RWJ Hamilton Salutes Our Medical Emergency Services Team: Extraordinary People Providing Extraordinary Service

HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY – In recognition of National Emergency Medical Services Week (May 20 to 26), Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJ Hamilton) salutes the heroes of our community: the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team.

The highly trained and experienced RWJ Hamilton Emergency Medical Services team answers over 6,500 calls each year. The 37-member team is on call 24/7 to support the emergency needs of surrounding communities. Their EMS vehicles are well-equipped with the latest life-saving technology. Pictured are: (l. to r.) Rich Sanders, Basic Life Support (BLS) Supervisor, Shannon Stanuikynas, BLS Supervisor, Kenn Korchma, EMT and Rose Fraser, BLS Supervisor.

Stationed on the campus of RWJ Hamilton since 1999, the EMS team, under the direction of Matthew Cadmus, EMS Supervisor, is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cadmus and his team of 17 full-timers and 20 part-timers answer an average of 6,500 calls a year.

"I am proud to supervise this highly qualified, experienced team that provides service to Hamilton Township and the surrounding communities," he says. Before serving as a qualified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), each member of the EMT team prepares by taking 180 hours of hands-on and classroom training.

"We are the primary 911 provider for Hamilton Township," explains Cadmus. "All 911 calls are routed to the Hamilton Township Police Department and our units are then dispatched by an Emergency Medical Services dispatcher. When neighboring communities are in need, we respond to their calls as well. Most recently, our teams were dispatched to the wildfires in South Jersey. In short, we go where we're needed."

Basic Life Support On Wheels
"Our two EMS trucks are well-equipped with the latest technology and all the standard equipment, as dictated by the State of New Jersey, to handle basic life support," Cadmus says. "We are always staffed with two fully-trained EMTs and each unit contains an automated external defibrillator (AED)."

The AED is a computerized medical device that can check a person's heart rhythm and recognize a rhythm that requires a shock. It can advise the rescuer when a shock is needed and uses voice prompts, lights and text messages to tell the rescuer what steps to take. AEDs have been proven to significantly improve the chance of survival for a person suffering from sudden cardiac arrest.

In addition, Cadmus notes, his personnel are currently being trained to administer the EpiPen®, an auto-injector that administers epinephrine—the definitive emergency treatment for severe allergic reactions, called anaphylaxis, that can become fatal within minutes if untreated.

Emergency Preparedness and Community Outreach
As EMS supervisor, Cadmus works closely with Hamilton Township officials, helping them with the EMS component of the township's emergency preparedness plan. The EMS teams also enjoy doing community outreach, such as providing demonstrations for local schools and scouting organizations and participating in the popular RWJ Hamilton children's hospital tour each summer.

For more information about the available emergency services, or to set up a community outreach program, call Matthew Cadmus at (609) 584-5922.

More About RWJ Hamilton
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJ Hamilton) is the only New Jersey hospital to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Located in Hamilton Township, NJ, the hospital is part of the RWJ Health System and Network and is affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey-RWJ Medical School and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

The RWJ Hamilton Health Care Corporation serves communities within a five-county area and includes an acute care hospital, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton, three affiliated medical groups, seven Lakeview Child Centers, and the RWJ Hamilton Center for Health & Wellness, home of a medically-based fitness center and the hospital's extensive community education program. Over 1,900 hospital employees and 650 medical staff physicians share RWJ Hamilton's passion for Excellence Through Service. For more information, visit www.rwjhamilton.org.