MANCHESTER — Year unknown, likely in the early to mid 1970’s. Pictured is ASM’s (Manchester Ambulance’s) former headquarters on East Center Street, Manchester. ASM moved to New State Road in Manchester in the late 1990’s.
By JESSE LEAVENWORTH
The Hartford Courant
4:57 p.m. EST, November 25, 2013
MANCHESTER — A regional food drive in its fifth year tallied “phenomenal” results, an organizer announced Monday.
The Emergency of Hunger drive, run by emergency response agencies and Rotary Club members, gathered 38,309 food items, $24,143 in cash, checks and gift cards and 596 turkeys, event organizer Dave Skoczulek said.
Donations were gathered at supermarkets in Manchester, South Windsor, Vernon, Windsor and Enfield, the latest community to join the effort. The donations go to food pantries and shelters in each town.
“Because we keep adding towns and changing hours and tinkering with the format, it’s hard to say if it was the biggest year,” Skoczulek said. “But I would say it was the best year. We had the most fun, brought in a huge amount, had the best interactions with the public and saw the biggest desire to give.”
Over the past five years, the drive has tallied 147,000 food items, $96,186 in donations and 4,170 turkeys.
Gallery includes pictures from last weekend.
MANCHESTER — The demand on local food assistance programs continues to increase for a number of reasons. This makes efforts like the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive at the Stop and Shop Supermarkets in the area THIS WEEKEND even more important.
The Manchester Food Drive is sponsored by IMCORP, organized by Ambulance Service of Manchester and powered by volunteers from ASM, Manchester Police, Manchester Fire Rescue EMS, the Rotary Club and MACC Charities staff and more has raised a lot of money, food, and turkeys over the five years of its existence. It fills the freezers, the pantry and adds money that is so important to help with special needs for babies, diabetics and others with dietary issues, and other important household needs.
We urge you to show up SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23 AND 24 at the Stop and Shop in Manchester and share so that others may eat.
MANCHESTER and HARTFORD — Aetna Ambulance and ASM send Patient and Customer Satisfaction Surveys to a random sampling of patients who have received emergency or STAT inter-facility services from our companies.
The final question in the survey asks “Do you have any suggestions on how we can improve our service?” And, “Please use one word to describe us.”
Some of the answers/responses included:
Apparently we are professional!
by Sam Porcello
Miss earlier volumes? Click here…
One of the things that surprised me the most during my project research was the fact that the Gradys concealed their ownership of Aetna Ambulance, afraid that, 20 years before the Civil Rights Amendment, people would be reluctant to do business with African Americans. As Mrs. Grady recounted:
“(My family) found it difficult to get loans to finance their business. My dad was a local artist and would use what money he received from selling his paintings into the ambulance business. He was also a barber! They would conceal their ownership in the following ways: 1) By calling their business Aetna [ostensibly named, with permission, after the insurance company that they worked for] instead of Grady Ambulance because they knew that the general public would probably not do business with them because of the color of their skin; 2) When they appeared in photographs together helping patients they were careful not to have their names recorded or their actual relationship to the business recorded. People would believe that they were only the ‘ambulance attendants’ which was the intention.”
By JESSE LEAVENWORTH
The Hartford Courant
3:37 p.m. EST, November 15, 2013
Read the Courant version here…
MANCHESTER — Emergency responders and Rotary Club members launched a regional drive Friday to collect food and other donations for needy people.
This is the fifth year of the Emergency of Hunger Food Drive. Representatives of police, fire and ambulance agencies, Rotary Club members and pantry managers from Manchester, South Windsor and Vernon gathered Friday at Manchester Area Conference of Churches Charities to kick off the drive.
Volunteers in those towns, Enfield and Windsor collect food and monetary donations at area supermarkets. In the past five years, the drive has gathered about 108,000 food and personal care items, 4,100 turkeys and more than $75,000 in cash, checks and gift cards, organizers said.
All collections are to be held at Stop & Shop supermarkets, except one at Geissler’s Supermarket in South Windsor. Dates and times for the collections are:
Manchester — Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 23 and 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 286 Broad St.
Enfield — Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 54 Hazard Ave.
Rockville — Nov. 23 and 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 50 Windsorville Road
Vernon — Nov. 23 and 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 10 Pitkin Road
South Windsor — Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.at the Stop & Shop at 1739 Ellington Road and on the same days and times at Geissler’s Supermarket, 965 Sullivan Ave.
Windsor held its collection earlier this month, organizers said.
All food and donations go to food banks in the towns where they are donated, organizers said.
“In other words, everything stays local so that neighbors are helping neighbors,” organizer David Skoczulek of Ambulance Service of Manchester wrote in a news release.
MANCHESTER — ASM EMT Sean Norton writes, “You may have seen several ASM employees with oddly shaped facial hair at work lately. This is not only because it looks great but we are doing it to change the face of men’s health. Movember was started to raise money for the research of testicular and prostate cancer as well as mental health.
Some members of ASM’s Movember Team: (L to R) Sean Norton, Jonathan Lentini, Matt Tuttle and Steeve Parent. Missing: Kevin King and Vinnie Maston.
We have a team called Ambulance Service of Moustache that can be found by following the link. That will bring you to my page just click donate and choose our team. Any little bit you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your consideration.”
MANCHESTER — The Fifth Annual ‘Emergency of Hunger’ Food Drive officially starts this weekend. Emergency and public service agencies in five communities band together with Rotary Clubs to collect for local food banks.
Further details on the Food Drive: This is year five and thus far we have collected: 108,000 food and personal care items, 4100 turkeys and over $75,000 in cash, checks and gift cards.
Here are the currently scheduled Food Drive dates and times by town. The following are Stop and Shop locations unless otherwise noted:
MANCHESTER and HARTFORD — Aetna Ambulance and ASM send Patient and Customer Satisfaction Surveys to a random sampling of patients who have received emergency or STAT inter-facility services from our companies.
The final question in the survey asks “Do you have any suggestions on how we can improve our service?” And, “Please use one word to describe us.”
Some of the answers/responses included:
MANCHESTER — An early communication device, used during the days when ASM was known as Manchester Ambulance, was brought out as a prop for a recent retirement party.
Shown here, the phone and EKG transmission device shows just how far technology has come but reminds us that transmitting EKGs to hospital is not a new idea. Aetna and ASM operate technology to wirelessly transmit 12 lead EKGs to a terminal in area emergency departments as well as they smartphones of the interventionalist and cardiologist.
MANCHESTER — Additions and renovations to the Ambulance Service of Manchester’s main headquarters, known to employees as “10-1,” continue. As of this writing:
The next steps are to complete and open for service the main restrooms so that demolition can move to the oldest restrooms and the old side entrance hallway, complete flooring, activate HVAC systems and begin phase two of demolition and construction.
The addition and renovation are part of ASM’s continued commitment and investment in the towns it serves.
Note: Aetna Ambulance does NOT provide emergency services to the Town of Canton. Always dial 9-1-1 in the case of an emergency.
CANTON — On October 27, 2013 Aetna’s Preston Ryzak visited Canton’s Cherry Brook Primary School, specifically Mrs. Lippincott’s class, to show the students an ambulance, up close and personal.
School visits serve to increase children’s awareness of Emergency Medical Services, when to call 911, what Paramedics and EMTs do to help people and why serving the community is important.
Aetna Ambulance does NOT serve the Town of Glastonbury for primary emergency medical services. In an emergency, always dial 9-1-1.
GLASTONBURY — On October 23, 2013 Aetna’s Trisha Webster and Matthew Carter visited Goddard School on Eastern Boulevard in Glastonbury, CT to perform a show-and-tell for the three and four year-old children who attend Pre-K at the school.
Trisha and Matt talked about calling 9-1-1 and not being afraid of EMS, Police or Fire Personnel when they arrive to help. They had them go through the ambulance with the help of a Caillou doll to demonstrate the experience. Lots of questions and some stories from the children followed.
