Newest ‘Duck Pluckers’ ambulance ready to roll at Alton Memorial
The rubber now meets the road with another new Alton Memorial Hospital ambulance, thanks to the $110,000 raised at the 11th annual Duck Pluckers, Deer Skinners & Fish Hookers Ball earlier this year.
EMS manager Jason Bowman showed the new vehicle to AMH senior leaders, sponsors and members of the Duck Pluckers Committee during a brief ceremony Sept. 23 adjacent to the hospital’s Healing Garden.
“These ambulances have state-of-the-art equipment that helps us take care of our patients in the best way possible,” Bowman said. “We are very appreciative of our hospital leadership and the Duck Pluckers Committee. We could not do this without them.”
The new ambulances are equipped with:
• Zoll cardiac monitors and Bluetooth technology that allows for EKG testing while the ambulance is on the way to the hospital;
• A Stryker PowerPro hydraulic lift stretcher rated for 750 pounds of total weight;
• A Stryker PowerLoad system rated for more than 1,200 pounds;
• A HoverMatt, which is a single patient use air transfer system;
• A DefibTech automated CPR device used for continuous compressions in a patient suffering from cardiac arrest;
• And a Stryker Stair Pro used for moving patients down stairways.
More than 350 people attended the Duck Pluckers Ball on June 1 at Nilo Farms in Brighton.
“The event is a testament to strong community support,” said AMH President Dave Braasch. “It is more evidence of the community standing tall to ensure access to the very best emergency medical care and that state-of-the-art ambulances are here when needed.”
During the past 10 years, Duck Pluckers ambulances at AMH have made more than 82,000 trips. Out of those, 5,000 patients were treated for chest pain and 450 patients were in cardiac arrest.
“Bluetooth technology allows us to do 12-lead EKGs from anywhere — a home, business or on the road,” said Bowman. “The EKG can be transmitted to a doctor at any hospital in the greater Alton area before the patient arrives in the Emergency Department. This critical information helps the doctor determine if the patient is having an active heart attack so treatment can begin immediately on arrival.”
AMH ambulance services, which marked 30 years of service in 2018, cover a 350-square-mile area.
— From Alton Memorial Hospital
PHOTO BOTTOM: Alton Memorial Hospital and Alton Memorial Health Services Foundation Board members, sponsors, Duck Pluckers Committee members, and hospital senior leaders got a look at the newest ‘Duck Pluckers’ ambulance on Sept. 23.
TOP: EMS manager Jason Bowman, center, and squad leader Jared Brooks lift paramedic Meghan Osterbur on a power stretcher as a demonstration of what the new Duck Pluckers ambulance can do.
