Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
To the Duke University Administrators, DUPD, DCEMS, Duke Life Flight, and all other stakeholders:
We are the alumni of Duke EMS, an organization that has been selflessly serving Duke’s campus since 1994. Duke EMS was taken out of service by Durham County EMS on August 30th, 2017. We strongly oppose this decision, and have organized this petition to urge the reinstatement of Duke EMS as an emergency medical response agency. We want to explain the benefits Duke EMS provides the Duke community and its student membership. We are also deeply concerned that the necessary steps have not yet been taken by the Duke administration to place our organization back into service.
It is important to stress that Duke EMS’s removal from operation was not due to the quality of service its members provide, but rather due to new requirements enforced by the Durham County EMS system. A requirement such as 24/7/365 operation makes sense for a county EMS agency, but the absence of Duke EMS during winter and summer breaks does not negatively impact patient care, as the campus population drops significantly during these periods. In fact, most collegiate EMS agencies nationwide do not provide 365 service, and some are able to exist without even being 24/7. Given this new requirement, Duke EMS is no longer compatible with county oversight and needs the support of Duke administration in transitioning to new means of oversight.
As alumni who served with Duke EMS since 1994, we are united in our strong opposition to the decision to take Duke EMS out of service. We are requesting that the university and other key stakeholders increase their cumulative efforts to reinstate our service. Not only is this situation robbing our members of relevant career experience, but it is doing the students, faculty, and staff within the Duke community a life-threatening disservice by denying the best possible emergency care that the university has to offer.
Duke EMS often arrives on scene well before Durham EMS and other providers due to its strategic location in the center of campus and detailed knowledge of campus locations. Those 5-10 extra minutes can have huge impacts on patient outcomes, as was the case when professor George Grody went into cardiac arrest just two years ago. Those extra minutes with reassuring, professional care are also immensely important for the emotional well-being of patients and bystanders in what is often the most frightening experience of their lives. That quick response to yourself, a friend, or a loved one would not be possible without Duke EMS’ strong presence on campus.
Duke EMS provides incredible experience that prepares members for their future lives and careers. We, the alumni of Duke EMS, are testaments to this fact. The lessons learned from being invited into the lives of patients for a brief moment in their times of greatest need were vital to our success in our future professions.
Duke EMS has prided itself on providing the highest quality of first-response emergency medical care for over 23 years. To deprive the Duke community, and future generations of Duke EMS members, of this service is intolerable. It is in no one’s best interest. We believe it is our duty as the alumni of Duke EMS to explain these facts and to maintain administrative focus on the reinstatement of the organization. We urge Duke administrators reading this petition to support, reach out to, and collaborate with current Duke EMS leadership. We request prompt, decisive action by Duke administration and Duke community stakeholders to bring about the resumption of Duke EMS’s service as a 911 emergency response organization.
Sincerely,
The Concerned Alumni of Duke EMS
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Updates
October 25, 2017
The momentum behind our request for reinstatement is undeniable and shows how much this service meant to all of us. Post this link on your Facebook feed today. Call the Duke administration office to demand they finally prioritize our transition to new oversight.
28 Comments
Duke EMS plays an important role in giving future doctors and healthcare professionals an opportunity to gain experience serving patients, so that they can make an informed decision in their career choice. It also enriches the Durham and Duke community by providing an added level of support to the Durham EMS. Duke EMS and Durham EMS are stronger together, building upon each other's strengths and giving space where each other is weaker. Duke EMS '03-'06 P'05, GS'06
DUEMS provides a vital and lifesaving service to the university, medical center, and surrounding area. Their partnership with DCEMS allows for significantly faster campus response times for basic life support/EMT level care, freeing up county resources when not medically necessary. For calls ultimately necessitating advanced care and transport, timely DUEMS interventions have been life saving. Denying this service to the Duke community is negligent. From a student organization perspective, DUEMS provides an incredible and unique opportunity to develop service oriented values that are vital to the impact Duke alumni make on the world. Brandon Jones DUEMS 2000-2004 P'04, MEMP'05
DUEMS fills a unique space within Durham County and has provided meaningful medical care to the Duke community including immediate, life saving interventions like CPR. To render DUEMS inactive not only stalls an important educational organization that has impacted the lives of many future physicians, but more importantly threatens the health of the Duke Community. I support a rapid solution to this administrative halt. Allison Khoo Duke Class of 2013, DUEMS alumni Baylor College of Medicine MD Class of 2018
Comprised of members who are particularly knowledgable about their campus geography and patient population, Duke EMS fills a specific niche within the Durham County public safety system that otherwise goes unfilled in the existing first-response framework. I encourage any speedy solution that returns Duke EMS to its full operational capacity. Jay Srinivasan, BS (T '14) DUEMS Director, 2013-2014
DUEMS, 1994-96. BSE 96. Neurosurgeon, Wellstar Medical Group Immediate Past President, Georgia Neurosurgical Society. As a physician, patient advocate, and a leader in a busy metropolitan hospital system (5th busiest ER in the US), I am all too aware of administrative red tape and regulations that negatively impact the lives of our patients. This, no doubt, is one of them. Please let common sense prevail and let DUEMS do their job!
Duke EMS has offered years of dedicated, passionate, professional care with an intricate connection and familiarity with the Duke community that cannot be replaced by the existing county structure. This decision was made by Durham County administrative action, not by the street-level DCEMS providers that benefit from our service on a daily basis. Duke EMS also provides students a critically important opportunity to interact with patients in a setting that can never be recreated in academics, and the existence of Duke EMS is a huge asset for Duke's mission to produce high-quality, service-oriented aspiring health care professionals. Thomas Bunning Trinity BS '15 DUEMS '12-'15, Training Officer '14-'15, NC EMT-Paramedic Duke University School of Medicine, Class of 2020 Orange County EMS, 2014-Present
Duke Rescue 1997-1999; DUEMS 1999-2001 Training Officer 1998-2001 BS Trinity '01 I was fortunate enough to be in the second generation of members and officers of this organization, and can say without a doubt that both during and after my time at Duke it has been a strong force in my life. We saved lives *every single year*, lives that in at least one case would have been lost had help arrived even a few minutes later. Why settle for basic, statutorily acceptable emergency response when for 23 years members of your own community have been consistently stepping forward to provide that extra layer of security and saftey? These students, like all those that came before them, are showing a dedication to their community and developing a sense of service through action that will last their entire professional lives. My career has taken me in the direction of data analysis rather than direct patient care. My time spent taking care of my fellow students, the faculty, and staff in dorm rooms, classrooms, research facilities, gyms, libraries, on the sidewalk, in the gardens, in Cameron, in Wade, in the Bryan Center, along nearly every road in the campus network, and in one of my most memorable experiences during the Hallelujah Chorus in the Chapel's annual Messiah singalong, stays with me every day and is part of the driving force that I use to inspire my own research as I continue to insist that my professional life have a constant element of social impact, and an aspect of assisting those who are not in a position to assist themselves. I learned to think, act, and feel like that while a member and officer of DUEMS. The campus deserves the best protection they can be afforded. The students, current and future, who will provide that service deserve the opportunity to learn and grow. Finally, the university deserves to be known as the institution it is - one that champions not only the highest levels of knowledge, but also one that teaches that only whe
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
To the Duke University Administrators, DUPD, DCEMS, Duke Life Flight, and all other stakeholders:
We are the alumni of Duke EMS, an organization that has been selflessly serving Duke’s campus since 1994. Duke EMS was taken out of service by Durham County EMS on August 30th, 2017. We strongly oppose this decision, and have organized this petition to urge the reinstatement of Duke EMS as an emergency medical response agency. We want to explain the benefits Duke EMS provides the Duke community and its student membership. We are also deeply concerned that the necessary steps have not yet been taken by the Duke administration to place our organization back into service.
It is important to stress that Duke EMS’s removal from operation was not due to the quality of service its members provide, but rather due to new requirements enforced by the Durham County EMS system. A requirement such as 24/7/365 operation makes sense for a county EMS agency, but the absence of Duke EMS during winter and summer breaks does not negatively impact patient care, as the campus population drops significantly during these periods. In fact, most collegiate EMS agencies nationwide do not provide 365 service, and some are able to exist without even being 24/7. Given this new requirement, Duke EMS is no longer compatible with county oversight and needs the support of Duke administration in transitioning to new means of oversight.
As alumni who served with Duke EMS since 1994, we are united in our strong opposition to the decision to take Duke EMS out of service. We are requesting that the university and other key stakeholders increase their cumulative efforts to reinstate our service. Not only is this situation robbing our members of relevant career experience, but it is doing the students, faculty, and staff within the Duke community a life-threatening disservice by denying the best possible emergency care that the university has to offer.
Duke EMS often arrives on scene well before Durham EMS and other providers due to its strategic location in the center of campus and detailed knowledge of campus locations. Those 5-10 extra minutes can have huge impacts on patient outcomes, as was the case when professor George Grody went into cardiac arrest just two years ago. Those extra minutes with reassuring, professional care are also immensely important for the emotional well-being of patients and bystanders in what is often the most frightening experience of their lives. That quick response to yourself, a friend, or a loved one would not be possible without Duke EMS’ strong presence on campus.
Duke EMS provides incredible experience that prepares members for their future lives and careers. We, the alumni of Duke EMS, are testaments to this fact. The lessons learned from being invited into the lives of patients for a brief moment in their times of greatest need were vital to our success in our future professions.
Duke EMS has prided itself on providing the highest quality of first-response emergency medical care for over 23 years. To deprive the Duke community, and future generations of Duke EMS members, of this service is intolerable. It is in no one’s best interest. We believe it is our duty as the alumni of Duke EMS to explain these facts and to maintain administrative focus on the reinstatement of the organization. We urge Duke administrators reading this petition to support, reach out to, and collaborate with current Duke EMS leadership. We request prompt, decisive action by Duke administration and Duke community stakeholders to bring about the resumption of Duke EMS’s service as a 911 emergency response organization.
Sincerely,
The Concerned Alumni of Duke EMS
Updates
October 25, 2017
The momentum behind our request for reinstatement is undeniable and shows how much this service meant to all of us. Post this link on your Facebook feed today. Call the Duke administration office to demand they finally prioritize our transition to new oversight.
28 Comments
Duke University EMS provides an invaluable service to the Duke community. When a medical emergency occurs on campus, EMTs from DUEMS consistently arrive well in advance of Durham County EMS and provide essential emergency medical care. In the case of a critical injury or illness, this prompt response can be truly life-saving. Duke EMS also has a positive impact on its members by training future clinical leaders and encouraging community service. The cessation of Duke EMS's operations is detrimental to the health and safety of the Duke community and deprives students of a truly unique opportunity for learning and personal growth. Duke EMS should be reinstated as soon as possible. Respectfully, Ben Applebome Trinity 2009 DUEMS 2005-2009
Duke EMS plays an important role in giving future doctors and healthcare professionals an opportunity to gain experience serving patients, so that they can make an informed decision in their career choice. It also enriches the Durham and Duke community by providing an added level of support to the Durham EMS. Duke EMS and Durham EMS are stronger together, building upon each other's strengths and giving space where each other is weaker. Duke EMS '03-'06 P'05, GS'06
DUEMS provides a vital and lifesaving service to the university, medical center, and surrounding area. Their partnership with DCEMS allows for significantly faster campus response times for basic life support/EMT level care, freeing up county resources when not medically necessary. For calls ultimately necessitating advanced care and transport, timely DUEMS interventions have been life saving. Denying this service to the Duke community is negligent. From a student organization perspective, DUEMS provides an incredible and unique opportunity to develop service oriented values that are vital to the impact Duke alumni make on the world. Brandon Jones DUEMS 2000-2004 P'04, MEMP'05
DUEMS fills a unique space within Durham County and has provided meaningful medical care to the Duke community including immediate, life saving interventions like CPR. To render DUEMS inactive not only stalls an important educational organization that has impacted the lives of many future physicians, but more importantly threatens the health of the Duke Community. I support a rapid solution to this administrative halt. Allison Khoo Duke Class of 2013, DUEMS alumni Baylor College of Medicine MD Class of 2018
Comprised of members who are particularly knowledgable about their campus geography and patient population, Duke EMS fills a specific niche within the Durham County public safety system that otherwise goes unfilled in the existing first-response framework. I encourage any speedy solution that returns Duke EMS to its full operational capacity. Jay Srinivasan, BS (T '14) DUEMS Director, 2013-2014
DUEMS, 1994-96. BSE 96. Neurosurgeon, Wellstar Medical Group Immediate Past President, Georgia Neurosurgical Society. As a physician, patient advocate, and a leader in a busy metropolitan hospital system (5th busiest ER in the US), I am all too aware of administrative red tape and regulations that negatively impact the lives of our patients. This, no doubt, is one of them. Please let common sense prevail and let DUEMS do their job!
Duke EMS has offered years of dedicated, passionate, professional care with an intricate connection and familiarity with the Duke community that cannot be replaced by the existing county structure. This decision was made by Durham County administrative action, not by the street-level DCEMS providers that benefit from our service on a daily basis. Duke EMS also provides students a critically important opportunity to interact with patients in a setting that can never be recreated in academics, and the existence of Duke EMS is a huge asset for Duke's mission to produce high-quality, service-oriented aspiring health care professionals. Thomas Bunning Trinity BS '15 DUEMS '12-'15, Training Officer '14-'15, NC EMT-Paramedic Duke University School of Medicine, Class of 2020 Orange County EMS, 2014-Present
Duke Rescue 1997-1999; DUEMS 1999-2001 Training Officer 1998-2001 BS Trinity '01 I was fortunate enough to be in the second generation of members and officers of this organization, and can say without a doubt that both during and after my time at Duke it has been a strong force in my life. We saved lives *every single year*, lives that in at least one case would have been lost had help arrived even a few minutes later. Why settle for basic, statutorily acceptable emergency response when for 23 years members of your own community have been consistently stepping forward to provide that extra layer of security and saftey? These students, like all those that came before them, are showing a dedication to their community and developing a sense of service through action that will last their entire professional lives. My career has taken me in the direction of data analysis rather than direct patient care. My time spent taking care of my fellow students, the faculty, and staff in dorm rooms, classrooms, research facilities, gyms, libraries, on the sidewalk, in the gardens, in Cameron, in Wade, in the Bryan Center, along nearly every road in the campus network, and in one of my most memorable experiences during the Hallelujah Chorus in the Chapel's annual Messiah singalong, stays with me every day and is part of the driving force that I use to inspire my own research as I continue to insist that my professional life have a constant element of social impact, and an aspect of assisting those who are not in a position to assist themselves. I learned to think, act, and feel like that while a member and officer of DUEMS. The campus deserves the best protection they can be afforded. The students, current and future, who will provide that service deserve the opportunity to learn and grow. Finally, the university deserves to be known as the institution it is - one that champions not only the highest levels of knowledge, but also one that teaches that only whe
More like this
Reinstate the "Duplin Three"
Petition for a New Full-Time Clinical Director of Adult Sickle Cell Services at…
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Duke University EMS provides an invaluable service to the Duke community. When a medical emergency occurs on campus, EMTs from DUEMS consistently arrive well in advance of Durham County EMS and provide essential emergency medical care. In the case of a critical injury or illness, this prompt response can be truly life-saving. Duke EMS also has a positive impact on its members by training future clinical leaders and encouraging community service. The cessation of Duke EMS's operations is detrimental to the health and safety of the Duke community and deprives students of a truly unique opportunity for learning and personal growth. Duke EMS should be reinstated as soon as possible. Respectfully, Ben Applebome Trinity 2009 DUEMS 2005-2009