If, God forbid, you undergo an emergency medical crisis, you’d want emergency personnel to be able to contact your medical proxy or loved ones as soon as possible.  This will allow them to be by your side for support as well as to make time-sensitive healthcare decisions on your behalf.

Ematai Emergency Contact Cards:

Once you have completed your Netivot Advance Healthcare Directive, you can register through Ematai to upload your document to the United States Care Plan Registry.  This service is available even if you do not live in the USA.  Registration is a small one-time fee and gives your lifetime registry access from anywhere in the world.

• The USACPR will then mail you an Ematai emergency contact card which includes who to contact in case of emergency (which may or may not be your healthcare proxy).
• The Ematai/USACPR card also comes with stickers which you can place in your wallet or on your insurance cards.
• Your registration will allow the hospital to have 24/7/365 know some basic critical information, make contact with your loved ones, and have access to your legally-binding proxy form from anyone in the world.  
• The USACPR registry can also be accessed by your loved ones so they can have quick access to your advance healthcare directive, even if they aren’t near your home.

This is the best way to ensure that a hospital or emergency personnel will contact your proxy and follow your healthcare preferences and values.

HODS Card:

In the past, the Halachic Organ Donor Society provided its own wallet card which included your name, picture, and “Contact in case of an emergency” number.  You could also choose to express your preference on this card regarding organ donation. This is a great card and continues to be used by many Ematai members.

Please note:

* Unlike the Netivot advance directive and USACPR card, the HODS card is not a legal document. It’s a way to indicate to emergency personnel who to contact and to express to your family your preferences regarding organ donation.

* This card does not serve as a legal proxy designation (as opposed to the Netivot advance directive) and it is not a binding legal declaration regarding organ donation (as opposed to a formally signed advance health care directive).