Calling Hatzalah (Spinoff from "Trust your gut")

amother

Plum

Thu, May 10 2018, 1:44 pm

amother wrote:

Good to trust your gut, but when it's a non-emergency on Shabbos, call a regular ambulance, not hatzola.

I have had to call Hatzalah on Shabbos numerous times, unfortunately, as well as not on Shabbos. I just want to say from personal experience that nobody should ever be made to feel they called Hatzalah unnecessarily, Shabbos or not.

Here are some of my past personal experiences (which is why I'm posting anonymously). These are true stories – they all happened to my family:

Story One
Let me start by saying Hatzalah saved my son's life and I am eternally grateful. But after that first incident, they made me feel bad for calling on Shabbos again. My son was sick as a baby with an extremely life threatening illness. For some reason, the people in my small community decided I was making something out of nothing and there was nothing wrong with my baby because he "looked just fine" to them. They clearly felt that looking at a sleeping infant was enough for them to diagnose him better than the top specialists who were handling his care. They could not see the toxic levels of acid building up in his blood, nor were they there for his seizures except the times he stopped breathing during his seizures, when I had to call Hatzalah.

The first time I called them on Shabbos they saw him not breathing and were great – they saved his life. But after that they made me feel bad every time. As they were driving to the hospital, the driver would say to me, "You know, every time I press my foot to the gas I'm breaking Shabbos – I have to trust you that this is a real emergency, otherwise I'm breaking Shabbos for nothing." Some people had suggested to me that because of my "scare" the time he wasn't breathing, I had become hysterical and panicked over every little thing.

Didn't they see the wires on my son attached to a monitor to tell me when he stopped breathing? You can't buy that in a pharmacy – they gave it to me in the hospital! My son had a piece of skin cut off his arm for a fibroblast. Did I order that test? One person even said to me, "Maybe if you stopped looking for trouble and running to specialists, you would see he's just fine." By the way, I never looked for specialists. After he stopped breathing the first time, they kept him in Schneider's Children's Hospital for two weeks trying to diagnose him. The hospital brought in the specialist from another hospital to diagnose him, and that specialist told diagnosed my son and had me continue to see him. It was a rare disease that only two doctors specialized in, and this doctor was one of them.

My son was in treatment for three year. After a bracha from the Skulener Rebbe, shlita, the disease disappeared B"H. He is healthy now KA"H. The specialist explained that sometimes the liver is slow to mature this enzyme, but sometimes it kicks in, as happened with my son B"H. But I still feel the sting of the people, Hatzalah included, who made me feel like a hysterical mother. Having a sick baby is hard enough, give a woman a break.

Story Two
This was when we were living in Monsey. My 13-year-old daughter was coughing this strange cough and then wasn't able to breathe after each cough. She was literally unable to breathe and starting to pass out. I called Hatzalah and the guy who came told me he thinks my daughter is just looking for attention. I told him my daughter actually hates too much attention but loves breathing, she needs help. He tested her oxygen saturation levels and they were normal, so he said there was nothing wrong with her and did not want to transport her to the ER. I took her in and it turned out she had Whooping Cough! Her life had very much been in danger, and he blew it.

Story Three
I had an asthma attack one night and couldn't breathe. I was hyperventilating (later, my pulmonologist explained that when the lungs hyper-inflate they can only breathe a small quantity, so you tend to breathe fast to compensate). The SAME HATZALAH GUY who ignored my daughter's Whooping Cough came. Just like with my daughter, he tested my oxygen saturation level and said that since it was normal said I'm not having an asthma attack – I'm having a panic attack and need to relax. He did not take me to the ER!

The next morning I went to my pulmonologist and he was FURIOUS. I was having a very bad asthma attack and I could have died without treatment. The doctor told me that with asthma, things can go from not so bad to death within minutes, and you cannot predict which patients, so you must take them all to the ER. I told him that the Hatzalah guy told me that even if it were asthma there's no need to go to the ER because the ER will just give me the same nebulizer treatment I can do at home. The doctor became even more upset and told me that in the ER they have oxygen, they have life support. He said an ambulance medic is not qualified with his limited training to make any medical decisions based on normal O2 Sat readings – the body fights to keep the oxygen levels in the normal range almost until the point of death. That's for a doctor to decide.

At my pulmonologist's insistence, I called Hatzalah and complained about this medic. I HOPE AND PRAY he no longer tells women and girls they are looking for attention or having panic attacks when they legitimately are sick. But who knows, maybe the Hatzalah headquarters guy doesn't take women seriously either, and dismissed my complaint?

It's so true that women and girls are taken less seriously. Never doubt a woman who calls Hatzalah – better safe than sorry!

amother

Seafoam

Thu, May 10 2018, 1:49 pm

Are you suggesting we call 911 instead of hatzola?

amother

Plum

Thu, May 10 2018, 1:50 pm

amother wrote:

Are you suggesting we call 911 instead of hatzola?

No, I was replying to somebody else who suggested that. Hatzalah is always better than 911, hands down.

amother

Plum

Thu, May 10 2018, 1:51 pm

amother wrote:

Are you suggesting we call 911 instead of hatzola?

I wrote:

"nobody should ever be made to feel they called Hatzalah unnecessarily"

daagahminayin

Thu, May 10 2018, 1:58 pm

I’m so sorry for your ordeals! I don’t live in a Jewish community that has Hatzalah so perhaps I’m missing something, but if your branch is so incompetent why wouldn’t you call for a regular ambulance?

amother

Plum

Thu, May 10 2018, 2:03 pm

daagahminayin wrote:

Making me feel bad for calling wasn't incompetence. I called both 911 and Hatzalah when my son stopped breathing. Hatzalah was there in 30 seconds. 911 came 10 minutes later with NYPD who investigated my sons crib to see if I had left choking hazards that might have caused hi to stop breathing.

I want to be clear. I was NOT INTENDING to disparage Hatzalah! Hatzalah is the best, no question. They have the fastest response time in the nation!

My intention was to express that whenever a person calls, they should be taken seriously.

das

Thu, May 10 2018, 2:05 pm

I'm sorry for all your negative experiences. Because Hatzalah is free, some people abuse the system. In some cases, people can easily drive themselves or their loved one to an ER or urgent care center and call Hatzalah instead so I don't blame them if they have some frustration. That said. I've called Hatzalah several times and each time was treated with utmost respect and kindness even when it turned out no paramedics were actually needed.

amother

Amethyst

Thu, May 10 2018, 2:10 pm

amother wrote:

No, I was replying to somebody else who suggested that. Hatzalah is always better than 911, hands down.

very odd conclusion based on your experiences.

amother

Plum

Thu, May 10 2018, 2:21 pm

amother wrote:

very odd conclusion based on your experiences.

How is it odd that I prefer Hatzalah to 911? I already told you that 911 took longer to arrive and treated me like a criminal. Hatzalah came quickly and did the job, but later made me feel like I was calling unnecessarily.

My point about the ONE bad Hatzalah medic (who I did report) was that he refused to take us seriously, saying it was all emotional. The whole point of my post was that everyone, including Hatzalah, should take those who call Hatzalah seriously.

Gosh, now I remember why it's been so many years since I came to imamother. It's always, turn everything around on you.

I will not be replying again. I just want to repeat it for the millionth time: my point is to take every call seriously. Never make a person feel bad for calling. Better safe than sorry.

Signing off. Sayanara. Go bash each other, not me.

amother

Aubergine

Thu, May 10 2018, 2:26 pm

I am a total supporter of Hatzalah. It is an amazing organization, but there are some responders that have poor training or poor decision making skills.

I once ate something I am allergic to and went into anaphylaxis. (My throat was swelling shut.) Two hatzalah members showed up and one checked my breathing. He didnt hear wheezing so he wanted to leave. But my voice had change, as my voicebox was swelling; the other emt wanted to give Epipen. They got in a fight: one said no, one said yes. In the meantime, I stopped breathing completely. At that point #1 realized he'd been an idiot and they saved my life... but almost a bit late. I was purple with a 40% sat rate (oxygen.) I almost died. And life-saving meds were delayed because one member didn't believe me.

On the upside: I met the good hatzalah member a few months later and he said Hatzalah had a whole training because of me, that they should believe people who say they are having allergic reactions and that there can be delayed reactions, like mine was.

amother

Aubergine

Thu, May 10 2018, 2:29 pm

amother wrote:

Gosh, now I remember why it's been so many years since I came to imamother. It's always, turn everything around on you.

yups.

amother

Mint

Thu, May 10 2018, 2:34 pm

Many people Call hatzola when they can just as well transfer themselves to the ER. I once called & my baby had to be taken to the ER, they told me to rather drive in so I should have a way home as she wasn't in a life threatening situation.
Also many many people abuse the system & there's a shortage of medics in Monsey.
I think I know which medic OP is talking about that didn't take her seriously, he came to us as well already, he's not the typical hatzola member most are very nice & kind.
But they do have to be extra careful shabbos.

cookies6

Thu, May 10 2018, 3:19 pm

das wrote:

As a wife of a Hatzolah member, I take offense at OPs post. I have to say that your experience truly sounds like an exception to the rule. In my community the Hatzolah members do not treat people this way.

However, please bear in mind, like the above quoted amother says, there are always those that take advantage. A woman in labor, without any previous history of labor progressing at an unusually fast pace, does not need to call Hatzolah on Shabbos. She can call a cab to take her. And yet, there are women who DO call Hatzolah on shabbos, causing unnecessary chillul shabbos.

octopus

Thu, May 10 2018, 3:26 pm

I agree. No one should be made to feel bad for calling hatzalah. I had to call hatzala twice on shabbos and the hatzalah ppl never ever made me feel bad.

amother

Mint

Thu, May 10 2018, 3:34 pm

It's only this one member she's talking about....
people also have to use seichel when to call hatzola... my dad once had to climb 6 flights of stairs just to put a bandaid on a child's forehead! I'm not kidding! If your child has a strange rash, there's nothing hatzola can do, take them to the doctor! But there will always be people taking advantage & abusing he system.

amother

Blush

Thu, May 10 2018, 3:49 pm

Ohhhhhh YES some people absolutely should feel bad for callig hatzalah. Oh yes they SHOULD.

I am talking about the idiotic mothers who call for hatzalah to remove a TICK (im not making this up. multiple times, different people), to look at a weird looking bump, rash etc. The ones who call, on shabbos, because she is in labor-JUST started, NO history of rapid labor, but its time to go to the hospital and why call a cab if you can call hatzalah? People have called to remove splinters! I don't CARE how deep the splinter went, I dont CARE if its embedded at a weird angle, this is not an emergency!!
Hatzalah is not a taxi service, nor are they doctors on wheels. If its not an emergency, go to the ER or doctors office by yourself. Do not interrupt our amazing Hatzalah volunteers' workdays (yes! They leave work to run to you! What do you think, theyre tanning at the beach??)or their shabbos tables for stupid situations like I mentioned above.

octopus

Thu, May 10 2018, 3:55 pm

amother wrote:

I think you are wrong. Because then there are ppl like me who are afraid to call because what if it is not an emergency enough (in my case I called because of loss of consciousness both times; two different times two different family members). And if you are a wife of a hatzalah person, you should not even be writing examples because that is still a violation of hipaa and the jewish world is very small. Someone once told me an hatzalah story they heard from their husband, a very unusual one, of course with no names, and I told them, "excuse me, that was my kid." And it was.

Moonlight

Thu, May 10 2018, 4:02 pm

I've called Hatzalah on shabbos and never felt bad.
If I deem it emergency enough for me to be michallel shabbos and use phone, it's emergency

amother

Mint

Thu, May 10 2018, 4:05 pm

Octopus, from a wife or child of hatzola members point of view amother blush is not wrong! We've had our shabbos/dinner/family time ruined too many times to count because someone has a toothache, or a cut that's not bleeding, a tick or a weird rash. That's why I said you need to use seichel when to call. What is hatzola supposed to do for a toothache?? Obviously if someone losses consciousness don't think twice! On the other hand, if someone has a cut or you think your child is acting weird, go the the doctor, don't take the member away from their families.

octopus

Thu, May 10 2018, 4:12 pm

amother wrote:

Octopus, from a wife's or child's point of view amother blush is not wrong! We've had our shabbos/dinner/family time ruined too many times to count because someone has a toothache, or a cut that's not bleeding, a tick or a weird rash. That's why I said you need to use seichel when to call. What is hatzola supposed to do for a toothache?? Obviously if someone losses consciousness don't think twice! On the other hand, if someone has a cut or you think your child is acting weird, go the the doctor, don't take the member away from their families.

Look, I understand. I'm always second guessing myself, and really that post wasn't directed at ppl like me. But it just adds to my anxiety about calling a dr emergency line or either call hatzalah. And for all the ppl that abuse the system, there are always ppl like me who are scared to call! So I'm not sure putting out a message like that is a good thing. I don't know. And sometimes a rash that progressively gets worse can be dangerous (I'm thinking an allergic reaction) so it's not so clear cut and may be in need for emergency services.