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Continued from page t emergency medical technicians. In the entire United States, only seven percent of ambulance attendants are certified paramedics making the ratio in northern Illinois over­ whelming by comparison. For example, In Chicago there are 48 MICU vehicles to take care of nearly four million people in 200 square miles. McHenry County and western Lake County are protected by 39 MICU vehicles for a service area of 250,000 people, making this locale one of the best protected regions in the nation for emergency care. Through the telemetry unit, the rescue squads with mobile intensive care units can provide advanced cardiac monitoring, defibrillation, drug therapy, and intervention to stabilize a patient This & because they are in constant contact with the emergency .. physician and the patient's vital signs are transmitted over radio channels to the emergency department. At NIMC, the new emergency department is on the south side of the building, out of line of the flow of regular hospital traffic. There are four trauma beds and 13 regular emergency room beds. In addition to constant coverage by emergency specialists, there are surgeons on call 24 hours a day, the ability to treat pediatric emergencies, rapid helicopter access to a burn center, and. advanced technological equip­ ment to treat victims of Car­ diopulmonary illnesses or accidents. The medical center's fifth floor is devoted to medical, surgical and coronary intensive care, another factor important to trauma center status. ̂ There is emergency ophthalmology equipment, expanded medical imaging services, a fully-equipped laboratory, and Poisindex, so that NIMC serves as a poison treatment center as well. Victims of rape, abuse or other social crises can be physically treated and also receive assistance in connecting with a resource group to aid them following release from the hospital. In addition, NIMC is the area resource hospital for handling community disasters. Whether a person has bruises and a minor fracture, is a victim of a serious accident, or suspects they are having a heart attack, the NIMC trauma center is capable of handling the emergency. The efforts of emergency physicians and their staffs have resulted in increased numbers of lives saved each year. The area of preventive medicine within emergency medicine is also growing, as emergency physicians develop programs to educate potential patients about drunk driving, child restraints and seat bealts, and methods of protectiqg children from accidental poisonings. £: The Northern Illinois Medical Center is a resource hospital, responsible for the training of 14 area rescue squads. NORTHERN ILLINOIS 1 MEDICAL CENTER TRADITION SINCE 1888 , INSTITUTIONAL TEXTILES 5245 West 73id Street Bedford Park, Illinois 60638 (312)594-9500 -LAMEST MSimmtNAI TEXTILE COMPANY N NORTHERN ILLINOIS' A NORTHERN ILLINOIS MEDICAL CENTER knufch"- SINCE 1929 OFFICE OUTFITTERS McHenry County's Largest Supplier of: • OFFICE SUPPLIES *. • OFFICE MACHINES • OFFICE FURNITURE 338-3535 Woodstock, Illinois