Brown University Emergency Medical Services (BEMS) provides basic and advanced emergency medical care for medical emergencies, available by calling the Brown emergency number at 401-863-4111. The organization also provides a range of other services, including Campus Event Coverage, Wellness Wagon, and AEDs on Campus.
Division of Campus Life
Emergency Medical Services
Campus Services
Emergency Services
Call 401-863-4111 to request Brown University Emergency Medical Services (BEMS) for campus emergency care and medical assistance, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Reasons to call EMS include but are not limited to:
- Difficulty breathing
- Major bleeding
- Obvious major injury
- Injury that impairs mobility
- Loss of consciousness or unresponsiveness
- Diminished consciousness or mental confusion
- Severe pain — of sudden onset, of unknown cause, or of long duration
- Alcohol or other drug intoxication
- Sexual assault
The BEMS ambulance responds to requests for emergency aid and can provide prehospital care and transport to a hospital as indicated. In the event that BEMS is already engaged, backup response is coordinated with a private EMS and/or the Providence Fire Department EMS.
Cost of EMS Services:
BEMS does not bill for patient care or transport provided by our volunteer service. Emergency responses and ambulance transports are offered at no cost to students, similar to doctor’s appointments at Health Services.
In a true emergency requiring hospital or other emergency resources, patients will be billed by the hospital for the cost of their hospital care and by any additional non-Brown EMS resources required to manage the emergency.
Please note: A physician group in the local hospital system uses the name Brown Emergency Medicine. They are hospital emergency physicians and have no affiliation with BEMS. If you receive a bill from BEM or Brown Emergency Medicine, that is a hospital bill and not from the BEMS campus ambulance service.
Campus Event Coverage Request
Requests for medical coverage at on-campus events can be made by submitting the Coverage Request Form. Please provide a minimum of two weeks notice for small events and eight weeks for major campus or recurring events requiring significant planning. We do not typically staff events during the winter and summer breaks.
Learn more about Special Events Coverage Fees.
Wellness Wagon
Brown EMS offers non-emergency transportation to Health and Wellness related appointments both on and off campus. Learn about our Wellness Wagon service.
AEDs on Campus
EMS has partnered with departments on Campus to ensure that life saving AEDs are available in as many campus buildings as possible. Click on the map below to learn where AEDs are available on campus and take few minutes to learn what an AED is and how to use one. Anyone can use an AED to save a life.
