Last updated 10.2001

On behalf of the men and women of the Loyola Emergency Medical Services System, I would like to welcome you to our website. Hopefully, you will find this site to be a valuable resource for finding information about our System, and the many roles we see ourselves performing within the various communities we serve.

The Loyola EMS System recently celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. We began as one of the three original medical resource centers designated by the State of Illinois, and have grown over the years into a multifaceted, dynamic healthcare provider. The last twenty-five years have seen an explosion in the scope-of-practice and education within the emergency medical service profession. That is why, today, the Loyola EMS System provides education in numerous areas- EMT-Paramedic, EMT-Basic/Defibrillator, Emergency Communications Registered Nurse, Critical Care Paramedicine, dispatch, preceptors, pediatric education, lead EMS instructor and traumatic brain injury. All of these courses, and others, are designed to meet the needs of our EMS providers, and to bring the best possible care into the many communities that we serve.

In addition to our cadre of educational programs, The Loyola EMS System is involved in various community outreach programs. Our Public Access Defibrillation Program, for example, is aimed at saving lives through encouraging public awareness, training and intervention on behalf of heart attack victims. The "Drive Wise Stay Alive" program, done in conjunction with the Cook County Circuit Court, is an opportunity for Loyola EMS System physicians and EMTs to teach local high school students about the value of driving sober. Lastly, our involvement with the Illinois Emergency Medical Services for Children program allows us to foster initiatives that lead to better treatment of sick and injured pediatric patients.

As part of a designated resource hospital, the Loyola EMS System works hard to collaborate closely with not only our own Emergency Department staff, but also with our colleagues at our six associate hospitals: Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, LaGrange Memorial Hospital, MacNeal Hospital, Oak Park Hospital, Westlake Hospital and West Suburban Medical Center. Along with these associates and the other EMS Systems in Region 8, we serve multiple roles, including ongoing Standard Operating Procedure reviews, providing online and offline medical control, and coordinating with the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Many of the services and opportunities offered here at Loyola EMS have been undertaken as a direct result of requests from our own EMS providers. As the EMS Medical Director, it gives me no greater pleasure than to see us move ahead together, in a collaborative effort, to provide the best pre-hospital and in-hospital emergency care possible. Clearly, this points to the fact that I believe our System to be dynamic, without being reckless, and forward-looking, without forgetting to focus on the needs at hand. We are built on the strong tradition of our University Medical Center’s Jesuit heritage, and the hard work of all the EMT-Bs and Paramedics who have helped to shape EMS into what it is today. We will continue into the future with high expectations and dedication to the people we serve.

I hope you enjoy this website. Your comments, concerns and issues are invited. We take your input seriously, as it often provides a catalyst for our growth towards achieving our mission.