Medical Amnesty, Good Samaritan Reporting Program Covered in BDN Piece

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

June 3, 2015 UMaine in the News

The Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan reporting program at the University of Maine was mentioned in a Bangor Daily News article about a bill aimed at encouraging minors to seek help for alcohol poisoning that its supporters say is at risk of being vetoed. Rep. Joyce Maker, a Calais Republican and member of the education committee, said in the article she sponsored LD 263, An Act To Provide a Minor with a Defense to Prosecution in a Situation That Involves Risk of Alcohol Overdose, to help save lives. Maker said in the article she put the bill forward after being asked to do so by Old Town school board member Lee Jackson, a UMaine political science student. Robert Dana, UMaine’s vice president for student life and dean of students, spoke about a similar policy the university began in 2010. The Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan reporting program is a campuswide undertaking that encourages students to report extremely intoxicated classmates, the article states. “You don’t want a minor saying, ‘I’m not going to call because the cops [could arrest me].’ You want them saying, ‘I’m going to help. I’m going to call and help save someone’s life,’” Dana said.