UD EMS program wins national award for community engagement

ajc.com

Credit: University of Dayton

Credit: University of Dayton

The University of Dayton has announced that its Emergency Medical Services squad has received a national award from the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation.

The team won the Community Engagement Program of the Year award for its campus and community service, including working at first aid tents during 2019’s “Gem City Shine” event.

>>Gem City Shine: 'It was filled with love, it was filled with spirit'

UD EMS is a student-run volunteer organization that provides free, 24-hour pre-hospital care and ambulance transportation for medical and trauma emergencies on campus during the academic year. Members have to obtain national and local emergency medical technician certification, after which they work on duty at least 24 hours each month.

The 2019-2020 program included 63 undergraduate student volunteers from multiple different majors, though most were enrolled in premedicine or biology majors, according to UD.

UD EMS has won multiple other awards from NCEMSF, including Organization of the Year for 2019, 2003 and 1999, as well as five Outstanding Collegiate EMS Week awards, most recently won in 2019.

>>UD student EMS wins national award

According to program officers, UD EMS had been particularly working on improving awareness of its services by updating its website, establishing an off-shift campus service requirement and staging student program members at campus and community events.

“The University of Dayton's EMS program is a national leader in collegiate pre-hospital care,” said Police Capt. Joseph Cairo, who serves as the organization’s adviser. “This is illustrated by the steady stream of awards that we win, and the number of other colleges that reach out to us and ask us how we do what we do.”

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