Why the SEMS model works
The SEMS program has been designed to effectively reach students from all walks of life. We take a pragmatic approach by creating discussion groups and focusing educational efforts on the medical aspects of drug and alcohol overdoes. Responsibility is an important part of the SEMS message, but this message can only go so far. Even the most responsible students can make risky decisions. By training their friends how to identify overdose as a medical emergency, these students understand that “sleeping it off” is no longer an option. By combining this “emergency medical preparedness” education with free CPR and First Aid certifications, students from the dormitories to the fraternity house and beyond can use their own skills to protect each other, influence each other’s decision making, and identify overdose as an emergency.
The SEMS program also serves as an EMS agency to our parent universities. This allows student volunteer EMTs to enter into scenes of risk where alcohol and drug overdoes are prevalent. This innovative approach stems from the idea that students are dying not because the ambulance did not arrive in time, but because the 911 call was never made. SEMS student EMTs attend these events to be a sober, educated eye for these types of emergencies. Most importantly, these EMTs are serving their peers as peers and not for purposes of incrimination.
