AMBULANCE OFFERS RIDES FOR NURSING HOME PATIENTS

A number of area nursing home patients in Stoddard County will be "Home for the Holidays."

The Stoddard County Ambulance District at Dexter will provide transportation for immobile patients to be with their relatives and friends at Christmas.

The program, in its 14th year, is designed for nursing home patients who are unable to travel except by ambulance, said Monti Cooper, coordinator of the program.

"We feel that Thanksgiving and Christmas are times that people should be together," said David Cooper, SCAD district manager. "We recognize that several families cannot be with one another due to some confinements in area nursing homes, so we provide a means of transportation so these folks can be home for the holidays."

The ambulance service does not charge the patient or the family for the service.

The service is available to six nursing homes in the county three in Dexter, and one at Advance, Bloomfield and Puxico.

During the recent Thanksgiving holiday, eight people were provided rides.

"Totals have ranged from eight to 15 each holiday period," said Cooper. Four ambulances are used throughout the county to transport nursing home residents.

"We have a backup ambulance that can be called out in case of an emergency call," said Cooper.

"An emergency definitely takes priority," he said, "but, we're used to that. We have a pretty busy district."

The service is available for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, said Cooper.

"Patients can stay as long as they want," he said. "Usually it's for the day, but occasionally a patient may stay at home overnight."