Hamilton County Ambulance Service receives more than $200,000 grant

MCLEANSBORO, Ill. (KFVS) - One southern Illinois ambulance company is sporting a much needed new ambulance to their fleet.

The Hamilton County Ambulance Service is thanking the USDA Rural Development for helping securing a grant for a new 4-wheel drive ambulance.

This is the first all-wheel drive ambulance for the Hamilton County Ambulance Service.

Leaders say they received a grant worth $210,800 to purchase the new vehicle, mechanized lift chair that helps load people directly into the ambulance and cardiac monitoring equipment.

Hamilton County Ambulance Board Treasurer Mark Auten believes this will make responding to calls in rural places a bit easier.

“Just in winter months alone, you know that you’re going to be safe,” Auten said. “Being able to do that a lot of times, we have incidents of somebody having a heart attack in a combine or something. So having to get out into the field in months or maybe when it’s even raining they’ve actually got tracks on the combine it’s just to get the job done.”

Auten says this new grant will allow the ambulance service better access to taking care of the residents of Hamilton County.

Hamilton County Ambulance Service said they will continue to look into more USDA Rural Development grants to continue making upgrades to their services.

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