Penn Launching Bicycle-borne, Medically Equipped Student Emergency Response Team Thursday

on 05 April 2006.

Press Release

WHAT: MERT is a student-developed, student-operated emergency medical response team at the University of Pennsylvania that has been trained to respond to medical emergencies on campus.

The team members will be dispatched by the Division of Public Safety's PennComm Center and will respond via bicycles equipped with oxygen, defibrillators and other emergency medical supplies.

WHO: The team consists of about 60 Penn students who are state-certified emergency medical technicians, trained to evaluate and administer first-responder emergency medical care to victims of trauma or those suffering from medical conditions. MERT's headquarters will be in Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut St., Philadelphia.

Dr. Evelyn Wiener, director of Student Health Services at Penn, will serve as MERT medical director, and Penn's Public Safety division will oversee the operations.

Andrew Mener, a political science major in the School of Arts and Sciences, is MERT chief.

WHEN: A kick-off ceremony is scheduled for noon, Thursday, April 6, and the inaugural operating service of MERT is scheduled for this weekend, to coincide with Spring Fling.

WHERE: The ceremony will take place at the "Love" statue on College Green, 36th and Locust Walk. A small reception will follow immediately in the Terrace Room of Logan Hall.

WHY: MERT has been initiated to provide an additional layer of emergency medical response to enhance delivery of emergency care to the campus community. This team will not replace any of the current emergency medical service functions performed by either Penn Police or the Philadelphia Fire Department.