JUNE 24 • 2021 | 17

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JN, “I’m so happy we took this 
on. I would do it all over again. 
It’s been tenfold what we origi-
nally envisioned when we first 
started.
“We envisioned a partner-
ship that would help to serve 
our citizens better. There’s a 
lot of diversity in Southfield, 
and we get to learn a lot about 
the Jewish community from 
Hatzalah. It’s helped us up our 
game in the department.
“What’s more is that Hatzalah 
has embraced us,
” he added. 
“It’s like a family, and I love 
that aspect. I love what we’ve 
accomplished so far and look 
forward to the future. It’s been a 
win-win.
”
Other key people on the 
Hatzalah team include Dave 
Mills, who leads quality assur-
ance and quality improvement 
for the organization and serves 
as an instructor. “He makes sure 
our licensure and continuing 
education credits are up to date 
and a lot more than that,
” Soloff 
said. “He has a great grasp 
of what it takes to make sure 
Hatzalah is running smoothly 
and is constantly helping us get 
better.
” 
Asher Sigler, who has exten-
sive experience as an EMT, 
serves as Hatzalah’s captain or 
management level responder. 
“He’s been involved from the 
get-go and has helped guide us 
since the beginning,
” said Soloff, 
who also singles out fellow exec-
utive board member Mickey 
Eizelman for the wealth of man-
agement and leadership expe-
rience he brings to the board. 
“He’s a stalwart force behind 
everything we do at Hatzalah.
”
Soloff added that “Hatzalah 
would not be complete with-
out our medical 
director, Dr. Steve 
McGraw.
” McGraw 
is also the medical 
director for the 
Oakland County 
Medical Control 
Authority, as well 

as runs the emergency room at 
Ascension Providence Hospital 
in Southfield. “He’s truly an 
angel, a remarkable human 
being,
” Soloff said. 
Dr. McGraw deflected the 
praise sent his way. “These vol-
unteers are remarkable. They’ve 
made me, in many ways, a bet-
ter doctor and, I hope, a better 
person,
” he said. “
All I do is 
provide a signature each spring 
and some Sunday-night medical 
conferences. I’m humbled by 
the fact that they get up in the 
middle of the night to help their 
fellow man without being paid. 
This is essentially a spiritual 
calling to help someone in need. 
And I don’t know if you can 
figure out anything better than 
that.
”

BOOTS ON THE GROUND
So how does Hatzalah work? 
According to executive 
board member Rabbi Bentzy 
Schechter, Hatzalah volunteers 
are available day or night, wher-
ever they might be, at work, 
home or in the community. 
They live and work throughout 
the communities they serve, so 
there is always someone nearby 
when a call comes in.
When a call does come in to 
Hatzalah, a volunteer dispatcher 
will put out a radio call to vol-
unteers. Whoever is closest and 
available will drop what they are 
doing and respond. Hatzalah 
services about two square miles 
and has responders in several 
“zones” to allow for the quickest 
response time.
The dispatcher sends the 
call’s address and details to the 
responder who is equipped with 
a medical bag of supplies in the 
trunk of their car. This “jump 
bag” trauma kit includes all the 
supplies needed to save lives, 
including an oxygen kit and an 
AED defibrillator.
The volunteer arrives on 
the scene in less than two 
minutes. Meanwhile as per 
the agreement with Oak Park 

and Southfield, the dispatcher 
calls 911 immediately. While 
Hatzalah volunteers can handle 
nearly any medical emergency, 
they cannot transport people to 
the hospital — although they 
will meet them there to provide 
support and comfort.
Volunteers respond to anyone 
in the community — Jewish 
or not. Orthodox communi-
ty members more often turn 
to Hatzalah rather than 911 
because they find a comfort 
level in dealing with people 
they know, rather than strang-

“THESE VOLUNTEERS ARE 
REMARKABLE. THEY’VE MADE ME, 
IN MANY WAYS, A BETTER DOCTOR 

AND, I HOPE, A BETTER PERSON.”

— DR. STEVE MCGRAW

Dr. Steve 
McGraw

TOP: Moshe Davis of 
Southfield carries a Lucas 
chest compressor with help 
from Captain Asher Sigler 
of Oak Park. Sigler talks 
with adviser Dr. Howard 
Klausner of Southfield 
about medical procedures. 

