About our Patient Bill of Rights:

The Allentown EMS Patient of Bill of Rights is a pledge of excellence to you, our patient and our customer. We know that you may be calling on us for the first time and you should know what to expect from us. Not only will we strive to provide you with medical care consistent with our approved protocols, we also pledge to you that we will treat you with compassion, dignity and respect.

We only ask one thing of you, and that is to cooperate with our crews and answer any questions that they may ask as best you can. Or if you are caring for someone else who cannot speak, that you assist our crew by helping us understand the medical emergency. 

We can do our best to help only when we fully understand the situation.

City of Allentown Emergency Medical Services Patient Bill of Rights

As a patient and a customer of ours, you have the right to expect a level of service from us that balances the emergency situation with compassion and appropriate care. If you have any questions or comments about our service you are encouraged to call our bureau manager at  610-437-7531.

Allentown EMS pledges to you that: 

1. All responding personnel (paramedics, EMTs, fire fighters, etc) will be polite, compassionate, empathic and soft spoken, respectful and well-mannered.
2. Our personnel will be clean, neat, dressed in the appropriate uniform, and will look professional.
3. Our personnel will introduce themselves to you by first name. They will provide you with a Medic ID number to identify them if you ask. They are not required to provide their last name or any other personal information; this is for the safety of our staff.
4. Appropriate medical equipment and supplies will be brought to your side by our personnel based on your medical condition as reported to us by our 911 center.
5. We will begin immediate treatment in your home or where you became ill or injured, if necessary. Appropriate ongoing care will be provided to you based on our medical expertise while following our prescribed protocols. We will do our best to clean up after ourselves without compromising your immediate care.
6. Our personnel will explain to you or your family what is being done to assist you, and we will answer any questions you may have about your treatment.
7. When required, you will be placed and properly secured on a clean stretcher with fresh sheets and wheeled as smoothly as possible to the ambulance and then through the emergency department. Your privacy, modesty and comfort will be our concern.
8. We will never use any method to discourage you from seeking further medical treatment at the closest appropriate hospital if you wish to be transported.
9. You will be transported in a clean and well-equipped ambulance to the hospital destination of your choice, provided that this hospital is within our catchment area, there is no inclement weather or severe strain on the EMS system, the hospital is not on Divert Status and that your condition does not warrant a special facility. You will be advised of any of these circumstances by our personnel.
10. That your belongings, including clothing, valuables, and medications transported with you will be documented on our reports along with whom in the emergency department those items were given.

 You have the responsibility to cooperate with our personnel so we can provide the best and correct type of care for you.