HealthEast Medical Transportation (HEMT), one of the Upper Midwest’s leading providers of emergency medical care, marked the official opening of its new 46,000-foot headquarters August 18, 2010 with dignitaries celebrating HEMT’s contributions to communities, patients and St. Paul’s East Side.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman hailed HealthEast Care System’s redevelopment of the former 3M property at 799 Reaney Avenue, which covers 46 acres.

Coleman was joined by Louis Jambois, president of the St. Paul Port Authority – which helped facilitate the project – as HEMT opened the leading-edge facilities for education, communication, vehicle services and more.

"At HealthEast, our motto is 'a passion for caring and service.' And HealthEast Medical Transportation brings that creed to life in so many ways," said Brad Anderson, HEMT system director. "We provide expert medical care to people when they need it most and that’s during an emergency.  We are training the EMS workforce to meet the high standards patients deserve in a crisis."

The new facilities include a training center that can hold up to 150 students in the HEMT EMS Academy, an emergency communications center at the forefront of technology, a service center for HEMT vehicles as well as consumer vehicles and fleet clients, as well as administrative offices.

"The people who will benefit the most from what happens inside this building will never see the inside of this building. It’s the education and training and the professional services that will serve them from the moment the call for emergency medical services comes in to the moment we bring patients to the hospitals," said Ann Schrader, HealthEast’s chief operating officer.

HEMT employs more than 120 full-time employees and transports more than 30,000 patients yearly.

HealthEast provides emergency 911 ambulance services for 10 communities in the northern half of Dakota County. Opening of the new facility coincides with HEMT’s centennial, having grown out of the former Olson Ambulance Service, which began in 1910. 

The project created work for more than 50 employers, nearly all local. The facility also incorporates environmentally sound principles into its design.

CONTACT
Allison Sandve
HealthEast Communications/Public Relations
ajsandve@healtheast.org
Phone: 651-326-1399
Pager: 651-864-2001