What We Do
Saving lives today . . . . building lives for tomorrow.
BSVAC, the national’s first minority volunteer ambulance corps, was founded in 1988 in response to the crisis in emergency medical services afflicting America’s minority communities, including Bedford-Stuyvesant. BSVAC’s mission is two-fold: to save lives and help build lives.
The centerpiece of BSVAC’s activities is its volunteer ambulance service. BSVAC is the busiest volunteer ambulance service for its size in the nation. In order to run the ambulance service, trained volunteers must be available. From its inception, BSVAC has been committed to training community residents. Thus, there is a critical synergy between the two components of BSVAC’s mission: by training individuals to deliver emergency medical care, BSVAC in effect “grows” the trained volunteers it needs to run its ambulance service. In addition, by providing training opportunities, BSVAC enables its volunteers to secure employment.
BSVAC’s current program services include:
Saving Lives -- Emergency Medical Services
- Ambulance service (emergency and non-emergency transport)
- Trauma cars
- Medical station/ambulance stand-by for events (e.g., concerts in park)
- Neighborhood first-aid station
- Blood pressure readings
- Participation in wellness fairs
Building Lives -- Training and Workforce Development
- CPR – First Aid – First Responder training
- EMT course sponsorship / EMT recertification
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Community service placements
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Trauma Troopers/Youth Corps (includes CPR/first aid training)
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High school programs (including full EMT sponsorship high-school
program)
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Volunteer service – dispatching and/or riding BSVAC ambulance
