Our History

ERASE (Emergency Room Advice, Safety and Education) was founded by Dr. Louis M. Profeta and Dr. James Nevin. Dr. Profeta and Dr. Nevin are full-time, practicing Emergency Physicians at St. Vincent Hospital of Indianapolis, one of Indiana’s highest acuity Emergency Departments. In 1996, following an ice storm in the middle of influenza season, the Emergency Departments throughout the city of Indianapolis were overwhelmed with orthopedic injuries requiring operative repair. In the midst of a catastrophic influenza epidemic, the entire health care of the city of Indianapolis was in absolute jeopardy.

Dr. Profeta and Dr. Nevin were so astounded by the number of injuries suffered by the elderly, many who ultimately died due to their falls, that they set out on an ambitious campaign to raise awareness for injury prevention, and other health issues that could be identified through the ER. They sought to find the source of preventative health care problems within the community, to formulate plans of attack, provide volunteers, and fund campaigns of preventative medicine. Some of their partners in the their own private ER group feel Dr. Profeta and Dr. Nevin have done more to reduce ER revenue, through injury prevention, than any cuts in Medicare. ERASE is a 501 (c) (3) tax deductible organization, whose mission is public safety, preventative medicine and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.