LCRA, City of Brady award $25,000 grant for cardiac equipment for McCulloch County Hospital District ambulance
New state-of-the-art defibrillator, monitor will improve emergency care for heart patients during transport
MAY 1, 2024
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $8,726 in matching funds from the hospital district, will enable the district to replace a broken unit with a state-of-the-art defibrillator that can quickly restart the heart. The new unit will include a heart monitor that can alert first responders to a heart attack, adjust irregular heart rhythms and conduct comprehensive 12-lead electrocardiogram tests.
Tim Jones, chief executive officer of the McCulloch County Hospital District, said the new defibrillator and heart monitor will be placed aboard the district’s primary ambulance. The ambulance’s current defibrillator and heart monitor have been out of service for about six months, leaving medics to rely on a unit that is typically used in an emergency room.
“So yes, this was desperately needed,” he said. “This equipment is top of the line, and I’m sure it will serve the people of McCulloch County well for many years to come. Being in a small, rural community like Brady, revenue for equipment and capital expenditures is hard to come by, so we’re very grateful LCRA was able to step in and help us out.”
The hospital district provides 24/7 transport service, and medics rely on the defibrillator and heart monitor when transporting cardiac patients from Brady to hospitals in San Angelo and San Antonio that can provide higher-level care.
“The vast majority of these patients have to travel at least 75 miles for a higher level of care so it’s no small feat,” Jones said. “We can’t really run a high-level transportation service out of our emergency department without having a defibrillator on board the ambulance. It’s a state requirement for ambulance services.”
Adding the new defibrillator and heart monitor is critical to provide emergency care whether during transport or in the emergency room, he said.
“You don’t want to be without one when you might have another patient who needs it,” Jones said.
The community grant is one of 44 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. The City of Brady is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.
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