On Tuesday, Feb. 23, representatives from UPMC, Susquehanna Regional EMS, and the PPL Foundation unveiled UPMC’s Special Response Vehicle, a new resource for emergency response in northcentral Pennsylvania.
“Today has been a long time coming for our region,” said Jim Slotterback, manager, Emergency Preparedness, UPMC in the North Central Region. “Within the last decade we’ve seen a significant increase in demand for special resources like this vehicle across the state and locally. It not only addresses a vulnerability of mass transportation and care in emergency situations, but it also supports community health, education, and outreach.
The Special Response Vehicle is an emergency use bus that can hold 15 patients on stretchers, 10 wheelchair patients, or a combination of both, while also providing a safe environment for emergency medical providers to administer care.
The vehicle design is easily reconfigured and can be used for a variety of services such as emergency response for mass evacuation and transport of special needs patients and others who require non-ambulatory transport like those living in long-term care facilities; community screenings and events; and health care related outreach and education.
“Providing safe and reliable power to our customers is our primary role but we believe there are other ways to empower our communities. The PPL Foundation supports the development of sustainable communities through grants such as this one, which is funding a much-needed health transportation and education service that will bring peace of mind to the entire region.”
The Special Response Vehicle was made possible through grant funds supported by the PPL Foundation as well as a generous contribution from the North Central Health Care Coalition.
“UPMC is very appreciative of the PPL Foundation and the North Central Health Care Coalition for their generous contributions,” said Sherry Watts, vice president, Development, Susquehanna Health Foundation. “They helped make this a reality through their support of the critical services offered in the communities that we serve together.”