The Salem Health and Wellness Foundation and the Community Foundation of New Jersey announced today a grant in the amount of $275,000 to the American Legion Ambulance Association to support EMS services.
The American Legion Ambulance Association (Woodstown Ambulance and Rescue Squad) was formed in 1954 by a group of Veterans who recognized a need to transport the sick and injured to the hospital. The organization has evolved over the years to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. With the ebbing of volunteers, in 2014 Woodstown Ambulance began to provide paid daytime ambulance coverage 7 days a week in the Woodstown/Pilesgrove area and in 2015 paid coverage increased to 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
In 2015, in an effort to find a solution to delayed response time for an area of the county, a partnership was formed with Fenwick Ambulance Squad to begin supporting them in providing services to residents of Salem City. This pilot project seeks to build on this effort.
“We have seen the improvement in emergency medical services with our partnership agreement with Fenwick Ambulance,” stated Joe Valentine, president of The American Legion Ambulance Association. “The goal would be to develop partnerships with other squads as support, if requested, which will improve overall ambulance service in Salem County while leaving volunteers intact.”
“Shared services between existing ambulance squads, and existing infrastructure, is an effective approach to emergency medical services in Salem County,” stated Brenda Goins, foundation executive director. “We are pleased to see organizations coming together to help solve this issue in our county.”
In addition to emergency services, the American Legion Ambulance Association will provide non-emergency medical transports for patients throughout the county.
To learn more about the American Legion Ambulance Association, contact Joe Valentine at (856) 769-3959
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Brenda L. Goins
Executive Director
Salem Health & Wellness Foundation
(856) 299-4460