Stress, illustrative (credit: PIXNIO)
Some 4,000 requests for emotional help have been received in recent days by the Health Ministry’s resilience centers in the south that provide telephone and Zoom support. This is almost three times the number of referrals received in other stressful situations that occurred this year. In addition, about 5,500 inquiries came to the ERAN (Emotional First Aid – 1201) hotline.
Due to the security situation and the danger on the roads, the physical access to the resilience centers has almost halted, but in addition to those who do arrive, the center’ teams have gone into the field and visited the homes of about 150 residents who needed help.
Health Ministry increased budget of resilience centers in the south
In addition, due to the security situation, the ministry said it increased the budget of the resilience centers in the south by NIS 8.8 million and the budget of organizations the provide emotional support by NIS 3 million. The ministry said it would increase this allocation as required.
However, as previously reported in The Jerusalem Post, ERAN said Monday that the ministry has cut ERAN’s 2023 budget from NIS 1.7 million to NIA 1.6 million and is using the NIS 100,000 deducted from ERAN’s budget to allocate to 10 small haredi (ultra-Orthodox) groups that claim to provide emotional help.
Unlike sectorial groups, ERAN listens to and advises anyone in Israel who calls for help. ERAN said it now lacks the funds to train and supervise psychologists, social workers, and others who volunteer for it.
Asked to comment, a ministry representative said: “We don’t support nonprofit organizations but rather activities that provide psychological first aid. The amount of support provided by the ministry to the subject, minus the COVID-19 supplements, remains unchanged.
“Over the years, additional associations dealing in the field have been added, and the total amount is divided among them according tot he established standards for this purpose.”
The ministry did not provide the names of other organizations or other details when asked.
Bela Ben-Gershon, the ministry’s official in charge of assessments for emergency situations and emotional trauma, said on Wednesday that “primary intervention is extremely important because it often prevents the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms. The resilience centers, which provide a response simultaneously as ERAN’s help lines, assist in providing an initial mental response and available to anyone who wants it. We call on everyone who may also need the health funds’ resilience centers to get continued treatment.”
Source link
