Israel Trauma Coalition Provides Emergency Care and Emotional First Aid
As the constant barrage of rockets continues to rain down on Israel and violence and rioting escalate, Federation’s on-the-ground partner, the Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC), has organized an immediate response to the ongoing crisis. Specializing in emergency response, trauma care and emotional first aid, ITC first responders — including firefighters, rescue workers, local crisis response teams and property disaster assessors — are working around the clock to provide wide-ranging services to individuals, children and families who have been affected.
Trauma care and emotional first aid are vital to help Israeli citizens cope with the anxiety and stress resulting from such ongoing violence. With that in mind, the ITC is ensuring their work reaches as many people as possible by opening 11 resilience centers around the country. Staff and volunteer emergency teams are operating hotlines, providing local agencies with real-time updates, published materials and tools to help residents manage their trauma response and offering workshops to enhance their resources. Therapists are providing psychosocial care in multiple languages both in person and virtually in cities that do not have resilience centers.
ITC’s emergency hotlines have been flooded with desperate calls for help from parents, many of whom have not previously been exposed to such levels of terror and violence. In an effort to reach a wider audience, ITC is also distributing written guidelines/assistance in several languages with tips on how to explain the current situation to children and tips to help them cope with the terror. Daily online lectures by specialized therapists on Zoom and Facebook also have been launched and will focus on helping parents cope and provide tools and knowledge.
ITC staff are continuing to monitor the situation and respond immediately to the most critical needs. Your donation to the Annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Campaign helps support these life-saving activities.
