Expanding University Hospital’s Ambulance Fleet to Meet Growing Community Needs

UH Foundation Focus To Help Purchase EMS Ambulances

Newark, NJ – University Hospital, located in Newark, NJ is committed to providing exceptional care to every patient, every time, regardless of their ability to pay, serving as both an anchor institution and a safety-net hospital for the city and its surrounding communities.

The work of University Hospital is grounded in the institution’s strong belief in health equity for all, which ultimately creates a community that is stronger, healthier, and more just. As the needs of the local community continue to grow, UH and its Foundation are rising to the challenge by seeking to purchase 10 new ambulances. The expansion of its fleet enables UH to provide emergency medical services with modernized equipment to residents.

“Equipping the hospital with state-of-the-art vehicles and modernized equipment will go a long way in helping the doctors, nurses, and dedicated staff do a better job at saving lives and providing the best medical care possible to residents of Newark. That is part of our efforts to ensure equitable health care is provided to our community,” states Jess Backofen, Executive Director of the University Hospital Foundation.

University Hospital’s Emergency Medical Services team is responsible for protecting more than 46.5 million lives each year as the sole provider of emergency medical services for the Cities of Newark, Orange, East Orange, Port Newark Container Terminal, and Newark Liberty International Airport. With a staff of 333 team members, EMS teams operate a bustling 9-1-1 Call Center and respond to an average of 300 service requests daily. In addition, UH EMS leads a Regional Medical Coordination Center through which it deploys 108 vehicles to provide residents with basic and advanced life support, patient transport, heavy rescue vehicles, and helicopter medical transport.

In 2022 alone, UH EMS reported over 150,000 emergency medical services responses to Newark, Orange, East Orange, and Camden. University Hospital serves some of New Jersey’s most diverse patients, and particularly some of the most economically and medically challenged patients. Almost 70% of all UH inpatients are insured by Medicaid, receive charity care, or are self-pay patients. Additionally, 65% of all UH inpatients reported having at least one chronic condition like diabetes, HIV, chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or hypertension.

UH is home to the most medically active Level 1 trauma center in New Jersey and, as such, is widely recognized as having the expertise, extensive training, and experience to respond to events impacting our city, state, and region.

Historically, UH EMS has supported statewide and regional medical responses in the wake of disasters and large-scale events. Notably, in 2001, UH EMS assisted the City of New York following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and again in 2009 after United Flight #1549 landed in the Hudson River. In 2012, UH EMS was on hand to provide critical medical support services to New Jerseyans in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. In 2014, when the Superbowl was hosted at MetLife Stadium, UH EMS was on call to provide medical services for the more than 82,000 attendees, and most recently, UH ran the medical collaboration required by the NJ Department of Health for all 35 hospitals in Northern New Jersey during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To continue providing the highest quality of care possible, University Hospital Foundation has coordinated a multi-tiered campaign to raise funds to bolster University Hospital’s fleet with 10 new ambulances, enabling UH EMS to provide the highest level of care possible while meeting the evolving needs of the surrounding community and its deserving residents. Most recently, the Foundation’s Annual Golf Classic raised $215,000 towards this goal and the Foundation continues to pursue other opportunities to add to the hospital’s growing emergency medical services fleet.

About University Hospital Foundation – University Hospital Foundation is committed to improving the health of the most vulnerable in our community by striving to supply affordable, high-quality, and accessible healthcare. Through our programs and benefits, we can take great strides to meet that commitment and impact those who matter most. For more information, visit https://uhnjfoundation.org News Page:https://uhnjfoundation.org/news/