As protesters in Zuccotti Park begin to settle in and set up more permanent structures, one of the first to boast the amenities of a military-grade tent with wooden flooring is the medical tent. Though the sign over the tent reads "Basic First Aid," it's open 24 hours and staffed by a rotation of several dozen medical professionals, including ER physicians, general practitioners, and registered nurses. The facility seeks to provide free care for protesters suffering everything from cuts and colds to the mental health issues that come with sleep deprivation and life in a public park in Lower Manhattan. more ›

The city's paramedics are beginning to test hypothermia therapy on cardiac arrest victims in ambulances. By injecting a chilled saline solution into the blood, which will cool the body's temperature up to nine degrees, paramedics can slow the brain's need for oxygen and buy the victim time until they arrive at the hospital. Mayor Bloomberg said, "This innovative treatment...will save lives and keep our city on the cutting edge of pre-hospital emergency medical care." The release also states, "Nearly seven out of 10 patients who received hypothermia treatment left hospitals with little or no lasting mental or physical impacts." How reassuring. more ›

Yesterday, there was a report of a water rescue at 11th Avenue and 16th Street in Manhattan, and it turns out that the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit needed to fish out a man who apparently jumped into the freezing Hudson River after dropping his coat in the water! The Daily News has a photograph of the man, Eddie Morales, who appears dazed as cops put a towel on him. more ›

Police divers rescued a woman who jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge wearing just pajamas yesterday morning. The 22-year-old Manhattan resident, whose name has not been released, leapt from the span near its midpoint into the East River just after 7 am. more ›

A woman who is believed to have possibly been chasing after her purse had to be pulled out of the East River after jumping in around 10 p.m. last night. The emotionally disturbed 23-year-old was stuck under a dock near East 30th Street after spending around twenty minutes in the water, the temperature of which hovers around 40 degrees this time of year. After struggling with police trying to pull her out, cops had to tie a rope around the woman in order to force her back onto land. She was brought to Bellevue and is in stable condition while being treated for hypothermia. She may not have made it that far had she not been spotted by a valet at the nearby Water Club restaurant. Dan Sweeney told the Post, "She didn't seem to be drunk or anything. But I really don't know what happened to her." Just earlier this week, we found a non-profit group imagining a swimmable East River, but even Kramer needed a little Hollywood magic in order to take his famous plunge in it a decade ago. more ›

A 22-year-old East Harlem man with cerebral palsy was found, suffering from hypothermia, after spending nearly a day in a freezing bus. Edwin Rivera, who doesn't speak, should have been dropped off at home yesterday afternoon, after attending a program for the disabled, but apparently the driver forgot and brought the vehicle to the bus depot in Brooklyn. WCBS 2 reports that his parents reported him missing, but the bus company didn't find him when they searched last night. His parents joined the search this morning and found him—and his mother was happy and annoyed, "I'm so relieved and I'm so mad at the bus company for leaving him. He's not a kid. He's almost 6'2" how do you miss him?" Criminal charges may be filed against the driver. more ›