Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Exceptional Pre-Hospital Care and Coordination in Central Massachusetts and Beyond

UMass Memorial Health runs our community’s coordinated emergency response system via the Medical Center. Whether it’s answering 911 calls, dispatching ambulances or responding to natural disasters, we provide 24/7 assistance. Our highly skilled team can handle any emergency. 

Our Emergency Medical Services

Emergency medical services from UMass Memorial include:

Pre-Hospital Care

When there’s a call for help, highly skilled paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) respond promptly. Pre-hospital care involves on-scene services to stabilize severe symptoms and safely transport you to the hospital. 

Our EMS program is one of only a few in Massachusetts authorized to provide pre-hospital advanced airway management. Paramedics and EMTs use special medications to manage breathing in critically ill patients.
 

EMS Communications Center 

UMass Memorial operates our the EMS Communications. It links directly to the 911 call centers serving Worcester and Shrewsbury. We are one of New England’s busiest centers, handling more than 30,000 calls annually.

Experienced dispatchers use nationally recognized guidelines to respond to callers’ immediate needs. We provide pre-hospital care instructions while arranging an EMS response. These efforts also include coordinating with local police and fire department responders to quickly connect patients to on-site medical assistance. 

Disaster Preparedness

UMass Memorial supports our National Medical Disaster System by preparing first responders to handle hurricanes, earthquakes, major transportation accidents, mass shootings and terrorist attacks. We train volunteer emergency medicine doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, paramedics and other clinicians — our local Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT MA-2). We also coordinate with logistics and communications experts.