Leaders of the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps (BEMCo) say they have been inundated with illegitimate calls in recent months which they say has contributed to a drain of resources.BEMCo Director Jonathan Sham '06 said non-emergency calls are made during all hours of the night, including complaints of minor health problems such as flu-like symptoms, stomach aches, headaches or stubbed fingers.

Supervising Director Julie Goldman '06 said that there have been 151 calls so far this year, and five percent of them have been illegitimate requests. But Sham places the tally closer to 15 to 20 percent, saying that although this problem has always existed, it worsened significantly last semester.

BEMCo volunteers attribute the erroneous calls to a misunderstanding among students of their organization's purpose.

According to Sham, the frequent espousal of the BEMCo service by professors, quad directors and community advisers has resulted in student perception of BEMCo as a "ride service to the hospital" or a "mobile health center."

Sham cites from the mission statement for clarification, which states that BEMCo is "dedicated to providing emergency medical care on the Brandeis University campus."

He said that students tend to view BEMCo differently than an ambulatory care service because fellow students run the organization. But he said BEMCo is strictly meant for emergency care and is equipped with the same devices as ambulances.

"We don't think that [students are] trying to do anything malicious..." Sham added. "They're just away from home and they don't have their mommies and daddies to take care of them."

Claudia Funez '08 said she would call BEMCo for any "random sickness" like a stomachache or an unusual number of headaches. She said she sees BEMCo as a substitute for care she would normally receive at home.

"In my perspective, when you're feeling sick, your mom gives [you] something," Funez said. "On campus, you have to go out and look for your own help."

But BEMCo volunteers said that their purpose is not to handle common health issues.

"We're not doctors or nurses and we can't prescribe medications," Sham said. "We're just there to handle the situations by stabilizing and transporting patients."

But he also added that BEMCo can be used as a transportation service to the hospital as a last resort for those without alternate transportation, such as friends with cars.

A BEMCo team consists of three people and a supervisor. When additional calls are received, one of the members has to leave the group

Elan J. Schefflein '06, a BEMCo Emergency Medical Technician, said "[the misguided calls] de-legitimatize us as an EMT organization."

"BEMCo is a great resource for the community," Goldman said. "We're so happy that we can be there to help people out, but our members lose enthusiasm when we get tons of calls that really aren't emergencies."

Schefflein said that, when in a bind over whether to call BEMCo, it's always better to err on the side of safety. But he said that a good question to ask yourself is, "'If I were outside of the Brandeis bubble, would I call 911 for this?'