A special thank you to photographer Chad McKissick and MC Jerry Fisher.

Each year, Cente LifeLink EMS recognizes staff and volunteers with an awards banquet.

Continue reading→

February 26, 2018— Despite a very busy weekend, Centre LifeLink EMS staff saw a decrease in call volume over the State Patty’s weekend; however a majority of calls were alcohol related.

Centre LifeLink was dispatched to 50 calls between 6:00 pm Friday evening, through 6:00 am Sunday morning. Approximately 80% of these calls were alcohol related, meaning that the patient had overdosed on alcohol or had suffered some other illness or injury that was related to alcohol consumption.

For comparison, in 2017 Centre LifeLink responded to 95 total calls, of which 32% were alcohol related on State Patty’s weekend.

February 20, 2018—Centre LifeLink EMS, in conjunction with State College Police Department, encourages local organizations and community members to get trained to “stop the bleed”.  In the event of a mass shooting, like the one in South Florida, and the Las Vegas Country Music Festival in October 2017, teaching bystanders how to treat life-threating bleeding wounds before first responders arrive is becoming increasingly important.

Launched in October of 2015 by the White House, Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign and a call to action. Stop the Bleed encourages bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before help arrives.

Eliza Shaw, Centre LifeLink’s Community Outreach Coordinator, explains “when it comes to life threatening wounds, minutes, or even seconds, may be all of the time we have. That’s why it is so crucial to be trained in how to use a tourniquet, or pack a wound. These techniques compress veins and arteries to help slow the bleeding, so that we can get them to more definitive care.”

Centre LifeLink has held several Stop the Bleed sessions with local businesses, but encourages other community businesses and groups to get informed, especially local schools. “In light of recent events nation-wide, we are trying to figure out how to get this information to students and schools. It’s not hard to do, and it could impact some of these people tremendously if they are ever in a situation such as a mass-shooting,” says Shaw.

For more information, or to schedule a session, please contact Centre LifeLink’s Outreach Coordinator, Eliza Shaw at Eshaw@centrelifelink.com or (814) 237-8163.

October 26, 2017– In an emergency, the last thing you want to worry about is the bill. That is why each fall Centre Region residents are encouraged to enroll as a Centre LifeLink Member, ensuring them that they will have no out-of-pocket expenses for unlimited EMERGENCY ambulance service provided by Centre LifeLink EMS. 2018 Memberships are available beginning this month, and residents in Centre LifeLink’s coverage will receive a Membership Brochure with information on how to participate.

With many insurance companies raising the price of out-of pocket deductibles, members can save an average of $300 for basic life support calls and more than $500 for advanced life support paramedic service—these are the average costs non-members pay. Individual memberships are $50.00 and family memberships are $70.00 for a one-year period beginning January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018.

In addition to saving residents money, a Centre LifeLink Membership helps keep this vital service available in the community. As a non-profit organization with no tax support, Centre LifeLink relies, in part, on tax-deductible donations and funds raised through the Annual Membership Drive. Membership revenue and donations allow Centre LifeLink to purchase life-saving equipment.

Centre LifeLink provides 24-hour emergency service for the Borough of State College, College Township, Harris Township, Ferguson Township, Patton Township, and mutual aid to surrounding areas of Centre and Huntingdon Counties.

Residents of the Centre Region will receive a 2018 Membership Brochure in the mail and registration is also open online at www.centrelifelink.com. Any questions regarding membership can be directed to Centre LifeLink’s Marketing Manager, Lauren Shurgalla: lshurgalla@centrelifelink.com or (814) 237-8163.

September 8, 2017—Centre LifeLink EMS has been re-accredited for the 6^th consecutive three year term (19 years) by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) for its compliance with national standards of excellence and exemplifying the “gold standard” of emergency medical care. With this achievement, Centre LifeLink is only one of seven accredited ambulances in the state of Pennsylvania, and in the top 1% of ambulances in the Country.

The Commission is a non-profit organization which was established to encourage and promote quality patient care in America’s medical transportation systems. The primary focus of the Commission’s standards is high-quality patient care. This is accomplished by establishing national standards which not only address the delivery of patient care, but also the ambulance service’s total operation and its relationships with other agencies, the general public, and the medical community. The Commission’s standards often exceed state or local licensing requirements.

Scott Rawson, Executive Director of Centre LifeLink, said accreditation “represents our commitment to our patients and our community. We continuously strive to do our best and our consistent accreditation status is another step toward excellence.”

“Our staff has been key to our successful completion of the accreditation process,” said Rawson. “Everyone here plays a valuable role in our ability to continuously meet the Commission’s high standards.”

May 24, 2017-– Centre LifeLink volunteer EMT Ian Arevalo received the State College Sunrise Rotary Club’s 2017 Four-Way Test Award. The Four-Way Test Award, presented to local emergency service volunteers, recognizes local fire and ambulance volunteers within the State College area whose daily volunteer activities epitomize the “Four-Way Test”.

The “Four-Way Test” encompasses a test of the things we think, say or do, and include:

1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Ian volunteered 2,361 hours in 2016 and was selected as Centre LifeLink’s “Volunteer of the Year” for 2016. Ian received this award alongside Rob Nese from Alpha Fire Company and Denny Johnson of Boalsburg Fire Company.

A special thank you to photographer Chad McKissick and MC Jerry Fisher.

Each year, Cente LifeLink EMS recognizes staff and volunteers with an awards banquet.

Continue reading→

Centre LifeLink will be offering a special Friends and Family CPR Class on Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 3:30 pm. This class is great for new or expecting parents, grandparents, and other caregivers.

This class is being held in addition to our monthly Friends and Family class. We encourage parents to bring children along–free snacks, crafts, and other activities will be provided.

To register, please click here and use code 3-26 in the comments section of the checkout.

February 27, 2017—Trending with the previous two years, Centre LifeLink staff saw yet another increase in call volume over the State Patty’s weekend.

Centre LifeLink was dispatched to 95 calls between 6:00 pm Friday evening, through 6:00 am Sunday morning. Approximately 32% of these calls were alcohol related, meaning that the patient had overdosed on alcohol or had suffered some other illness or injury that was related to alcohol consumption.

For comparison, in 2016 Centre LifeLink responded to 75 total calls, 46 of which were alcohol related on State Patty’s weekend.

Centre LifeLink will be hosting a FREE CPR Class in recognition of National Heart Month. The class will teach the skills necessary to provide basic life support care. Adult, child, and infant modules, as well as AED use, will be covered.

Please note this is an informal class and does not yield a professional certification.

The class will be held at Centre LifeLink’s Main Station (125 Puddintown Rd, State College, PA 16801) on February 18th at 3:00 pm. Space is limited.

For more information, or to register, please email Lauren Shurgalla Lshurgalla@centrelifelink.com with your name and contact information.