Huron Valley Ambulance and Ypsilanti Rotary Club send ambulance to Peru
On Friday the Huron Valley Ambulance (HVA), along with the Ypsilanti Rotary Club, sent an ambulance to Ica, Peru, a low-income region in much need of medical services.
The idea for shipping the ambulance was first explored several years ago, when Dr. Alfredo Garcia participated in the Rotary Group Study Exchange Program. He was given the opportunity to come to Ypsilanti to experience its culture and exchange ideas with fellow doctors of the area.
The ambulance at HVA before its send-off
Christine Chun | Contributor
During his stay in Ypsilanti, Garcia expressed the need for an ambulance service in the area in which his clinic is located. The Rotary Club contacted HVA, and when an agreement for the donation was settled, members of the club started to arrange ways to ship the ambulance to Peru.
The Rotary Club ran into several problems with the shipment. In 2006, they contacted a government military program for aid in funding, but due to complications, the arrangements fell through. The Rotary Club tried again the following year, but the earthquake in Peru disrupted their plans to donate.
Though his clinic was ruined by the earthquake, Garcia was able to rebuild it, and in April 2010, he contacted his fellow Rotarians in Ypsilanti for the shipment. With the help of a grant from Rotary District 6380, the Rotary Club finally raised enough money to transport the ambulance.
Joyce Williams, public affairs manager of HVA, is driving the ambulance to Baltimore, Md., where it will be transported into a ship on June 14 to Lima, Peru. Members of the Ica Sur Rotary Club will then drive the ambulance to Ica.
“We’re very excited about the shipment,” Williams said. “Although we do hope to continue donating ambulances, the process is quite expensive. We’ll definitely be donating more of other medical supplies, however.”
The ambulance is scheduled to arrive at its destination on June 26. It will be kept at a fire station in Ica, where a health care clinic is housed.
Christine Chun is an intern at AnnArbor.com. Have a community news tip? Email community@annarbor.com
Comments
Halter
Sun, Jun 5, 2011 : 11:28 a.m.
This is a nice thing, so thank you. It would have been nicer, though, had they paid attention to our local needs and learn that our own neighbor, the City of Detroit, is itself in dire need of ambulance vehicles. Still, thank you for this very nice move.