Whether they’re being rolled in on a stretcher or casually walking in to do some volunteering, Wesleyan students frequent the Middlesex Hospital Emergency Room often.
Located three blocks from campus, the ER has become a regular part of Wesleyan life, an alternative to the Davison Health Center when higher levels of treatment are required. During the first week of Feb., three students and one staff member went in. Depending on the severity of the case, students are either brought to Middlesex Hospital by Public Safety or by ambulances.
All 911 calls made on campus are transferred to Public Safety.
“We’re usually the first ones at the accident site,” said Public Safety Director Maryann Wiggin. “We always err on the side of safety: our primary goal is the physical and mental stability of students and other people we serve,” Wiggin said. After evaluating the situation, Public Safety officers sometimes decide to involve fire trucks and/or ambulances.
“The benefit of Public Safety coming is that we know the area [the call has come from],” Wiggin said. “If an emergency happens in a dorm or something, we have the keys to get in.”
Public Safety officers also help to manage the crowd at the accident.
“Half the time there are too many people on-site,” Wiggin said.
According to Wiggin, to make sure that Public Safety responds to all emergencies on campus, officers listen to the police and fire departments’ communications by tuning in to their radio frequencies. This informs Public Safety of any emergency calls from off-campus telephones, such as cell phones.
“Even if the call didn’t come to us, but we hear it on the radio, we’re going to go to the site anyway,” she said.
All Public Safety officers are also trained in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and some are emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
“Wesleyan is very lucky that Middlesex Hospital is three blocks away, and that the Fire Department and Hunter’s [Ambulance Service] are also nearby,” Wiggin said.
Middlesex Hospital, which is non-profit, lists 26 doctors as emergency medicine specialists on its website. It serves the Greater Middlesex County region.
“We are not overwhelmed by cases from Wesleyan,” said Peggy Arico, a Public Relations officer at the hospital. “Nor are we diverted from more serious cases because of Wesleyan students.”
The hospital could not provide information on what kinds of medical emergencies it handles, nor the number of cases it handles each week. Public Safety does issue a weekly awareness report that lists emergency cases.
According to an article in Feb. 3 edition of The Middletown Press, the hospital last March cut the number of paramedic teams to three from five because of a reduction in federal funding for the paramedic program.
“One 16-hour position in the Middletown area was cut. But it didn’t significantly reduce capability,” Arico said, adding that Hunter’s Ambulance Service also provides support.
Volunteers from the University have helped to fill this gap.
“We had an internship program with 9-10 Wesleyan students, which wrapped up this past year,” Arico said. “They were working on projects concerning patient satisfaction, or website development.”
Other volunteer positions include working in the Emergency Room.
“They work the whole gamut, directing patients who come, for example,” Arico said. “We cherish our volunteer staff and look forward to continuing our relation with Wesleyan students.”
Volunteers in the ER do any number of activities, ranging from transporting patients between floors to talking to them as they wait.
“What’s rewarding is that I get to chat with the patients and serve them juice or coffee, offer them a paper to pass their time,” said Gary Wu ’05.
Wu started volunteering last Friday at the hospital’s outpatient infusion center, where patients who need vitamins, medicine, or preparation for cancer treatment are given intravenous drips.
Besides making patients feel comfortable, he also signs them in and runs errands that free up nurses for specialized, medical tasks.
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