Submitted photo Webster Memorial Hospital EMS team members Lance Bragg, Damon Quinn and Justin Foster are ready to serve the community with enhanced patient comfort and safety. Two new power cots and two stair chairs were purchased using grant funds supplied by the Webster County Commission.

WEBSTER SPRINGS — Webster County is providing financial support for emergency services.

The Webster County Commission has approved a grant which will allow the Webster Memorial Hospital EMS team to step up patient care with two brand-new power cots, and two new stair chairs.

“We appreciate the support of the County Commission,” said Scott McCourt, Director of Webster Memorial Hospital EMS. “The grant allows us to enhance our transport capabilities by optimizing the comfort and safety of our patients.”

The grant funds were part of the Webster County Commission’s American Rescue Plan Grant Program.

The new equipment is designed with advanced features to enhance patient and paramedic safety during transport.

“The power cots provide a smooth and comfortable ride for patients,” McCourt said. “And the chairs are state-of-the-art, enabling our team to navigate stairs and uneven terrain with greater ease.”

Webster Memorial EMS is a branch of emergency services dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency.

“The goal of the Webster Memorial EMS as it relates to Emergency Medical Services is to either provide treatment to those in need of urgent medical care, with the goal of satisfactorily treating the malady, or arranging for timely removal of the patient nto the next point of definitive care,” states the State Agency Directory online.

Webster County Memorial Hospital is a critical access hospital located in Webster Springs which offers emergency medicine, EMS services, inpatient and swing bed care, inpatient and outpatient pharmacy, laboratory and radiology services, pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation, and social services. It also includes the WCMH Physical Wellness & Rehabilitation Center in Cowen and the rural health clinic at WCMH.

Webster County Memorial Hospital was acquired by Vandalia Health from Davis Health System on Dec. 1, 2023.

The facility had been acquired by Davis Health System on Jan. 1, 2022.