Cooper University Health Care EMS Celebrates 10 Years of Serving the City of Camden
Cooper University Health Care EMS Celebrates 10 Years of Serving the City of Camden
ALS Response Times Under 8 Minutes More Than 90% of the Time, Year After Year
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.
PROGRAM PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
2016
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 26,843
- ALS Dispatches: 11,761
- BLS Dispatches: 26,184
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 90.23%
2017
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 28,443
- ALS Dispatches: 13,078
- BLS Dispatches: 28,008
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 90.0%
2018
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 32,410
- ALS Dispatches: 14,701
- BLS Dispatches: 31,109
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 90.0%
2019
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 29,754
- ALS Dispatches: 12,922
- BLS Dispatches: 29,145
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 91.79%
2020
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 27,684
- ALS Dispatches: 12,142
- BLS Dispatches: 26,073
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 91.99%
2021
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 28,587
- ALS Responses: 13,220
- BLS Responses: 27,956
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 91.93%
2022
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 27,314
- ALS Responses: 12,529
- BLS Responses: 26,475
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 91.46%
2023
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 27,585
- ALS Responses: 11,862
- BLS Responses: 26,274
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 91.46%
2024
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 28,034
- ALS Responses: 12,135
- BLS Responses: 25,811
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 91.4%
2025
- Unique EMS Incident Dispatches: 30,301
- ALS Responses: 13,155
- BLS Responses: 28,662
- ALS arrival < 8 minutes: 91.8%
About Cooper University Health Care
Cooper University Health Care is a leading academic health system affiliated with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Cooper, headquartered in Camden, New Jersey, has revenues of more than $2.4 billion and an A+ credit rating from both S&P Global and Fitch Ratings.
Cooper has nearly 14,000 team members, including nearly 1,600 nurses, more than 1,000 employed physicians representing 95 specialties and subspecialties, and more than 700 advanced practice providers.
Cooper operates MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper as well as three hospitals – its 663-bed flagship Cooper University Hospital in Camden, its 229-bed Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional in Cape May Court House, and Children’s Regional Hospital also in Camden.
Cooper University Hospital in Camden is the only Level 1 trauma center in South Jersey and the busiest in the region. The hospital has been recognized as a top-performing regional hospital by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals annual survey for six years.
More than 2.4 million patients visit Cooper’s facilities annually. Cooper’s ambulatory network encompasses three outpatient surgery centers, several urgent care centers, a wound care center, and more than 130 physician, physical therapy, and radiology offices extending from the Delaware River to the New Jersey shore.
Cooper was named one of America’s Best Large Employers for 2025 by Forbes, ranking among the top 200 in the nation. Visit CooperHealth.org to learn more.
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