New London Lawmaker Announces Ambulance Donation Initiative

NEW LONDON, CT - From Connecticut House Democrats: State Representative Chris Soto (D-New London) today announced an ambulance donation initiative he championed to benefit communities in need in the Dominican Republic.

The program is a collaboration with American Ambulance of Norwich and the Dominican Association of New London (DANL). Working with Fire Department and island officials, two communities including the Capitol city of Santo Domingo and Boca Chica were identified with dire need of these vehicles.

Thanks to these efforts, two ambulances donated by the American Ambulance of Norwich will be heading to the Dominican Republic. The ambulance headed to Santo Domingo will join two other vehicles that currently serve over 500,000 people. The other, heading to Boca Chica joins two other ambulances which currently serve 200,000 people.

Soto said, “When local ambulances come offline, they still have a lot of life left in them that can be put to good use in places like the Dominican Republic. We heard from many in our community who have family members on the island that there was a need. We investigated and found a solution.”

Rep. Soto, together with Colonel Hector Ventura-Reyes of the Santo Domingo Fire Department and the DANL approached American Ambulance with their plan to find vehicles that could be donated and repurposed to ship to the island.

Greg Allard, Vice President for American Ambulance said, “We are excited to see our retired vehicles continue to function as ambulances, especially in a country where there is such a need. For years, they’ve saved countless lives and helped thousands more. It’s great to know they will continue that legacy and that we are able to help make it happen.”

Photo courtesy of Connecticut House Democrats