United Hatzalah is deploying psychotrauma teams and therapy dogs to support trauma victims since Friday, following the Iranian missile strikes on Israel, the organization announced on Sunday.
The service is meant to “help the survivors and the families who were evacuated from their damaged homes,” it said.
According to its social media post, United Hatzalah’s psychotrauma teams include “clinical psychologists, trauma specialists, and community intervention experts.”
These experts are “providing immediate psychological support and coping tools” for “civilians and heroes in uniform alike” who are exhibiting the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, it added.
Its Psychotrauma Canine Unit will feature certified handlers and specially-trained dogs in order to help “reduce anxiety and create comfort, especially for children and teens in unfamiliar evacuation centers,” United Hatzalah continued.
“We believe emotional healing is just as critical as physical medical care. Our comprehensive response reaches every affected resident – [in either] body and/or soul,” it said.
Dogs provide a comforting embrace, allowing IDF personnel to forget the 'disturbing sights' of a missile impact
In a separate post, United Hatzalah introduced one of the therapy dogs, called Hope, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with Blenheim (chestnut and white) coloring.
During the video shared by the organization on social media, Hope was seen cuddled by an IDF officer, who said that “Hope’s comforting embrace” allowed him to forget the “disturbing sights” he saw at a missile impact site.
United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma Canine Unit was launched at the end of March. This specialized unit – the first and only of its kind in Israel – operates on an entirely voluntary basis around the clock, providing initial psychotrauma support at disaster scenes and emergencies through the use of emotional support dogs.
The unit’s mission is to provide immediate medical intervention during the critical window between the onset of an emergency and the arrival of traditional ambulance assistance and to deliver essential support to people who need it during their most difficult moments.
Judy Siegel-Itzkovich contributed to this report.