Student ambulance corps hosting College EMS Week events

By SU News Services
Inside SU

Syracuse University Ambulance (SUA), the primary emergency medical response organization for the University area, will be hosting College EMS Week activities through Nov. 12 to raise public awareness. The events are designed to educate the campus and community about the existence and availability of immediate medical response in the University area.

To launch the week, SUA is hosting a large-scale cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) awareness day with group trainings available on Monday, Nov. 7. Held in the Hall of Languages, these 45 minute sessions are free for the public. Participants will learn about the fundamental concepts of cardiac first aid. More than 150 students from across the campus are currently registered, but interested parties should contact SUA at 443-4566 for more information.

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 12:30 p.m. in the atrium of the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center, volunteers from SUA will stage a medical demonstration and simulation to catch the attention of students. In addition to the simulated medical emergency, members will be passing out information about when to call 911 and what to expect when a call is placed.

To round out the week, members of SUA will be offering blood pressure screenings to students, staff and faculty across the University throughout the week. In addition to the planned placements in high-traffic areas during the week, if any department or office would like to schedule a specific screening period, contact SUA for further information.

This week is in conjunction with National Collegiate EMS Week, a week modeled after the National EMS Week held in May and sponsored by Congress and the American College of Emergency Physicians. The collegiate week is sponsored by the National Collegiate EMS Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides a forum for communication among campus-based emergency services groups.

For more information about any of these events or about SUA as an organization, contact Mayeso Chithambo, special events supervisor, at 443-4566.

SUA is a SU Health Services-based student organization that responds to more than 1,500 medical emergencies each year. SUA operates two full-time ALS-equipped ambulances, a supervisor's fly car and an MCI trailer for multiple casualty incidents providing basic life support, transport and rapid cardiac defibrillation, as well as non-emergency transportation,. Additionally, SUA operates four medical vans for non-emergency transports. SUA was formed in 1973 by a group of students out of a need for emergency medical services on campus. Starting with only a few members and meager equipment, the Syracuse University Medical Crisis Unit was formed. The organization has evolved greatly over time, but remains a student-run organization. SUA provides emergency and non-emergency services 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the academic school year, and is funded by a portion of the student health fee.