New United Hatzalah Midwives Unit delivers emergency birth
“It was a very moving experience to be able to be there for this woman in the critical moments," said United Hatzalah Midwives Unit volunteer Ruthie Printz.
By BEN BRESKYUpdated: JANUARY 28, 2019 15:23Allison Rosenbaum and Ruthie Printz of the United Hatzalah Midwives Unit with a newborn baby in Beit Shemesh, January 27, 2019(photo credit: UNITED HATZALAH)
United Hatzalah emergency first responders in Beit Shemesh delivered a baby in the wee hours of the morning Sunday. The United Hatzalah Midwives Division was introduced this summer and has proven to be effective especially in communities like Beit Shemesh which is not in close proximity to a hospital."It was a very good thing we were able to arrive so fast because by 5:00 a.m. the baby was born and the ambulance was still 20 minutes away," stated Elky Grossman, a United Hatzalah volunteer. The team received the call via a new Health Ministry phone app. Midwife Allison Rosenbaum who helped deliver the baby stated that often young couples are "reluctant to call an ambulance for a false alarm because they don’t want to be hit with a bill afterward." In her 16 years in Beit Shemesh, Rosenbaum has assisted in delivering over 100 babies.For volunteer Ruthie Printz it was her first time assisting in a home birth from beginning to end with United Hatzalah. “It was a very moving experience," she said. "To be able to be there for this woman in the critical moments that mattered most is something that gave me a great feeling. It’s a great way to start one’s week, even though I got to work today exhausted this morning.”Founded in 2006, United Hatzalah offers free emergency medical care with a team of over 4,000 volunteer paramedics and drivers.
