Medical Emergencies - Dial 911

Dial 911 University Safety and Police are the first responders to all campus emergencies.
Do not call the Student Health Center.

When you dial 911, you will be put in contact with a Columbia County dispatcher who will ask you the "who, what, when, where, why and how" questions concerning the emergency. Do not hang up until the dispatcher instructs you to do so.

If you dial 911 on a campus phone, your call will also notify University Safety and Police, who will respond to the location of the campus phone used to call 911.

The Student Health Center fee does not pay for medical care received at other health care facilities nor does it pay for any costs accrued by activating the Emergency Response Medical System (EMS).

Is it really an emergency?

ER Courtesy

Students who escort an ill friend to the Bloomsburg Hospital emergency room are asked to limit the number of escorts to one. The hospital staff sees a high number of students escorting friends, which crowds the small ER and causes disruptions.

Students requiring diagnostic work-ups for acute health situations will be referred to the Bloomsburg Hospital emergency room or to another health care agency of their choice. (570) 387-2100

Money should not be a factor when faced with a medical emergency. However, please be sure to use the EMS appropriately and responsibly.

All costs of activating the EMS will be billed to the victim's insurance OR will be the personal responsibility of the victim to pay (if the victim doesn't have health insurance).

Keep the following in mind:

Paramedics are usually the first of the EMS responders to arrive on the scene. Their cost is usually between $900 to $1,000.
If the victim of the emergency is transported to the hospital emergency room, the cost of the transportation is approximately $250.
The cost of the medical care given in the hospital emergency room will be an additional substantial cost, depending on the number of tests and procedures which are done.