On Monday, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson presented FDNY EMS Station 17 with a $350,000 check for a new bariatric ambulance at their fire station on 1080 Ogden Ave. in Highbridge. The third of its kind available to New Yorkers across all five boroughs, bariatric ambulances are modified to carry very large patients.
“I want to thank Deputy Speaker (Diana) Ayala for her partnership on this project and the FDNY for their ongoing commitment to public safety and to providing emergency medical care for our most vulnerable residents. This $350,000 capital allocation is an investment in our public health infrastructure and has the potential to save lives,” said Gibson.
The Bronx ranks last out of 62 New York state counties in terms of health outcomes, according to the 2022 County Health Rankings National Findings Report, which includes neighborhoods in the southern portion of the borough known to be food deserts — areas where residents have limited access to quality nutrition, rely heavily on processed foods and are often oversaturated with bodegas in place of supermarkets. The health rankings report further found that 30% of health outcomes, including the length of life and quality of life, are based on health behaviors including tobacco use, diet and exercise, alcohol and drug use and sexual activity.
Additionally, 1 in 4 Bronx residents — some of the highest rates in the country — are affected by food insecurity, according to a 2021 report by the United Hospital Fund and Boston Consulting Group.
And the latest findings by the New York State Department of Health show the prevalence of obesity in the Bronx is highest when compared to other boroughs. The new bariatric ambulance unit will join two other bariatric ambulances, one stationed in the Fort Totten section of Queens and the other in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn.
According to the FDNY, both service on average 1,000 residents citywide per year.
The $350,000 was a joint allocation between Gibson and Ayala.
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