Physician Response Program to Assist EMS During Emergencies

The Albany County Sheriff’s Office and Albany Medical Center announced a new program Tuesday that will provide even better medical attention to patients in emergency situations.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A program launched through a partnership between the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and Albany Medical Center could save lives in the Capital Region.

“I just remember some horrific incidents occurring where, my gosh, if we had a doctor out there ...” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple.

It is incidents like those that prompted the creation of the Pre-Hospital EMS Physician Response Program.

“My physicians are trained and we’re ready to respond,” said Michael Dailey, chief of division of Pre-Hospital Care at Albany Medical Center. "We all hope that we’ll never have one of these large situations where we’ll need to support EMS in capabilities well beyond what they can provide, but at the same time, we know these things occur."

The program allows physicians to respond on the scene at emergencies to better treat patients.

“Probably the most important thing about the program is that we’re out here to support an existing EMS system. The EMS system that we’ve got right across the six-county region of the remote area is a strong system. This is just one more tool to make that system stronger,” said Dailey.

It’s also a tool that could save lives.

“We’re looking to enhance public safety, and I think by having physicians being able to respond to triage an incident is invaluable,” said Apple.

Apple says the service will not come at any cost to taxpayers. Five fully-trained Albany Medical Center emergency physicians will rotate being on call. They will be ready at a moment’s notice to respond to a major incident in Albany County and beyond. Those incidents could include mass casualties, large fires and entrapments where a person may need an amputation.

“As of today, we are prepared. We can have these doctors respond,” said Apple. "We can have them go up and respond to wherever in this county, and if another county needs it, we’re here for them, too."