CHICAGO — RUSH University Medical Center is looking to save lives in Chicago’s underserved communities with the help of their incoming medical students.

On their very first day of class, RUSH University medical students are already making an impact.

The concept is remarkably simple: take first year medical students the minute they walk thru the door and immediately teach them how to administer CPR or a live-saving dose of “Narcan.”

Instantly deploying a hundred highly motivated life savers on the streets of Chicago.  

“From my time here in Chicago I’ve seen that violence is a real thing and stopping the bleed could be an important thing that I have to do one day,” RUSH University medical student Zoe Bilello said.

“Time is Life” .. their instructors say .. when somebody is suffering from an opioid overdose.  

“someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds.”

As an advanced EMT in Houston, Texas .. Sam Shuman saw a glaring need.   Developing an educational outreach program .. teaching simple life-saving skills.  Later bringing the concept to RUSH University Medical Center. 

“in Chicago the average time it takes for an ambulance to reach an emergency is 8 to 10 minutes,” RUSH 9-1-1 program founder Samuel Shuman said. “We can bridge that with pre-hospital education and we can make the difference.”

The perfect illustration that RUSH medical student Ade Thompson said what happened last year to Buffalo bills defensive back Damar Hamlin who almost died on the field.

“I’m happy that I am learning to be able to help,” Thompson said. “CPR saved his life. If they weren’t people around who knew how to do it he wouldn’t be here today.”

“It is exactly what we should be doing,” RUSH University Medical Center EMS Director Dr. Nicholas Cozzi. “In the emergency department we are reactive to what comes in from the outside.  This is a forward thinking approach by young enthusiastic medical students happy to serve.”

Dr. Cozzi said he has equipped his medical students with 144 doses of Narcan and a portable first aid kit they can carry around in their back packs ready to react to an emergency.

For more information on the RUSH 911 Program, click here or email RUSH911@Rush.edu.