The Sociolance Is an EMS Concept in Copenhagen City

A Sociolance van parked outside.
Photos provided by the author.

By Jess Millner

A Sociolance (a contraction of social and ambulance) is an outgoing EMS team of both health and social workers who provide help to socially vulnerable people.

The Sociolance is intended for serious or acute situations that do not require an actual ambulance with emergency services.

The Sociolance is a supplementary offer for socially vulnerable citizens in the City of Copenhagen who primarily need social work efforts.

The employees combine their social and health professional competencies into a joint effort to uncover the citizen’s needs and refer them to the right services.

The tasks of the Sociolance include:

  1. To provide basic health care that does not require urgent intervention
  2. To seek out socially disadvantaged people and mediate contact with the right offers, e.g.:
    • Drop-in centers, hostels and night-cafés
    • Advisory services
    • Treatment at a hospital or by your own doctor
    • Support contact person
    • Housing advice

The Sociolance does not respond as an emergency unit and is not a replacement for an ambulance. If the employees assess that there is a need for an urgent health care effort for a vulnerable citizen, an ambulance will always be called.

The Sociolance runs every day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. It is staffed by:

  • A social worker from the City of Copenhagen’s Social Administration
  • A paramedic from the Capital Region of Denmark’s Emergency Response Team (EMS Copenhagen)

Further Reading

Project Sociolance on wheels to assist the socially marginalised

The Sociolance: A mobile clinic requested through emergency medical dispatch center serving socially vulnerable and homeless people in the Capital City of Denmark

Television Reports-TV2, 4. Episodes (in Danish)

About the Author

Jess Millner has a broad and long-standing background in both the Danish emergency services and firefighting. He previously served as a firefighter with the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George County (MD) for many years.

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