JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Jersey City will begin training citizens in EMS for the first community-based response program in the country.
A partnership between Jersey City and Medical Center-Barnabas Health will use GPS mobile app-based technology to create a volunteer response team to treat patients before EMTs arrive, NJ.com reports.
More than 300 people have signed up for the program. Volunteers will complete a 60-hour course in medical first response taught by Jersey City Medical Center EMTs. The course is funded through private charitable donations.
“The response from the community has been overwhelming and we see this as an innovative way to use technology to bridge the gap in response times and save lives,” said Mayor Steve Fulop, who approved the partnership in January. “We are excited to get this program off the ground and believe it can be a model for other communities across the country. When every second matters, we want to deliver the fastest, best medical service to our residents.”
The goal of the United Rescue program is to reduce average response times from six minutes to three minutes. It is modeled after United Hatzalah, a successful Israeli community-based emergency care program where more 2,500 trained volunteers respond to over 200,000 emergencies per year.
“We are thrilled to be exporting our Israeli techniques to help the residents of Jersey City get better, faster emergency services,” said United Hatzalah Founder and President Eli Beer. “We look forward to sharing in the success of United Rescue, Jersey City.”