The push for a state law waiver is well timed, as area emergency rooms are increasingly overcrowded, due in large part to the 30 area hospitals that have closed in recent years.

“The biggest problem is that area emergency rooms are almost constantly busy and overloaded, and we’re confronted with this every day,” says Bill Mergendahl, executive director of Professional Ambulance. “Students are often forced to cool their heels for six or seven hours before even getting seen.”

Waiting times are particularly long for non-emergencies, where the same patient would likely get seen immediately at UHS.

“The challenge is to match up hospital capability and EMT capability with patient needs,” says Brad Prenney, deputy director of the Bureau of Health Quality Management. “The current law is in place because EMTs are trained to assess, not diagnose patients. There’s considerable variation in emergency situations, and a seemingly benign situation could have serious underlying causes.”

Last year, Professional Ambulance responded to 367 calls from Harvard students and 268 from MIT students.

“Both institutions are in the same boat,” Mergendahl says.

The situation is currently under review by the Department of Public Health, and the office is still gathering data on the case.