Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreichs (ASBÖ, Austria)

On 8 November 1927 the Arbeiter-Samariterdienst, which was initially a committee of the „Arbeiterbund für Sport und Körperkultur“, was given its own statutes. The name Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund did not appear independently until in 1932. In 1934 the association has to suspend its activities again owing to the National Socialism. The Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreichs (ASBÖ) was officially newly founded in 1947.

Today, the Samaritan organization is one of the largest health and social organizations in Austria and the largest provider of rescue and ambulance services in the city of Vienna. The range of its activities has expanded greatly in recent years, particularly in the fields of health, nursing and social services. Today, the ASBÖ covers a wide range of services from medical care at major event, such as the Danube Island Festival, social services such as nursing care at homedomestic care, household and nursing care assistance at home, home nursing care or the help for the homeless and asylum seekers to disaster relief and own care competence centres.

About 1,600 full-time employees and about 5,600 voluntary helpers contribute to the successful work of the Austrian Samaritan organisation. The ASBÖ has more than 200,000 members and is represented in all federal states.