Senator William T. Stachowski

ASSISTANT MINORITY LEADER FOR FLOOR OPERATIONS
58th SENATE DISTRICT - ERIE COUNTY, NY

For Immediate Release:
September 3, 1998

Senator William Stachowski announces $49,500 grant for SMART.	Anthony J. Billittier IV, MD discusses the potential uses for SMART.	Fr. Joe Bayne, Erie County EMS Chaplain, blesses SMART-1.	Senator William Stachowski speaks to the media concerning SMART.

A new tool in treating the seriously injured was unveiled on Thursday, September 3rd at 11:00 AM at the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) emergency department when Senator Bill Stachowski (D-Buffalo) announced state funding for Erie County's Specialized Medical Assistance Response Team (SMART). The SMART team consists of a specialized medical staff of doctors and medical personnel that will respond to disaster scenes or unusual emergencies.

Senator Stachowski said the SMART team offers a unique opportunity for local police, fire and EMS agencies to take advantage of advanced level care typically found only in a hospital setting. "The team of advanced emergency medical personnel available to these agencies will consist of physicians, physician assistants, emergency nurses and other specially trained support staff. They will serve "on-call" in the event of any serious medical trauma.

What's even more unique though, is the fact that the SMART team is sponsored by the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) School of Medicine and Biomedical Services. It's their responsibility to provide training for an emergency medicine residency program. Physicians provided by ECMC will offer their services free of charge when responding with the SMART team.

"Originally, we felt the SMART team would be a valuable tool in aiding local SWAT teams that often face immediate danger when conducting raids or other operations" the Senator noted. "But when we looked at the bigger picture, we saw that the SMART team could use its resources in many other situations."

Headed up by Dr. Anthony Billittier of ECMC's Department of Emergency Medicine, the SMART team will enable our future doctors to obtain valuable experience while offering those responding to medical emergencies much needed expertise and assistance. "It's a win-win situation for all concerned, and I'm "very pleased that we in State government can play such an important role" Stachowski added.

The SMART team has already responded to several incidents in Erie County, having received seed funding from the physicians and staff in the program. The $49,500 being delivered by Senator Stachowski will expand upon those efforts.