This is National EMS Week, an annual celebration of emergency medical services practitioners and the important work they do in the community.

At UD, the award-winning UDECU (University of Delaware Emergency Care Unit) is a volunteer, student-run ambulance serving the UD and Newark communities that has been active on campus since 1976.

In 2020, UDECU received two awards from the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF).

UDECU was awarded the Striving for Excellence in Campus EMS award, which recognizes organizations that represent the gold standard for campus EMS delivery and care and that serve as benchmark operations against which other campus-based EMS groups should compare themselves. This is a three-year certification, and recipients are acknowledged on the NCEMSF website and in its database of campus-based EMS organizations.

In addition, UDECU received the EMS Ready Campus Bronze Tier award, which is designed to recognize excellence in emergency management and disaster preparedness of collegiate EMS organizations. This program also provides a framework for the enhancement of emergency management education, overall campus preparedness and response capabilities for the applicant organization. Colleges and universities have the opportunity to receive recognition through a combination of self-evaluation, dynamic interaction with NCEMSF staff and by completing a group of prescribed tasks.

For more information, visit the UDECU website.