equipped motorcycles, “ambucycles” capable of navigating around traffic jams to reach victims in as few as 90 seconds. The remaining volunteers respond to emergencies using their own private cars, or organizational emergency ambucars, e-bikes, ambuboats, or ATVs, depending upon the location of the emergency. The organization is funded exclusively through private charitable support.

Within Israel, individuals may contact United Hatzalah through its direct number, 1221; however, some dispatch information is received directly from national ambulance services. United Hatzalah in turn alerts and coordinates with local ambulances, Search and Rescue (SAR), fire, and police services, and the IDF, when necessary.

History

As a young EMT in Jerusalem, Eli Beer recognized that heavy urban traffic and narrow streets often prevented ambulances from arriving in time to save a victim.

Initially, volunteers responded to fewer than 200 calls per day by monitoring two-way emergency radio scanners. As cellular technology evolved, volunteers migrated to a managed push-to-talk network, which enabled two-way communications between dispatchers and volunteer medics.

After the Second Lebanon War (Hebrew: מלחמת לבנון השנייה, Milhemet Levanon HaShniya) in 2006, Beer brought together more than 50 independent Hatzalah organizations to form United Hatzalah of Israel.

In 2008 United Hatzalah developed the LifeCompass GPS dispatch technology and mobile app medley capable of tracking the location of volunteers in real time, assessing the unique capabilities, mobility and equipment of the closest volunteers, and routing the most appropriate medics to any given emergency. Today, all volunteers receive a standard-issue smartphone linked to the second generation LifeCompass 2.0 command-and-control system.

United Hatzalah responded immediately to the calls for medical assistance following Hamas' launch of terror attacks on Israel on the morning of October 7. United Hatzalah set up a massive response in the south of Israel on the Gaza periphery to treat those injured in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, and set up medical clinics throughout the Gaza periphery to treat wounded, alongside the IDF medical units. The organization works around the clock to treat thousands of people and provides medical aid and supplies to civilians and military personnel affected by the terror attacks.

Results and demographics

United Hatzalah currently responds to approximately 2,000 calls per day and as many as 12,000 calls during large-scale emergencies such as the October 7 attack on Israel. In 2023, the organization answered more than 750,000 calls, with a volunteer corps of 8,000 medics, and a fleet of 1,000 ambucycles.

United Hatzalah's lifesaving model has reduced average first-response time to three minutes. Sudden cardiac arrest calls are the best measure of emergency medical performance. Since United Hatzalah's inception, the rate of cardiac-arrest deaths has decreased by 50%, according to the Israel Heart Society. At 46.4 deaths per 100,000 people, the World Health Organization reported in 2011 that Israel ranks 12th best out of 192 countries in terms of coronary-related mortality.

United Hatzalah's volunteer base in 2018 is approximately 60% Jewish Religious, 30% Jewish Secular and 10% Minorities (Muslim, Christian and Druze).

Awards and recognition

In recognition of his dedication to saving lives and efforts to create a multicultural, apolitical EMS organization, Eli Beer, on behalf of United Hatzalah, has received numerous international accolades, including the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Social Entrepreneur Award (2010), the Israeli Presidential Award for Volunteerism (2011), the World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader award (2012), the Institute of International Education's Victor J. Goldberg Prize (2013), the OMETZ Social Responsibility Award (2015), the World Values Network Champion of Human Life Award (2016) and the Conference of European Rabbis Internet Entrepreneur Prize (2017).

In April 2013, Eli Beer presented a TedMed talk titled, "The fastest ambulance? A motorcycle," in which he describes the circumstances that led to him to re-imagine first-response medicine by training volunteer EMTs to respond to local emergencies and stabilize victims until official help arrives. The video has been viewed more than a million times to date.

During the March 2015 American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington DC, United Hatzalah was honored as a featured innovator in AIPAC's Innovation Showcase, serving to highlight emerging technology developed in Israel but with worldwide impact.

United Hatzalah has earned the Israeli Midot Seal of Effectiveness (2015), the GuideStar Platinum Participant status (2016) and Charity Navigator Four Star Rating (2016) for its operational professionalism and transparent management.

International aid

In addition to providing emergency medical services in Israel, United Hatzalah has been active in providing medical care, humanitarian aid, and psychological first aid, in numerous international disasters. The organization sent teams to Haiti multiple times, Nepal after the earthquake in 2015 as well as assisting after Hurricanes Irma and Harvey in 2017 in the United States.

The organization's Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit also responded to the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting in 2018, and to Miami following the Surfside condominium collapse in 2021. In 2022, the organization undertook a lengthy medical and humanitarian aid mission to Moldova and Ukraine following the Russo-Ukrainian War that involved providing medical and humanitarian aid and food to Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, as well as flying in medications and food for hospitals and communities inside Ukraine, and extracting injured and ill refugees from Ukraine to receive medical treatment in other countries. The organization also chartered a series of planes to bring in food and medical equipment and transport nearly 3,000 Ukrainian refugees to Israel in an operation codenamed Operation Orange Wings.

In February 2023, United Hatzalah assisted in search-and-rescue operations in Turkey following the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, but cut short its mission due to intelligence of a "concrete and immediate threat" targeting the group.

In September 2023, United Hatzalah deployed an international aid team to Morocco to assist in the search-and-rescue operations after the 2023 Marrakesh–Safi earthquake. The group assisted in helping locals affected, providing supplies and rendering medical aid.

Annual Concert

United Hatzalah organizes a concert on Sukkot. Over the years, the likes of Ishay Ribo, Gad Elbaz, Shmuel, Avraham Fried, Mordechai Shapiro and Lior Suchard have performed at it. In at the 2024 concert, Boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather donated $100,000 to United Hatzalah during the concert.