Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency service, has partnered with the Health Ministry to establish a dedicated mental health emergency response unit in central Israel for mental health-related emergencies received through MDA’s hotline, a spokesperson says.
In the past year, there has been a 45 percent rise in mental health calls, many linked to the continued strain of war, including acute anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Before the program, mental health emergencies were handled only by EMS dispatchers, standard medical teams, and the police. Now, when someone calls MDA’s hotline with a mental health emergency, the call is transferred to a specially trained mental health dispatcher. When warranted, the dispatcher deploys a mental health crisis intervention unit, including a specially trained paramedic and a mental health nurse with access to a psychiatrist for consultation.
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