UPMC Susquehanna has received a $100,000 grant from the PPL Foundation to fund a special response vehicle that was used for the first time on Monday to bring COVID vaccinations to Williamsport senior residents in a high-rise building.
“This project is a long time coming,” Jim Slotterback, UPMC manager of emergency preparedness, said. “This is a community project that will benefit us all.”
The large “ambulance bus,” Slotterback says, can hold 15 non-ambulatory patients, 10 wheelchair or stretcher patients, five crew members and is “easily configurable” depending on the necessary circumstances.
“I’m still in awe that it is here,” he said.
The vehicle’s primary role includes helping for large evacuations during power outages or unforeseen situations, or severe situations in motor vehicle accidents.