AtlantiCare 2025 Annual Report

Heroes on Every Call: AtlantiCare EMS is Saving Lives Across South Jersey

When someone calls 911, the person who arrives could be the difference between life and death. Every day, our teams are on the front lines of medical emergencies, responding with speed, clinical expertise and compassion. In 2025, AtlantiCare Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to tens of thousands of emergencies across the region, from heart attacks and car crashes to strokes and roadside baby deliveries. Our EMS team ensures patients begin receiving critical care the moment help arrives. We are the only health system in Atlantic and Cape May Counties that operates both Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) units. That means we send the right level of help every time. BLS crews are often first on the scene, providing fast, lifesaving basics like CPR and early medications to stabilize patients in the minutes that matter most. ALS paramedics are highly trained to perform advanced procedures in the field, ensuring patients with complex, life-threatening conditions begin receiving critical care even before they reach the emergency department. This year, AtlantiCare finalized preparation for the use of whole blood on paramedic units. Our paramedics have completed specialized training to support this level of care, which has the potential to improve outcomes for patients experiencing severe blood loss following a serious injury. This capability is reserved only for EMS systems that meet the highest clinical standards, reflecting AtlantiCare’s commitment to delivering advanced care to the communities we serve.

From left: Mark Jeffries, Chris Heacock, Vince White, Doug Calladonato, Randy Bishop, Dr. Brett Greenfield, Stephen Napoli

287 EMS BY THE NUMBERS Total Team Size

An AtlantiCare EMS Cardiac Survival Story

Number of Vehicles & Helicopters in Operation 25

Number of Calls Received 80,000

When Hammonton resident Doug Calladonato felt a strange “hot flash” in his chest in February, he brushed it off. When it happened again in March, his wife urged him to call his doctor. At 53, Doug knew enough to take his symptoms seriously. Just days before his appointment for a cardiac stress test, Doug collapsed at the Atlantic City Convention Center. He had gone into sudden cardiac arrest. A coworker immediately began CPR and onsite medical staff quickly joined in. Despite their efforts Doug remained unresponsive. When AtlantiCare EMS arrived on the scene they immediately recognized the severity of Doug’s situation and made a critical decision to use double sequential external defibrillation. This highly specialized, rarely used technique delivers two defibrillator shocks in rapid succession. The team continued Advanced Life Support as Doug, still without a response for nearly 30 minutes, was secured for transport. And then… a rhythm appeared. A heartbeat. A chance. Doug was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Mainland Campus, the region’s only 24/7 cardiac emergency intervention facility. 48 hours later, Doug woke up in the hospital with no memories of the traumatic event. A few days later, he was well enough to go home. Doug continues to navigate the effects of prolonged cardiac arrest but as a first responder himself, he knows that as miraculous as his survival was, it’s no miracle at all. He credits it entirely to the first responders who refused to give up. “The right people with the right training were in the right place with the right technology” he says. “It wasn’t good luck. It was the first responders who went above and beyond to help me even when the outcome looked bleak.” Months later, Doug visited the AtlantiCare EMS Operations Center to meet Vince and Randy, two of the paramedics who saved his life. He shook their hands, hugged them, and told them the words he had repeated many times since his recovery: “I’m here because somebody tried, somebody trained, somebody cared.”

COMMUNITIES SERVED:

ALS : all of Atlantic & Cape May counties

BLS : Folsom, Hammonton, Mullica, Linwood, Northfield, Dennis Twp., Middle Twp., Lower Twp.

AtlantiCare 2025 Annual Report 26

AtlantiCare 2025 Annual Report 27