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~ ALLINA ".1' MEDICAL .J...... TRANSPORTATION CONTACT: Chris Lindquist Pg. 612-589-7722/ Phone 612-775-9737 Allina HosPitals & Clinics FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE "EMS: When It Matters Most" During national Emergency Medical Services Week (May 18-24, )Allina Hospitals & Clinics salutes the EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers and support staff of Allina Medical Transportation along with allfirst responder agencies for providing compassionate and expert pre-hospital care when it matters most. St. Paul, MN (04/14/03) - The development of En1ergency Medical Service (EMS) has been based on tradition, and to some extent, on scientific knowledge. Its roots are deep in history, yet formalized EMS is relatively young. In the early 1500 B.C., the Good Samaritan bound the injured traveler's wounds with oil and wine at the side of the road. But it wasn't until the 1960's that model EMS programs where developed based on successes in Belfast, where hospital-based mobile coronary care unit mnbulances were being used to treat pre-hospital cardiac patients. EMS is a system of care for victin1s of sudden and serious illness or injury. Representing the intersection of public safety, public health and health care systems, EMS depends on the availability and coordination of many different elements ranging from an informed public capable of recognizing medical emergencies to a network of highly trained paramedics, EMTs, dispatchers and first responders capable of providing specialized care to the most seriously ill or injured. The 9-1-1 emergency number, search and rescue teams, and pre-hospital and emergency department personnel are critical elements necessary for the EMS system to work. A Historic Look Civilian ambulance service in the United States began in Cincinnati and New York City in 1865 and 1869, respectively. Hospital interns road in horse drawn carriages designed specifically for transporting the sick and injured. In the 1920's, volunteer rescue squads were organized across the country. In Minnesota, the history of Allina Medical Transportation n1irrored that of n1any early EMS organizations. In 1920, Martin Hense opened a livery stable on the current Allina Medical Transportation administration site in St. Paul. By the mid-1920's he had branched into taxis and chauffeuring, and by the late 1920's was offering ambulance service. Located at 167 Grand Avenue in St. Paul, near United Hospital, the office building is a historic site. In 1966, a National Acaden1Y of Sciences (NAS) report, Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society, docun1ented widespread deficiencies in emergency care. At the time, it was con1mon for emergency patients to be transported to the hospital in vehicles operated by mortuary services, and few hospitals had emergency rooms staffed by physicians. The NAS report, which revealed that the average American had a great chance of survival in the combat zones of North Korea or Vietnam than on the nation's highways, catalyzed the public support for the creation of the EMS system as we know it today. In the 37 years since, the efforts of EMS providers on all levels have helped n1akes our EMS systen1 the most advanced in the world. -more-