VIDEO: Cooper EMS 10th Anniversary of Serving Camden
(CAMDEN, NJ) — Cooper University Health Care’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is celebrating 10 years of providing emergency medical services to the City of Camden. The anniversary marks a decade of faster response times, integrated and innovative care, and strong community partnerships.
Since launching operations in January 2016, Cooper EMS has rapidly responded to hundreds of thousands of emergency calls across Camden. The team has consistently met one of the most critical benchmarks in emergency medical care: arriving on scene for advanced life support (ALS) calls in under eight minutes more than 90% of the time.
“Cooper was founded in Camden almost 140 years ago with a clear mission: to serve this community with excellence, compassion, and innovation, especially in moments when care matters most,”said George E. Norcross III, chairman of Cooper University Health Care’s Board of Trustees.“For the past decade, Cooper EMS has embodied that mission every single day—delivering faster, more coordinated emergency medical care, improving outcomes, and strengthening trust across neighborhoods throughout the city. Cooper’s EMS team’s record of success reflects not only their clinical excellence, but their deep and enduring commitment to the people of Camden.”
Before Cooper assumed responsibility for EMS operations, basic life support (BLS) and ALS services were provided by separate organizations, and ALS response times often exceeded 10 minutes. Under Cooper’s integrated EMS model, ALS units now consistently arrive within the critical eight-minute window in more than 90% of calls, a standard the program has sustained for nearly a decade.
“Ten years ago, Cooper made a commitment to Camden residents that we would improve emergency response times and expand emergency services in the city,” said Kevin O’Dowd, JD, co-CEO of Cooper University Health Care. “Through disciplined planning, strong partnerships, and an unwavering focus on patient care, the Cooper EMS team has delivered on that commitment year after year—setting a consistent standard of excellence for emergency medical services in the city.”
“Our EMTs, paramedics, EMS physicians, and fellows provide exceptional care every day in some of the most challenging environments,” said Anthony Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE, co-CEO of Cooper University Health Care. “Since its founding, Cooper EMS has been an innovator in emergency medical services—setting new standards in response times, clinical integration, and community-based care, and serving as a model for EMS systems nationwide. They are saving lives in Camden and shaping the future of emergency care across the country.”
Cooper EMS has also played a leading role in addressing the opioid crisis. In 2019, Cooper EMS—working with Cooper’s Division of Addiction Medicine—launched a first-in-the-nation pilot allowing paramedics to administer buprenorphine to patients experiencing acute withdrawal after opioid overdose reversal. The program, approved by the New Jersey Commissioner of Health, has since served as a national model.
The Cooper EMS team provides extensive community outreach, education, and training, including Stop the Bleed programs for first responders, schools, community organizations, and residents. Over the past decade, Cooper EMS has been featured extensively in local, regional, and national media—including CBS Saturday Morning and CNN—for its innovation in emergency medical services, clinical leadership, and commitment to community-centered care.