Dateline: May 13, 2004
Grant provides $43k for new ambulance
By
Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise
A
new ambulance will soon be added to the fleet of the Associated Ambulance
Authority at no cost to Donley County taxpayers, thanks to a grant from
the Amarillo Area Foundation.
The
foundation board voted April 27 to approve a grant from the Lawrence R.
Hagy Fund in the amount of $43,679 for the purpose of purchasing a new
Type III ambulance.
“We’re
thrilled,” said authority Director of Operations Anita Aaron.
“Everyone worked really hard to make this happen. This will be good for
all of Donley County.”
Aaron
also expressed her appreciation for the foundation.
“Without
the Amarillo Area Foundation’s support, services such as ours wouldn’t
be able to afford the caliber of equipment we have,” she said. “They
are so very generous.”
The
grant will be combined with a $35,000 grant from the Texas Department of
Health (TDH) that the authority received last November. That award was the
highest possible level of funding under the TDH Local Project Grant
program, and it was received after the authority had only 30 to 45 days to
fill out an application that was more complex than previous applications.
The
ambulance service operates a total of three ambulances under the authority
of the Donley County Hospital District. The two grants, combined with a
trade-in value, will allow the oldest of the three ambulances to be
replaced.
District
Administrator Alan Graham said obtaining the grant was the result of the
efforts of the hospital board and many district employees and said it will
help improve the service the district provides.
“This
grant will enable us to have three ambulances that will be low-mileage and
will be dependable in providing the highest quality of care to the people
of Donley County,” he said. “Best of all, we were able to do this
without incurring any debt.”
The district is already in the process of taking bids on the new ambulance. Those will be opened Monday for possible action by the hospital board on Tuesday.