Featured Image: East Allen EMS past president Michele Morrow (left holding check) presented a check for $26,960 to Marianne Kostenbader (right holding check) of LVHN’s George E. Moerkirk Emergency Medicine Institute (EMI) that will support a scholarship fund for emergency medical technician (EMT) students going through the EMI program.

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. (Sept. 6, 2024) —The East Allen Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps (East Allen EMS), which shut down in July 2023, today donated some of the assets from its liquidation to the George E. Moerkirk Emergency Medicine Institute (EMI) at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN).

East Allen EMS past president Michele Morrow delivered a check for $26,960 to EMI that officials say will be used to set up a scholarship fund for emergency medical technician (EMT) students going through the EMI program.

“Over the years, many of our members trained at and received their EMT certification through EMI,” Morrow said. “As such, we have selected EMI to receive a financial donation as part of our final service to the community.”

Morrow said East Allen EMS provided dedicated 911 service to East Allen Township and surrounding communities for 45 years before having to close its doors. She said as part of the dissolution process, the board of directors decided to best honor the organization’s legacy by continuing its core beliefs in giving back to the community.

The George E. Moerkirk Emergency Medicine Institute at LVHN holds three EMT classes per year to train individuals who would like to become an EMT. An EMT is a first responder who provides emergency medical care and transportation for patients outside of the hospital setting and is the building block for pre-hospital emergency medical services. The EMT Program consists of both didactic and hands-on training. EMT training is approximately 120–150 hours in length.

EMI director Marianne Kostenbader, BSN, RN, says this is the 41st year EMI has conducted EMT classes. To date this year, 47 out of 49 students have successfully completed the EMT course. Once a student successfully completes the written and psychomotor exam, they are eligible for hire by an EMS organization to either volunteer or work as an EMT.

Kostenbader said scholarships from the East Allen Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps will be awarded to two students in each class who have achieved the highest grade-point average at the end of the course. Tuition for the EMT class helps pay for books, supplies and instructor fees associated with the course.

About Jefferson 
Lehigh Valley Health Network is now proudly part of Jefferson Health. Nationally ranked, Jefferson, which is principally located in the greater Philadelphia region, Lehigh Valley and northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value. Jefferson is more than 65,000 people strong, dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow’s professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 32 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans is a not-for-profit managed health care organization providing a broad range of health coverage options in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 35 years.

 

Information and image provided to TVL by:
Brian Downs