Health care services?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Hamilton College
1

<p>Does anyone know how a medical emergency is handled at Hamilton? It seems the Hamilton Health Center is only open part-time... 6 hours or so M-F and even shorter on W. I see there are a few urgent care centers in case of emergencies, but they are in New Hartford, and the only hospitals are in Utica which can be up to 20 minutes away. On the website there is a number to call in the off-hours, but it doesn't explain what happens next.... i.e., how is the student transported? And to where?</p>

<p>As a parent, I am just trying to feel comfortable with their protocol. I have observed at my other son's college (albeit much larger population), the local hospital unfortunately, appears to have a steady business of student medical emergencies. Luckily, in that case, the hospital is right next door to the school.</p>

2

<p>

Hamilton’s Emergency Medical Services Team Is On Call For Campus 24/7
<a href=“http://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/hamiltons-emergency-medical-services-team-is-on-call-for-campus-24-7”>http://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/hamiltons-emergency-medical-services-team-is-on-call-for-campus-24-7&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://hcems.hamilton.edu/”>http://hcems.hamilton.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Thanks for these links CrewDad. I should have dug deeper to find them. </p>

<p>I am sure Hamilton has given this much thought and came up with their best solution given their somewhat remote location. l </p>

4

<p>^^
Vassar and Amherst College also employ student EMTs. The program has been extremely succesful at both colleges. I attended a performance at Vassar that included acrobatics. A highly trained student EMT was present in the auditorium should there be a mishap. Hamilton is as consciousness when it pertains to students’ health and safety. I trust I’ve helped alleviate some of your concerns.</p>

5

The health center does have limited hours and this is often a complaint among students. However, college is the “real-world” and ‘real’ doctor’s offices do close and students should know what to do if they need care after hours.

As someone has mentioned, HCEMS is on-call 24 hours a day during the school term. They are all New York state certified EMTs. I’m friends with a few of the EMTs and they are amazing people and the campus community really appreciates their hard work and dedication. For a medical emergency at Hamilton (this wouldn’t include an illness, like strep throat per se, but rather if someone hit their head or drank too much), an emergency call is placed to Campus Safety, who then pages the EMTs on-call who respond to the scene. If transportation is required, the EMTs call for an ambulance. If the victim needs further medical assessment but doesn’t necessarily need an ambulance, campus safety will pay for a taxi to take the student to urgent care or the ER.

In addition, to Campus Safety and HCEMS, Hamilton also employs trained Event Staff (student security personnel) who oversee campus parties. Hamilton is incredibly dedicated to safety and I think it shows in its emergency preparedness.