By Anahiz Rivera, Contributing Writer
The Medical Emergency Response Team, MERT, is a student run organization with about sixty members.
MERT is commonly mistaken by students as an organization that is called when they drink too much and don’t want to get in trouble. Although MERT does handle alcohol-related incidents, students involved want it to be clear there is more to the organization.
MERT is always active, especially when students are on campus. It responds to any and every call it gets, whether it be asthma attacks, allergic reactions or car accidents.
“[Members of MERT] go through monthly training to keep up with New York State protocol, and make sure we’re refreshed,” said junior bioinformatics and mathematics double major, Rachel Pelsang, a training manager of MERT. “Everyone, excluding seniors, are EMT officials or in classes to become one.”
Pelsang said all of this training is hands-on and effective in recruiting new students.
Training is only part of it. The students of MERT also do a lot of fieldwork. For example, MERT is present during club sports and 5k runs so that it can help any fellow students who get injured. This allows MERT volunteers to get plenty of experience caring for trauma, whether it be physical or emotional.
“While working for MERT, you learn how to talk to people,” said Hamaad Khan, a sophomore biology major and an assistant chief of MERT. “Caring for them allows you to make a connection with them through communication. And the actual tangible changes that you see after taking care of someone for forty minutes is mind-blowing.”
After every call, MERT students must go back to the MERT office, located on the first floor of Robinson Hall, to do paperwork and fill out a chart about the incident. Records are kept of all calls and treatment and exported to the state since MERT is an official healthcare service. In fact, the chief of MERT, Christian Kostowniak describes it as “A job on top of a club.”
Students interested in joining MERT or needing any medical assistance, you can contact it at mert@sbu.edu or call 716-375-2525.
“[MERT volunteers] have the same skill set as other EMTs, except we have no means of transportation, said Kostowniak. “A good handful of us served as EMTs back home and we work closely with Safety and Security, as well as local ambulances, to ensure everyone feels safe.”
Gary Segrue, the head of safety and security, said that MERT is an important part of St. Bonaventure University.
“MERT is a vital entity in support of the Office of Safety and Security,” said Segrue. “In my opinion, there is no student organization that benefits the overall welfare of the campus community [more] than MERT.”
