A Death of Historical Significance

Anyone will tell you that St. Vincent's Hospital has always been there. Saint Vincent's rose up from the ground in Greenwich Village at the beginning of time and maintained its mission throughout the ages. Through tragedy after tragedy, historical holocaust and epidemic, Saint Vincent's persevered and led New York City through many dark times. Now it appears that no one is there to save her.

Some cultures say it's not appropriate to speak of the dead, but I will take that chance. As my EMS alma mater and the facility where I spent half my paramedic career lay dying at the hands of insurmountable debt, it was hard to imagine that's what would kill her. But I digress. For those of us who were fortunate enough to be a part of the Saint Vincent's family, there is a compelling need to share her story, her contributions, leadership and victories, particularly in the field of EMS.

It would take a thousand pages to describe what an invaluable asset Saint Vincent's has been to the people of New York City for the last 160 years. Saint Vincent's also shared its expertise with hospitals around the world. This was particularly evident in its post-9/11 activities when staff members traveled as far as Australia to share the hospital's experiences and lessons learned from the World Trade Center attacks. As one of those people, I can speak with firsthand knowledge about the difference we made to other hospitals and EMS providers on our journeys.

Following is a rather condensed version of accomplishments and responses that shaped Saint Vincent's, and particularly its emergency services, into an icon.

Saint Vincent's Hospital opened its doors in 1849, and soon became one of the first hospitals in New York City to operate an ambulance service. In 1870, the first Saint Vincent's horse-drawn ambulance hit the cobblestones. In what would remain a tradition until the very end, the Saint Vincent's Ambulance Department was born.

Even in the early years, Saint Vincent's led the way, using the first motorized ambulance in New York City in 1900. In 1911, Saint Vincent's Ambulance, manned by hospital interns, responded to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in Manhattan, where they watched helplessly as those trapped in the fire jumped to their deaths onto the street below. It was a tragic premonition of what their successors would witness 90 years later on September 11, 2001. Saint Vincent's Hospital received and treated numerous survivors of that now historic event.

In 1912, Saint Vincent's received and treated victims after the sinking of the Titanic, including Sarah Roth,¹ who married her suitor, Daniel M. Iles, while recovering at the hospital. Although this was exciting for the other hospitalized disaster survivors, Saint Vincent's was mourning the loss of an attending physician, Dr. Francis Norman O'Loughlin, who perished aboard the ship. A plaque honoring his memory still stands in the hospital's main entrance as a proud reminder of the dedication and sacrifice that our "family" has demonstrated and endured over the years.

TRANSITION TO MODERN EMS

As EMS evolved into the current system, Saint Vincent's continued to lead the way with progressive medical innovations in the realm of prehospital care. In 1968, Dr. William Grace, following the lead from a project in Ireland, introduced the first mobile cardiac care unit in New York City. This unit was staffed with a hospital team and designed to bring advanced cardiac care to the people of New York City. This shaped the future of EMS and advanced life support in the area.

In 1975, when FALN terrorists bombed Fraunces Tavern in the Wall Street area, Saint Vincent's paramedics and responders from multiple other EMS agencies transported patients to Saint Vincent's Hospital for trauma care.

Serving the Greenwich Village community during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic, Saint Vincent's became the center of the HIV battle in New York City. Throughout the early years of the emergence of the disease, when people with HIV and AIDS were being treated as modern lepers, Saint Vincent's treated those patients with dignity and respect, never losing sight of its mission.