Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency services system, in partnership with the health Ministry, has established a dedicated mental health emergency response unit to improve care for mental health-related emergencies received through its hotline.
In the past year, Israel has experienced a sharp rise in mental health-related emergencies. Over the year, MDA reported about 45% rise in calls, increasing from 19,000 in 2024 to 27,623 in 2025. Many of these calls are linked to the continued strain of the war, including acute anxiety episodes, PTSD, and deterioration of preexisting mental health conditions.
Before the program launched, cases of mental health emergencies were handled by EMS dispatchers, regular medical teams and police. Now, calls to MDA’s hotline involving mental health crises are transferred to specially trained dispatchers for assessment.
When needed, the dispatcher sends a mental health crisis intervention unit, staffed by a specially trained paramedic and a mental health nurse who can consult with a psychiatrist. In severe cases, police are also alerted. The team works with regular MDA crews and sometimes with police to de-escalate the crisis, assess risk, and determine the appropriate care. People who do not require hospitalization are referred to mental health clinics or community services.
In one recent case, the unit responded to a call involving a man with schizophrenia who had threatened his parents with a knife and was refusing treatment. When MDA’s mental health team and police arrived, they found him outside his home, confused and agitated.
After assessing him, the MDA team determined that his condition was likely related to a medication issue and that he needed a psychiatric evaluation at a hospital. They spoke with him calmly, helped him feel safe and explained his options. He ultimately agreed to go to a psychiatric hospital voluntarily. The approach allowed him to receive care quickly, without force or sedation.
“Mental health emergencies are some of the most complex and emotionally charged situations our teams face,” said Dr. Raphael Strugo, deputy director-general of medicine and blood services at MDA. “ As the number of crises increases, MDA is committed to ensuring these individuals get the care they need. By embedding mental health professionals directly into our emergency response, we’re giving our teams the tools to provide the highest quality care, even in the most difficult moments.”
The new unit follows a successful pilot program that ran from August to December 2025, with two specialized mental health crisis intervention units operating in Holon and Tel Aviv.
The pilot showed measurable improvements, including a 3% to 5% drop in the use of forced sedation or restraint and fewer unnecessary transfers to psychiatric hospitals. Only 14% of cases involving the unit ended in hospital transfer, compared with 18% in similar areas without the unit and 27% nationwide.
The units were dispatched 1,162 times during the pilot and treated 721 people experiencing acute mental health crises.
MDA and the Health Ministry are assessing a gradual expansion of the program, with plans to make it available more broadly in the coming years. Possible next steps include additional staff training and greater public outreach about the services offered.