Frontline Emergency Medicine F.E.M

About the Project The words of Ben Gurion “All the country is a front…” have never echoed louder than today, in Israel, post October 7th. The first few minutes following injury are the most crucial ones. Performance of life saving procedures for victims of trauma on site, including controlling life-threatening bleeding and managing compromised airways, can make the difference between life and death. Following the atrocities of October 7th and the relentless missile attacks countless Israeli communities were forced to come to terms with their vulnerability and the potential necessity to provide lifesaving first aid, nationwide, to victims of high energy penetrating trauma. Frontline Emergency Medicine mobile unit (FEM) was created in response to this urgent need by Dr. Debra Gershov-West-the director of the Assuta Ashdod Emergency Department and leader in emergency medical education- with the support of the Australian Jewish medical community. FEM is the first mobile simulation unit run by specialists in emergency medicine and trauma, skilled and equipped to train first responders on site in life saving first aid, and mass casualty events. Emergency Medicine taught by the top-level emergency specialists To date, FEM has trained over 4,500 first response health care workers ranging from medics, paramedics, nurses and physicians. FEM reaches isolated border communities, nationwide from the southern Gaza Envelope to the northern border of Lebanon. The FEM project joined forces with the Health Research and Science in Israel (NGO) FEM has run training programs of multidisciplinary trauma teams in the hospitals on the Lebanese border in the heart of the conflict in the North, as well as tactical training for their affiliated medical school- Bar Ilan University to prepare our future generation of Israeli physicians. FEM 48 A new joint initiative by FEM and MAGEN 48 will expand the unit’s capacity to reach and empower all of Israel’s frontline communities with the security and medical readiness to save lives and build resilience in times of crisis. Via high fidelity workshops and simulations, FEM 48 will equip local responders with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to ensure their communities are protected and medically prepared to act in the first critical hour of an emergency. Beginning with 67 southern communities and expanding northward, FEM 48 aims to restore a sense of safety, capability, and independence across Israel’s most exposed regions. FEM 48 will deliver its training through a hybrid model - both on-site via our mobile units and in centralized, well-equipped mini-simulation centers - enabling cross-community learning at scale, starting with a southern hub and later expanding to northern and central facilities. Help us reach every Frontline Community We’ve already made an extraordinary start. With the support of generous partners, FEM has already raised 2 million shekels - primarily invested in lifesaving trauma-training equipment now operating across Israel’s frontlines. What’s Needed Now. To expand this proven impact into a national hybrid training network we are seeking support for: 1. Establishment costs- building simulation centers. Starting with a southern hub to service the communities in the Gaza Envelope, followed by northern and central centers.  $3–5 million USD per site. 2. Sustaining operations and expanding simulation capability. Annual readiness and new equipment aligned with service growth.  Supported through program sponsorships and equipment gifts. 3. Community Training Programs — One Community at a Time. Donors may choose to adopt a community and directly build local resilience.  $2,500–3,000 USD per community program. Every contribution helps ensure that those who protect us are fully prepared and protected themselves. We do not know what tomorrow will look like, but moving forward together in protecting the sanctity of life is the way of our nation. Am Yisrael Chai. Dr. Debra Gershov West, Founder and Director Dr. Caroline Ohayon, Project Manager.