Fresno CA helping Mexican city with ambulance services
A chance meeting with officials from a México City suburb in March resulted in Fresno Councilmember-elect Annalisa Perea handing over the keys to an ambulance to Naucalpan de Juárez Councilmember Ursula Cortes Fernández last Friday.
Dora Westerlund, CEO of the Fresno Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, was speaking at a women’s conference in Naucalpán when she spoke to some city officials.
“They told me that they had only one operating ambulance in a city of 1 million,” said Westerlund, who then put the wheels into motion to seek a working ambulance for the Mexican city.
“Five months later, here we are.”
Only one of the city’s four ambulances are operable.
Perea took the keys from American Ambulance president/CEO Todd Valeri for a Mercedes Sprinter ambulance and gurney that was being replaced and handed them to Cortes Fernández.
“We’re just really happy to play a role,” said Perea, who was elected to the District 1 in June. “They said it takes about 12 minutes on average to respond to an emergency.
“When you have an emergency, every second matters.”
Perea worked with Valeri on the ambulance donation.
Cynthia Elizondo, who runs Naucalpan de Juárez’s family development system, welcomed the donation of the ambulance valued at $40,000.
“There’s plenty of useful life in these ambulances,” said Valeri. “We replace them under the terms of our contract with Fresno County and typically sell them wholesale to other ambulance providers.”
The ambulance that was donated to Naucalpan de Juárez “was running calls as recently as a month ago here in Fresno,” he said.
Valeri said ambulances that are replaced by his company “will go another five years easily if properly maintained.”
Perea said it is important that community partners like American Ambulance and the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation step up and help provide donations when needed.
“We’re going to partner to do what we can to share resources and to make sure that we’re doing our part to help other cities thrive,” said Perea.
Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 15 de agosto de 2022, 10:06 a. m..