Sea Tow Services International, Inc., has formed an alliance with StarMD, LLC to provide direct, accredited medical assistance to recreational boaters who may experience a medical emergency while out at sea. As part of the exclusive agreement, Sea Tow members will be offered immediate 24-hour a day access to StarMD’s trained emergency medical physicians at a significantly reduced price. Effective immediately, Sea Tow members will have the opportunity to access the Maritime Emergency Response Program, established in 2002 between StarMD and The University of Pittsburgh’s Medical Center (UPMC) that puts boaters in immediate contact with a board certified emergency medicine physician at UPMC in the event of an emergency. Once contacted, the physician decides whether immediate medical attention is needed and triages the patient until further medical care can be provided. The physician then works with StarMD to determine how to direct the patient to the nearest hospital if necessary. According to Paul Paris, M.D., professor and chairman of the department of emergency medicine at UPMC, “When faced with an emergency situation, one’s gut reaction on how to help friends and loved ones are often incorrect, though very well intended. Our physicians remove the guess work and help both the patients and their loved ones take the appropriate next steps at the time when it’s most critical – as soon as it happens.” “In my experience, the delay associated with waiting to be connected to a medical expert can sometimes be the difference between life and death,” explained Captain Joe Frohnhoefer, Founder and CEO of Sea Tow Services International. “In an emergency situation at sea, the ability to dial an emergency physician directly for advice is absolutely invaluable. Partnering with StarMD, and the UPMC, significantly enhances our commitment to our members’ safety at sea and lets our boaters focus, instead, on having fun.”