American Medical Response has added a $250,000 bariatric unit to its fleet in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ambulance is a little wider than a regular ambulance, has a larger stretcher/gurney and includes a winch and ramps with a 1,600-pound capacity.
In a six month period, AMR responded to 75 calls involving patients over 600 pounds in Las Vegas.
AMR originally placed this type of ambulance — a Type III ambulance with a box-type patient compartment and a van cab — in service in the Evansbille-metro area. With a reported increase in the number of transports of very large patients, Deaconess Hospital offered financial assistance to acquire the ‘Specialty Transort Unit’ ambulance.