Yale EMS

Mission

Yale Emergency Medical Services is both a registered Yale undergraduate organization and a state-licensed EMS agency, providing regularly scheduled EMS standby coverage to the Yale campus as a part of Yale Health. As an EMS agency, we operate under the New Haven Sponsor Hospital Program with medical direction from Yale Emergency Medicine. YEMS members are Yale students who hold Connecticut state certification at the EMT level or higher, and YEMS is managed by an Executive Board with guidance from its Board of Advisors. In addition to providing emergency medical care, YEMS provides extensive training and certification programs to the Yale community, including a semester-long EMT certification class each semester as well as regularly-scheduled CPR and AED classes.

Student Leaders

Jiya Mody – Co-Coordinator/Co-President

Activities

Narcan & Opioid Overdose Training for FroCos Direct Service In order to more strategically reach our student population, we will be providing opt-in trainings for FroCos in recognizing and responding to opioid-related emergencies. This will be done in collaboration with Yale College Council. Heart Safe Campus – Teaching 10%+ of Campus CPR Direct Service After teaching 5%+ of campus CPR/AED in the past year, we hope to teach a new total of 10% of campus how to perform life-saving CPR and how to use the many AEDs found around campus. This initiative seeks to address the low rates of bystander CPR in New Haven. Narcan & Opioid Overdose Training for Campus Members Direct Service We will be continuing our collaboration with Students for Sensible Drug Policy and hosting Narcan and Opioid Overdose Trainings for any member of our campus community to join. Standby Basic Life Support Direct Service We will be providing standby emergency medical services with our EMT crews at large university events and sports events. Volunteer Emergency Medical Services at Outside Agencies Direct Service YEMS members will volunteer their time to responding medical emergencies across Connecticut through the following agencies: Agency 1: Echo Hose Location: Shelton, CT Contact: Matthew Matousek, mmatousek@sheltonems.com (203) 924-9211 Agency 2: Seymour EMS Location: Seymour, CT Contact: (203) 888-8843 Agency 3: Stratford EMS Location: Stratford, CT Contact: (203) 385-4060 Agency 4: Trumbull EMS Location: Trumbull, CT Contact: (203) 452-5146 Volunteer Emergency Medical Services at Outside Agencies Direct Service YEMS members will volunteer their time to responding medical emergencies across Connecticut through the following agencies: Agency 1: Echo Hose Location: Shelton, CT Contact: Matthew Matousek, mmatousek@sheltonems.com (203) 924-9211 Agency 2: Seymour EMS Location: Seymour, CT Contact: (203) 888-8843 Agency 3: Stratford EMS Location: Stratford, CT Contact: (203) 385-4060 Agency 4: Trumbull EMS Location: Trumbull, CT Contact: (203) 452-5146 Heart Safe Campus – Teaching 15%+ of Campus CPR Direct Service After teaching 5%+ of campus CPR/AED in the past year, we hope to teach a new total of 15% of campus how to perform life-saving CPR and how to use the many AEDs found around campus. This initiative seeks to address the low rates of bystander CPR in New Haven. Standby Basic Life Support Direct Service We will be providing standby emergency medical services with our EMT crews at large university events and sports events. Volunteer Emergency Medical Services at Outside Agencies Direct Service Volunteer EMTs ride with outside EMS agencies in Stratford, Seymour, Shelton, Trumbull, and Monroe?providing frontline emergency medical care and transport to residents in these Connecticut towns while gaining real-world clinical experience beyond campus. Standby Basic Life Support Direct Service Standby Basic Life Support (BLS) provides free, student-run emergency medical coverage at Yale and community events. Trained EMTs volunteer to staff concerts, athletic games, performances, and campus gatherings, offering on-site medical care and first response for injuries or sudden illness. This service ensures quick access to professional-level care while reducing reliance on city EMS for non-transport emergencies. By combining service with skill development, Standby BLS strengthens campus safety and prepares student volunteers for future health leadership. Heart Safe Campus – Teaching 15%+ of Campus CPR Direct Service As part of Yale?s Heart Safe Campus initiative, we are committed to teaching lifesaving CPR skills to at least 15% of the student body. We will host five large-format CPR workshops throughout this semester, each training approximately 50 participants. These interactive sessions cover chest compressions, rescue breathing, AED use, and the steps to take in a cardiac emergency. By equipping hundreds of students across diverse social groups with the knowledge and confidence to respond, we aim to build a campus-wide culture of safety and preparedness. Standby Basic Life Support Direct Service Standby Basic Life Support (BLS) provides free, student-run emergency medical coverage at Yale and community events. Trained EMTs volunteer to staff concerts, athletic games, performances, and campus gatherings, offering on-site medical care and first response for injuries or sudden illness. This service ensures quick access to professional-level care while reducing reliance on city EMS for non-transport emergencies. By combining service with skill development, Standby BLS strengthens campus safety and prepares student volunteers for future health leadership. Volunteer Emergency Medical Services at Outside Agencies Direct Service Volunteer EMTs ride with outside EMS agencies (listed below) providing frontline emergency medical care and transport to residents in these Connecticut towns while gaining real-world clinical experience beyond campus. This experience allows our EMTs to gain experience in real 911 response as well supplement the volunteer forces of several nearby CT towns such that their ambulances can remain staffed and equipped 24/7. Narcan & Opioid Overdose Training for Campus Members Advocacy or Activism We host 10?20 hands-on workshops across the year for every corner of campus?student orgs, teams, Greek life, cultural houses, performance groups, residential colleges, FroCos, and other student leaders. In 45?60 minutes, participants learn to recognize an overdose, call for help, give rescue breaths, and administer intranasal naloxone (Narcan), with harm-reduction tips and Good Samaritan guidance. Sessions are interactive, tailored to each group, and include practice devices; when available through campus/community programs, participants may leave with naloxone. To bring a session to your group, request a workshop and we?ll schedule a time that works for you. Narcan & Opioid Overdose Training for Campus Members Advocacy or Activism We host 10?20 hands-on workshops across the year for every corner of campus?student orgs, teams, Greek life, cultural houses, performance groups, residential colleges, FroCos, and other student leaders. In 45?60 minutes, participants learn to recognize an overdose, call for help, give rescue breaths, and administer intranasal naloxone (Narcan), with harm-reduction tips and Good Samaritan guidance. Sessions are interactive, tailored to each group, and include practice devices; when available through campus/community programs, participants may leave with naloxone. To bring a session to your group, request a workshop and we?ll schedule a time that works for you. Narcan & Opioid Overdose Training for Campus Members Advocacy or Activism Last semester, we organized Narcan training sessions for FroCos, and we are committed to making this a lasting initiative. Our goal is to integrate Narcan training into core FroCo programming while also expanding access through optional sessions for FOOT leaders, student group leaders, and sports captains. Heart Safe Campus – Teaching 15%+ of Campus CPR Advocacy or Activism As part of Yale?s Heart Safe Campus initiative, we are committed to teaching lifesaving CPR skills to at least 15% of the student body. We will host five large-format CPR workshops throughout this semester, each training approximately 50 participants. These interactive sessions cover chest compressions, rescue breathing, AED use, and the steps to take in a cardiac emergency. By equipping hundreds of students across diverse social groups with the knowledge and confidence to respond, we aim to build a campus-wide culture of safety and preparedness. LifeSafeHer: Addressing Gender Disparities in Bystander CPR Research & Public Policy Analysis There is a well recorded disparity in the bystander willingness and ability to respond quickly and efficiently to cardiac arrests – which has led to observed gender disparities in CPR recovery or death – if the person is perceived to be a woman or has a chest. One potential factor for this disparity is in the fact that training manikins are usually flat chested. In this research project and collaboration with Harvard EMS and MIT EMS, we are investigating the impacts of CPR effectiveness and quality if manikins have breasts. Through generating this evidence, we seek to inform the development of gender equity in CPR training. Investigating Nationwide Opioid Overdose Prevention Strategies in Higher Education Research & Public Policy Analysis This research project will survey collegiate emergency medical services on the their local responses to opioid overdoses and the types of harm reduction policies and practices that they have. We will also be studying how administrative support and financial feasibility contribute to the types of responses collegiate emergency medical services are able to engage in. Through this, we will be emphasizing the roles that collegiate emergency medical services can have in public health. LifeSafeHer: Addressing Gender Disparities in Bystander CPR Research & Public Policy Analysis There is a well recorded disparity in the bystander willingness and ability to respond quickly and efficiently to cardiac arrests – which has led to observed gender disparities in CPR recovery or death – if the person is perceived to be a woman or has a chest. One potential factor for this disparity is in the fact that training manikins are usually flat chested. In this research project and collaboration with Harvard EMS and MIT EMS, we are investigating the impacts of CPR effectiveness and quality if manikins have breasts. Through generating this evidence, we seek to inform the development of gender equity in CPR training. Investigating Nationwide Opioid Overdose Prevention Strategies in Higher Education Research & Public Policy Analysis This research project will survey collegiate emergency medical services on the their local responses to opioid overdoses and the types of harm reduction policies and practices that they have. We will also be studying how administrative support and financial feasibility contribute to the types of responses collegiate emergency medical services are able to engage in. Through this, we will be emphasizing the roles that collegiate emergency medical services can have in public health.

How Others Get Involved

Please visit https://ems.yale.edu/. For those wanting to participate in our EMT course, they can fill out our interest form under the “EMT Course” section of the website. For those wishing to join our EMS group either as a certified EMT or an associate EMT, they should look for our application that is released at the beginning of each semester under “Join YEMS.”