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EDITORIAL: Resuscitate emergency care
Editorial | 3/11/08
Posted online at 2:32 AM EST on 3/11/08
Congratulations, BEMCo! The Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps has reached its 25th birthday. BEMCo's services are provided 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and the organization has established itself as a helpful resource that is vital to the community.
While we applaud BEMCo for its speedy response time and efficient caregiving, the anniversary of its founding presents an appropriate time to reexamine the way in which it protects students' privacy. Many students avoid calling BEMCo for fear that the administration will take disciplinary action. BEMCo, the Department of Public Safety and the Health Center maintain that for a first offense, all information regarding patients is confidential and that no disciplinary action is taken. But in many cases, students claim that the Department of Residence Life or a dean of student life has taken action. Sometimes, many students report, administrators contact the student and demand that he presents himself for a meeting with their quad director or a dean.
While we appreciate the University's concern for our well-being, these check-ins are a threat to student's safety when it results in students avoiding treatment. Although BEMCo denies that there are any consequences for using its service for drug and alcohol abuse, many students choose to avoid the system altogether and either sign a form refusing treatment or resort to calling 911 because of the disciplinary actions that many associate with BEMCo.
When students sign the form refusing treatment, they risk potentially serious consequences to their health. Students should not have to fear treatment. When students choose to call an ambulance rather than BEMCo, they are charged exorbitant rates depending on the care administered during transport, in addition to the already expensive hospital fees.
It's clear that somewhere in the caregiving process, students' rights to privacy are violated. While we understand that the Department of Student Life has our best interest at heart, it's condescending and embarrassing to call students in for discussions regarding their private lives.
As a service to the students, BEMCo should establish an explicit policy ensuring that University action will not be taken against its patients.
We can only hope that 25 years from now, students will not be deterred from medical assistance by the threat of judicial action.
While we applaud BEMCo for its speedy response time and efficient caregiving, the anniversary of its founding presents an appropriate time to reexamine the way in which it protects students' privacy. Many students avoid calling BEMCo for fear that the administration will take disciplinary action. BEMCo, the Department of Public Safety and the Health Center maintain that for a first offense, all information regarding patients is confidential and that no disciplinary action is taken. But in many cases, students claim that the Department of Residence Life or a dean of student life has taken action. Sometimes, many students report, administrators contact the student and demand that he presents himself for a meeting with their quad director or a dean.
While we appreciate the University's concern for our well-being, these check-ins are a threat to student's safety when it results in students avoiding treatment. Although BEMCo denies that there are any consequences for using its service for drug and alcohol abuse, many students choose to avoid the system altogether and either sign a form refusing treatment or resort to calling 911 because of the disciplinary actions that many associate with BEMCo.
When students sign the form refusing treatment, they risk potentially serious consequences to their health. Students should not have to fear treatment. When students choose to call an ambulance rather than BEMCo, they are charged exorbitant rates depending on the care administered during transport, in addition to the already expensive hospital fees.
It's clear that somewhere in the caregiving process, students' rights to privacy are violated. While we understand that the Department of Student Life has our best interest at heart, it's condescending and embarrassing to call students in for discussions regarding their private lives.
As a service to the students, BEMCo should establish an explicit policy ensuring that University action will not be taken against its patients.
We can only hope that 25 years from now, students will not be deterred from medical assistance by the threat of judicial action.
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