Thanks to a new App, the hundreds of Hadassah Medical Center physicians and nurses who signed up to be members of Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) first responders' data bank, will now be alerted even before an MDA ambulance can reach the scene. This app, called “Lifesaving Faithful,” automatically calls up nearby medical staff and volunteers, who know how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and might only be minutes away from the patient who needs immediate aid. Included in this first responder cadre are non-medical staff who have passed a 20-hour course in first aid.

This new project was launched with a festive sign-up in the atrium of Hadassah’s Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower. Hadassah's Heart Institute, under the leadership of Prof. Chaim Lotem and Senior Cardiologist Dr. Amir Orlev, coordinated the activity. “A good friend of mine died from a heart attack when I was too far away to get to him," said Prof. Lotem. "In my professional life, I've come across many cases where a person might have been saved if the connection had been made with a nearby trained giver of first aid."

Among those who registered was Director General Prof. Zeev Rotstein, a cardiologist. “I am delighted to join this life-saving mission,” he said. “The cooperation between Hadassah and Magen David Adom is very extensive, treating the injured who get their first treatment from the dedicated and skilled paramedics in the field and continued by the excellent medical staff at Hadassah. Now we have the opportunity to deepen the cooperation by joining this data base which is the biggest of its kind in the country. The staff members of Hadassah are proud to save lives within Hadassah Hospital and outside of it."

Hadassah is the first hospital in Israel to take part in this new endeavor. MDA Chief Executive Officer Eli Bean notes, “I’d like to thank the hundreds of doctors and nurses of Hadassah who have joined this project. I’m sure their contribution to this project and to the task of saving lives will be great. “