Lennox Area Ambulance awarded LACF grant

Loren Brass, LACF representative, presents the grant to Alan Perry with the Lennox Area Ambulance.  

The Lennox Area Ambulance has been awarded a $2,450 grant from the Lennox Area Community Fund (LACF). The funding is part of LACF’s 2025 grant cycle, which supported eight local organizations this year. Other recipients include the Lennox Area Historical Society, Junior Achievement, Worthing Fire Department, Lincoln County 4-H, City of Worthing, Olde Towne Dinner Theatre, and the Chancellor Fire Department.

The Lennox Area Ambulance will use the grant funds to purchase two Nonin PalmSat 2500 portable oxygen saturation (SpO₂) monitors, complete with rechargeable batteries, chargers, carrying cases, and probes for both adult and pediatric patients. These monitors will be assigned to each ambulance and kept in the primary medical bags that accompany emergency responders on every call.

According to the ambulance service’s grant application, the current monitors in their fleet are more than a decade old and have become increasingly unreliable, with slower response times, shorter battery life, and reduced accuracy—particularly in high-motion or low-perfusion environments.

Portable SpO₂ monitors are essential in emergency medical care, providing immediate, non-invasive measurements of a patient’s blood oxygen levels and pulse rate—two vital indicators that help EMS personnel assess respiratory function and guide life-saving interventions. Updated equipment will help ensure responders can make fast, informed decisions in situations such as trauma, cardiac events, respiratory distress, and pediatric emergencies.

The new Nonin PalmSat units are designed specifically for emergency medical use and are known for their speed, durability, and accuracy, even in challenging field conditions. “By replacing our outdated monitors, we’ll enhance the quality and efficiency of our pre-hospital care,” the ambulance service noted in its application.

Future maintenance and replacement costs for probes and batteries will be covered through the existing ambulance supply budget, which already accounts for routine maintenance and essential medical equipment.

Since 2004, the LACF has supported nonprofits in Lennox, Chancellor, and Worthing through donor contributions. Community members are encouraged to learn more or contribute at lennoxareacommunityfund.org.

Local nonprofits are reminded that the annual deadline for LACF grant applications is in early August. Next week’s edition will highlight additional grant recipients from this year’s funding cycle.