SCU Emergency Medical Services

SCU EMS was born of the vision of two pioneering students, Matt Donnelly (class of 1998) and Sam Suleman (class of 1999), who saw a way to change the university for the better. Donnelly and Suleman, both privately certified EMT-B's, had observed the lack of an efficient emergency medical response agency on campus at night and the strain introduced onto the Santa Clara Fire system by relatively non emergent medical calls. They decided that they could bring about a change; by using their own medical expertise to serve the Santa Clara community they could reduce the strain on valuable city FD assets and improve the access to medical care for university students, especially at those times when the Cowell Center was closed. 

In late 1997 the two students brought their idea to Santa Clara administrators and pitched the idea of starting a volunteer-based, student run and manned EMS team. Their vision was of an EMS organization which could serve the basic medical needs of the campus at night and which could make the decision to call for fire department and ambulance assistance in cases of serious need. After two months of hard work, discussion, meetings and intense planning with University and Health Center administrators, Donnelly and Sulleman received the permission to start SCU EMS. They spent the month of December and part of January putting together a budget, medical protocols, communication systems, and also purchasing uniforms equipment. On January 12, 1998, together with Michelle Helms (F.N.P., P.A.), the first Medical Director of SCU EMS, they brought the organization to life. 

In the first week of service, Donnely and Suleman responded to 8 calls including one fire and several serious medical emergencies. The two students continued to split the nightly shifts (which originally ran from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) and work out kinks in the organization's design. By mid February they were able to accept 6 additional certified EMT-B's into the program.  These 8 students, together, became the founding members of SCU EMS. Through its first two quarters in 1998, SCU EMS provided care to numerous patients involved in 126 calls. 

Santa Clara University Emergency Medical Services continues to grow and develop while serving the ideals of compassion and service upon which it was founded. We look forward to the road ahead, and to continuing our service of the campus community. We could not be what we are today without the intrepid enthusiasm and commitment of Matt Donnelly and Sam Suleman, the compassionate and loving guidance of past Medical Director Michelle Helms, the support of the wonderful employees and medical professionals at the Cowell Student Health Center, the skilled officers who work for Campus Safety, the myriad university administrators who make our existence possible, and all of the people who make up the Santa Clara community. Thank you for everything.

SCU EMS serves the Santa Clara University community of about 9,000 students, faculty and staff. Since 1998, we have responded to over 4,700 calls.

Types of Calls

SCU EMS is fortunate enough to have members of the San Jose and Santa Clara Fire Departments as our Medical Advisors. Our three Medical Advisors, Brad Cloutier, James Mendoza, and Lukas Lerner are highly qualified individuals in the field with an abundant amount of knowledge and experience. 

Brad Cloutier is a Captain with the San Jose Fire Department. He received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and is a California licensed paramedic and an EMT instructor. He takes pride in helping the SCU Squad members become better medical practitioners and to have them enjoy this unique experience. His personal interests include playing ice hockey, fishing, and chasing tornadoes.

James Mendoza is a Captain with the San Jose Fire Department. He earned an M.A. in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a B.S. in Microbiology and Immunology from the Stanford School of Medicine. James began working with the squad as an EMT instructor and continues to enjoy the squad in the role of advisor. In his spare time he constructs models designed to teach the science of fire fighting

Lukas Lerner is a firefighter with Santa Clara Fire Department. He earned his B.A. from Santa Clara University and served on SCU EMS as a student! He is one of our current medical advisors.

Medical Direction is ran by Lewis Osofsky, Michelle Coad, and Alanna Conrad, who are all on staff at Cowell Center at the Health Center at Santa Clara University.

While on-duty and working with patients, EMTs are able to utilize the Counseling and Psychological Services’ (CAPS) After Hours Counselor-On-Call. The on-call counselor will be able to provide the EMT with advice as how to best help the patient, and the counselor may ask to speak with the patient directly to acquire their own assessment and then advise from there.

No, the EMTs do not "write up" people for any policy violations. EMTs simply provide medical attention and have no role in the disciplinary process. 

It is always better to call EMTs during an emergency. SCU EMS follows these on-campus policies: 

Medical Amnesty: The reduction of disciplinary consequences for students requiring medical attention due to alcohol intoxication and/or alcohol poisoning. 

Good Samaritan: The elimination of disciplinary consequences for up to two students who may be under the influence of alcohol who make a good-faith call for medical help on the behalf of a fellow student.

SCU EMS adheres to the privacy regulations outlined in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It is prohibited for SCU EMS or any SCU EMS EMT to disclose any identifiable information about our patients to anyone other than hospital personnel.

SCU EMS responds to a variety of calls including sports injury/physical trauma, intoxication, medical issues, difficulty breathing, bleeding, mental health crises, etc.

The EMTs have two golf carts to transport themselves and their medical gear to the scene of each incident.

There are roughly 30 EMTs per academic year. The squad holds interviews every fall and winter quarter.

All SCU EMTs are required to attend multiple training sessions each quarter to maintain and improve their skills as well as keep their certifications current. These training sessions are put on by the SCU EMS training officers and the Santa Clara City Fire Department.

Each year during spring quarter, SCU EMS hosts a large-scale MCI training event. This "Mass Casualty Incident" gives SCU EMS the opportunity to test our ability to respond to a large-scale medical emergency. It also gives the students an opportunity to meet the squad, see how it functions, and participate in an interesting and educational activity. The MCI is performed in coordination with university officials and Santa Clara Fire Department personnel. Volunteers are always needed to serve as patients for the MCI event!

SCU EMS has an office in Casa Italiana Residence Hall where they sleep overnight. In between running calls, we train, get dinner, work on homework, etc.

SCU EMS is a fully volunteer organization, so none of the EMTs get paid.

Yes, if SCU EMS is contacted ahead of the event, then a team of EMTs will cover an on-campus event such as a concert, sporting event, alumni event, etc. SCU EMS asks for a $100 donation to cover the cost of the equipment used on a typical shift. See our website for the standby form (scuems.com).

If you want to help support our student run volunteer organization, you may reach out to our donation contact via email at ems.operations@scu.edu. We are also participating in SCU's Day of Giving. Any donations are greatly appreciated!