A Public Safety vehicle rests outside of the Netherlands Unispan on North Campus.
In February, Anna Lorfida, a freshman criminology major, experienced an event in which her friend suffered from extreme abdominal pain. Although Public Safety (PS) arrived within minutes of their calling, Lorfida and her friend waited 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
“She kept getting in more and more pain, but at the time there was nothing else Public Safety could do,” Lorfida said. “So, they did their best.” Her friend was later discharged from the hospital but continued to experience persistent discomfort due to her condition.
With a student body of more than 10,000 students, approximately 3,500 of whom live on campus, Hofstra University depends on off-campus emergency medical services. This dependence on external ambulance services has led to concerns about emergency response times.
It is important to note that at Hofstra, 45.4% of the student population is from out of state, and these students may face challenges during emergencies due to the lack of nearby family support. Many out-of-state students do not have relatives close by who can assist or transport them to medical facilities. Without personal vehicles on campus, they rely heavily on university resources during emergencies.
Medical emergencies can occur at any time and any place, requiring prompt action. Certain health conditions can worsen by the second, leading to lasting effects. For example, according to the American Heart Association, fast treatment during heart attacks can improve survival rates and reduce long-term damage to the heart muscle. Similarly, the American Stroke Association reports that every minute a stroke goes untreated, approximately 1.9 million brain cells are lost. Given these statistics, timely medical response is crucial.
Raina Singh, a freshman on the physician assistant’s track, shared her experience when she needed medical assistance one night.
“The Residence Life director on duty was who came with me,” Singh said. After she was checked, the residence life director left, and Singh later returned to campus alone via the Hofstra shuttle.
PS officers are certified first responders; however, they do not have the same medical equipment or training as emergency medical technicians (EMT).
Jovanni Ortiz, Assistant Director of Public Safety, explained the limitations of their response capabilities.
“Ambulances have a lot more equipment than we do,” Ortiz said. “They have lifesaving measures in there, such as [electrocardiogram] machines, they can revive people, [and] they have more medical drugs that they could administer if needed. It all depends on the situation. We do have medical bags and first aid kits, but obviously, again, it’s limited.”
Hofstra relies on ambulance services from Nassau County or Northwell Hospital. Response times vary depending on availability and distance. Neighboring universities such as Stony Brook University have implemented on-campus ambulance services, significantly reducing response times.
The Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SBVAC) was formed in 1970. It provided a faster way to answer emergency calls on campus and transportation services to infirmaries and doctor’s appointments off campus. It reduced response time from 15-20 minutes to 7-10 minutes.
In addition to reducing response times, an on-campus ambulance service could reduce costs for students. Nassau County ambulance fees range from $400 to $1,200 per trip. An on-campus ambulance service like SBVAC could eliminate such costs for students.
Ortiz has acknowledged that student concerns about an on-campus ambulance are being considered and that PS is evaluating potential solutions.
“The medical school has reached out to PS and it’s something we’ve explored in the past about having a student EMT program where students would be trained EMTs and actually be the first response rather than us having to call outside,” Ortiz said.
According to Ortiz, discussions on the implementation of an on-campus EMT program are ongoing. If implemented, such a program could improve emergency response times, provide hands-on training for students pursuing careers in healthcare, and enhance campus safety.
