Over 30,000 people are affected by heart attacks annually in Israel. Without proper treatment, the odds of survival from cardiac arrest are only five percent, causing too many deaths and devastated families.
Working around the clock to save the pulse and beat the odds is United Hatzalah’s team of trained volunteers stationed in communities across Israel as emergency medical first responders. These 3,000 volunteers complete extensive life-saving training to be the first on scene following emergency and medical crises. With an average response time of three minutes, United Hatzalah volunteers typically arrive before an ambulance to provide preliminary care to stabilize victims. Using high-speed “ambucycles” and stocked with medical equipment, these volunteers treated 260,000 people last year alone.
“Heart attack can happen to anyone, at any time,” said Eli Beer, founder and president of United Hatzalah of Israel. “Because brain cells begin to die within minutes of cardiac arrest, it is crucial that our volunteers are dispatched to arrive quickly in these situations. Defibrillators help reinstate a pulse and increase the survival rate from cardiac arrest by 75 percent. Today, our volunteers lack enough equipment to properly respond to the several heart attack calls we receive daily. We wish we could do more to help.”
Currently only 30 percent of United Hatzalah volunteers possess defibrillators to be used during emergency calls. In an effort to supply half of all United Hatzalah volunteers with defibrillators, three generous donors have agreed to match all donations received to the before Dec. 31. Every dollar donated will be quadrupled in an effort to raise $1 million for new defibrillators.
Give Israelis a better chance at life by equipping medically trained emergency response volunteers with sufficient defibrillators to return the pulse to those in need. Join the race to save lives by contributing to United Hatzalah’s “Save the Pulse” campaign today.
