A new partnership between Battle Creek’s Lifecare Ambulance Service and Western Michigan University’s Homer Stryker School of Medicine has now been announced.

In a press conference Wednesday, Lifecare CEO Ron Slagell said that the two organizations have come together to establish an annual Emergency Medical Services fellowship. The funds are held as an endowment in the Battle Creek Community Foundation; BCCF CEO Brenda Hunt said that "Battle Creek is on a comeback, make no doubt about that", and that she hopes it can become a city known for medical innovation once again.

The fellowship provides funding and opportunities for a WMed student to work with Lifecare on a research project in the EMS field, and potentially have their research published. The first recipient, student Raphael Szymanski, is researching the effectiveness of mechanical CPR machines in emergency situations, as compared to traditional CPR treatment. Click the video below to see Symanski describe his plans in further detail.

Also at the event, the Battle Creek Fire Department provided a demonstration of a mechanical CPR device.

The goal for this fellowship is to assist a student every year.

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