UREMS wins national award for excellence

University of Richmond’s Emergency Medical Services (UREMS) received the EMS Organization of the Year award at the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation conference in Philadelphia.

UREMS is a student-run organization of dedicated first responders who offer assistance in the event of a medical emergency on campus. Members respond to 911 calls in teams of two alongside the University of Richmond Police Department (URPD) 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the academic year.

“Receiving this award means so much because it shows that our organization's hard work and dedication has inspired so many members in our community,” said Stephanie Ha, a UR junior and president of UREMS.

“UREMS is more to me than just another extracurricular activity to be involved in,” Ha added. “The most rewarding part of being involved in such a close group of individuals is knowing that the support of all of my teammates extends beyond the field of EMS.”

All UREMS responders are certified Emergency Medical Technicians in Virginia. The team has run 150 calls to date during the 2015-16 academic school year. Twenty UR students are trained as first responders on campus. Five of these students are cleared as UREMS 1s, who operate the vehicle and act as the primary provider on calls. 

UREMS is a subsidiary of the Richmond Ambulance Authority, where members receive additional training before being cleared to respond on campus. UREMS is dispatched by both URPD and the Richmond Ambulance Authority.

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