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To the Editor:
Photo by Daniel Driscoll
Cats and dogs: Maureen Ramirez, left, from the Altamont Rescue Squad, smiles as she is presented with stuffed animals by Marty Herzog, president of the Kiwanis Club of the Helderbergs. Ramirez told the Kiwanis members a touching story about a girl who still had a stuffed toy she had saved from an ambulance ride years earlier.At its regular meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 23, the Kiwanis Club of the Helderbergs welcomed Maureen Ramierez from the Altamont Rescue Squad. During her visit, the club was pleased to present her with a supply of small stuffed animals for use when transporting injured and special-needs children to help calm any fears they may have.
Maureen filled in the club on the current activities of the service, in particular, its building improvements and the efforts to raise the money necessary to purchase a new ambulance. Altamont’s territory borders the area served by the Helderberg Ambulance Squad and the two groups work well together. The Altamont squad receives funding from Knox, Altamont, and Guilderland, and handles about 800 calls per year.
It was interesting to note that the squad encourages residents to make use of its service rather than arrange for their own transportation. The squad provides EpiPens [to inject epinephrine into patients who have allergic reactions causing anaphylactic shock], oxygen, nebulizers, and other first-aid measures that can significantly ease discomfort during the time it takes to transport a patient for medical attention.
The squad’s building on Main Street in Altamont is staffed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. It plans to put an emergency 911 dispatch button on the outside of the building for off hours or when staff are out on calls.
The effort to provide stuffed animals to both services is just one of the many ways that the Helderberg Kiwanis seeks to support the community. If you would like to know more about us, please consider attending one of our supper meetings. We meet every Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at the Highlands Restaurant on the Berne-Altamont Road.
Ray Lauenstein
President-elect
Kiwanis Club