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All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano of the NY Yankees and Fuchs EMS and Medical Transportation Services of Fair Lawn, NJ, are collaborating on an ongoing goodwill initiative that is helping to standardize professional emergency medical care throughout the Dominican Republic.
Working with Cano and his RC24 Foundation, Fuchs noted it is donating ambulances, medical supplies and emergency medical training to the small Caribbean nation that severely lacks such resources.
Fuchs CEO Kevin Fuchs and Cano traveled to the Dominican in late January to execute the first phase of the initiative. With support from Northern New Jersey Mobile Intensive Care Communications, Fuchs and his team worked with Cano and RC24 to:
-secure, donate and deliver seven modern ambulances to the City of San Pedro de Macoris, completely refurbished, outfitted and equipped to World Health Organization standards;
-donate and deliver 776 pounds of medical supplies to help keep the ambulances operational; and,
-create and deliver an intensive week-long certification EMS training "boot camp" for local responders, facilitated by Fuchs and conducted by a team of EMS professionals he assembled from NJ-based service providers, including Michael Migliaccio, Chief, Ramsey Volunteer Ambulance Corp.; Scott Peterson, Lieutenant, Ramsey Volunteer Ambulance Corp.; and Arman Fardanesh, Deputy Chief, EMS for Newark Delaware Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company.
"This was historic from the standpoint of the Dominican Republic," said Robinson Cano. "With the help of FUCHS EMS and their partners, we are able to help the people of the Dominican Republic by responding to their dedication and enthusiasm to improve the human condition. On that basis, I'm convinced of the success that we will realize with this initiative, beyond our success in San Pedro de Macoris. This is an important achievement for the Dominican people that will have a lasting impact on communities throughout their nation, with the help of their friends from a caring community of professionals in New Jersey."
San Pedro de Macoris Mayor Architec Ramon Antonio Echavarria said, "This is not an effort to merely adopt an American system in the Dominican Republic, but to help establish a foundation for a system that works best in this environment and can ultimately evolve to benefit communities throughout the Dominican Republic."
"Since returning to New Jersey, I've spoken to some of the students we trained in the DR who say the training was invaluable, that many lives have been saved as a direct result of our training and that patient care has improved 10-fold," said Fuchs. "The trucks are up and running and helping to save lives in San Pedro de Macoris on a daily basis. It's extraordinarily gratifying, and we're putting plans in place for our return visit. This initiative is about helping the people of the Dominican Republic build a system for professional emergency medical services, and we're well on our way."
Fuchs indicates that his team and the RC24 camp will return to the Dominican Republicto conduct more training and provide additional medical supplies in the fall. Additionally, Fuchs and his instructors are planning to organize some summer fundraising events and programs for Cano's foundation.
RC24 is a non-profit charitable foundation formed in 2011 by Robinson Cano and his parents, Claribel Mercedes and Joselito Cano. Its mission is to touch the lives of underprivileged children in the Dominican Republic and around the world to improve their opportunities and better their future.
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