New Boston EMS Station opens at Tufts Medical Center
Mayor Menino, other dignitaries dedicate station
BOSTON, Mass. (July 15, 2010) – The City of Boston and Tufts Medical Center have partnered to provide a new Boston EMS Ambulance Station located on the campus of Tufts Medical Center. The EMS Ambulance Station will enable the city to permanently locate two more ambulances in a densely populated area near downtown Boston. It will aid in providing accessible and immediate emergency medical services to the Chinatown community and surrounding area.
The new Boston EMS Ambulance station will ensure a constant, round-the-clock presence of EMS in the area, as well as a rapid response to emergencies for the residents, employees, and visitors to Chinatown and downtown Boston.
At a dedication that marked the opening of the station today, remarks were offered by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino; Chief James Hooley of the Boston Emergency Medical Services; John Townsend, Director of Administration and Finance for the Boston Public Health Commission; Ellen Zane, President and CEO of Tufts Medical Center, and Bill Moy, co-moderator of the Chinatown Neighborhood Council.
"The City is proud to partner with Tufts Medical Center on this great project that will help Boston EMS provide rapid, critical care for our residents,” Mayor Menino said. “Tufts Medical has demonstrated once again their dedication to their surrounding community."
Boston EMS employs over 350 EMTs and Paramedics who respond to an average of 300 emergencies each day, and more than 100,000 each year. With one of the busiest emergency medical services in the country, Boston EMS will use this new station to help respond to the heavy demand for emergency services downtown. The new station will make shift changes more efficient and cut down the time ambulances currently spend re-fueling and re-stocking medical supplies. By operating more efficiently, the new EMS Ambulance station will help yield savings to the City of Boston in fuel and time, while benefiting the community by reducing emissions from idling.
“This ambulance station will not only help us improve the way we serve the surrounding neighborhoods, but will benefit all Boston residents and visitors. This station also provides a respite for the dedicated staff who respond to these high volume areas,” EMS Chief Hooley said. “I’d like to thank Tufts Medical once again for all their efforts to make this station a reality."
The new EMS Ambulance station is located at 25 Harvard Street in a formerly unused loading dock belonging to Tufts Medical Center. The station provides an enclosed parking area for two ambulances as well as a rest area and locker-room space for the EMS technicians that will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The ambulances will not sound sirens as they leave the station, and will take all necessary precautions to ensure safe operation by accounting for pedestrian and automotive traffic in the area.
“Tufts Medical Center is honored to play a role in this important contribution to the health and well-being of the City and the local community,” said Ellen Zane. “We look forward to helping provide even better emergency health care and access to this important community,”
About Tufts Medical Center
Tufts Medical Center is an exceptional, not-for-profit, 415-bed academic medical center that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and Floating Hospital for Children. Conveniently located in downtown Boston, the Medical Center is the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine. Floating Hospital for Children is the full-service children's hospital of Tufts Medical Center and the principal pediatric teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine. For more information, please visit www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org.
About Boston EMS
Boston EMS is the city of Boston’s 9-1-1 emergency medical services department and the largest municipal EMS service in New England. As a nationally recognized leader and innovator in the field of pre-hospital emergency medicine, the department leverages the latest advances in both medicine and technology to bring cutting edge care to the streets of Boston. In 2009, Boston EMS’ team of EMTs and Paramedics responded to over 107,000 calls for help and transported over 77,000 patients to area hospitals, making the department one of the busiest services in the country. The men and women of Boston EMS work tirelessly 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to deliver state-of-the-art pre-hospital emergency medical care to the people of Boston.
In addition to responding to 9-1-1 calls for medical emergencies, Boston EMS also plays an important role in the medical aspects of the City’s emergency preparedness efforts. The department works closely with public safety, healthcare, and private sector partners to plan for mass casualty incidents and medical surge, ensuring that the people of Boston can count on a well planned, coordinated response in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. Furthermore, Boston EMS also delivers enriching community programming designed to strengthen the health and well-being of the City’s residents. Boston EMS is a committed partner of the community and is dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of Boston visitors and residents.
Media Contacts
Julie Jette
Media Relations Manager
Tufts Medical Center
(617) 636-3265
jjette@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
Jennifer B. Mehigan
Director of Media Relations, PIO
Boston EMS
(617) 343-1164 office
(617) 821-1277 cell
mehigan@bostonems.org