The Tufts University Department of Public and Environmental Safety recently modified the policies of Tufts Emergency Medical Service (TEMS), requiring that an ambulance accompany medical technicians on all alcohol-related calls, regardless of the
situation's severity.
According to TEMS advisor Geoffrey Bartlett, the decision was made after the university invited the Massachusetts state government to review its emergency response policies.
"There was no incident, no problem with TEMS that precipitated this," Bartlett said. "It relates to Massachusetts regulations. We continue to have the utmost confidence in the professionalism of TEMS. The guidance we received suggested that we should include [alcohol-related incidents] among our calls and immediately notify the primary ambulance service."
Bartlett said that more than 50 percent of calls made to TEMS regarding alcohol intoxication end up requiring ambulance service, and maintained that the new policy will just speed up the process. "Other than calling the ambulance right away, nothing will change in terms of what TEMS provides," he said.
"In the case of alcohol intoxication, for some obvious reasons, those people don't get transported in the TEMS vehicle," he
continued. "If someone needs to go to the hospital, they need to go in an ambulance."
He added that calls made to TEMS are processed in one of three ways: About one-third of students do not need to or choose not to go to the hospital, another third of students are taken to Tufts University Health Service or the closest emergency facility, and the last third require transport by an ambulance, he said.
Tufts University Police Department Captain Mark Keith explained that if a student refuses ambulance assistance, TEMS' emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are ultimately responsible for making the final decision.
"If it's in the opinion of the EMTs that it's medically necessary that someone receives a higher level of medical evaluation, and that person says that they don't want to go, [EMTs] are going to do everything that they can to try and convince the person that it's in their
best interest."
Bartlett added that TUPD officers are always there to assist EMTs by providing access and protection on the scene, and they also play a role in making judgment calls regarding ambulance transport.
Bartlett said that many other types of calls, such as those by students experiencing chest pain, difficulty breathing or multi-system trauma resulting from a car accident, have always resulted in the immediate response of an ambulance.
"We've added alcohol to that list of calls where rather than [having TEMS volunteers] make a discretionary decision, we'll make the call right away," he said.
Keith emphasized that students who seek TEMS assistance will not be charged an ambulance fee unless they actually receive transportation to a hospital.
"Fees depend on the treatments that are provided," Bartlett added, explaining that the use of medical instruments like needles will often result in the student or his or her insurance company being asked to pay a fee.
"There is something called Advanced Lift Support involving paramedics, and they can render advanced on-scene care which they can bill for," he said. "You will know if you are receiving
billable services."
Depending on whether the students involved live in Somerville or Medford dormitories, they will receive service from either the Cataldo or Armstrong ambulance services, Bartlett said.
He added that EMTs make the same amount of money regardless of whether or not they actually take a student to the hospital. "It would be a huge ethical problem" if salaries varied, he said. "That would be tantamount to providing more money to officers who give more speeding tickets."
Both Bartlett and Keith asserted that TEMS' new policies have not affected the way that students are subjected to disciplinary
consequences.
"It's always been a concern that kids won't call TEMS," Bartlett said. "We have for years tried to emphasize calling for medical care, and we are always conscious that students might be concerned of possible disciplinary consequences. We don't think that the presence of additional trained medical providers will discourage people
from calling."
Bartlett said that members of the student body will not be notified of the change in TEMS' policies.
"We make operational policies based on industry standards; it hasn't been our practice to notify the student body. If anything, we think that students will be pleased because this provides them with a higher level of medical
response faster."
