A generous donation of oxygen tanks to New Bloomfield School District helped save a student's life.
Kristin Baker, district nurse for New Bloomfield School District, said one student recently had a life-threatening medical situation and said she had used up the supply of oxygen while an ambulance was en route.
While Baker was looking into refilling the school's portable oxygen tank, the Callaway County Ambulance District and New Bloomfield Fire Department generously stepped up and not only re-filled the tank, but donated four tanks full of oxygen for the school district to keep on hand, she said.
Both health offices in the school district were currently stocked with oxygen, but when the medical emergency depleted one building's supply, Baker said the office had to look into replacing it.
"We were very pleased and excited when the donations were received, as the expense of refilling the oxygen tank and buying so many additional tanks to keep on hand would have been significant," Baker said. "Being such a small community, it's really uplifting and encouraging when we all pool our resources to provide the best care for our kids."
The student is currently medically stable and doing well, she said.
Callaway County Ambulance District have been helping others in different ways recently.
In October, Callaway County EMS along with a team of other emergency responders from Callaway County Joint Communications, Central Fire Protection District and Fulton Fire Department resuscitated a man after he suffered a cardiac arrest.
The team effort of the agencies involved and the care from the hospital team allowed John Johnson, of Fulton, to rejoin his family and continue living his life.
In November, Callaway County EMS staff donated eight shoe boxes full of items to Operation Christmas Child.
Operation Christmas Child is a program that collects and delivers shoe boxes full of school supplies and toys to children around the world. Each shoebox can cost around $30-40 each, plus $10 for shipping.
Some of the items donated by the Callaway County EMS staff included soccer balls, toothbrushes, coloring books and lots of toys.