MedStar, Texas Health Resources Donate to Mexican Sister City

PRESS RELEASE

Some parts of the world are not able to have the state-of-the-art emergency medical services equipment that are available to many communities in the United States. Such was the case for the city of Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area and the fifth-largest city in Mexico, home to 750,000 residents.

Thankfully for local residents and leaders, Toluca has a partnership with Fort Worth Sister Cities International. Toluca city leaders mentioned to Fort Worth Sister Cities that they were having challenges with reliable ambulance vehicles for their fire department.

Fort Worth Sister Cities approached MedStar about the possibility of donating one of our surplus ambulances to the Toluca Fire Department. MedStar’s board agreed to donate a 2016 Chevy Trauma Hawk Type III ambulance to the municipality of Toluca, which will be added to its current fleet.

“We’ve been informed the ambulance will be the newest model in the Toluca fleet,” said Florence Salazar Bruner, chair of the Toluca committee. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented Toluca with hardships in its medical community. “We are honored that we can help them during this crisis,” adds Bruner. “We are standing by and ready to assist our brothers and sisters in Toluca.”

Texas Health Resources, a partner of Fort Worth Sister Cities International, also arranged a generous donation of 7,300 N95 masks, which will be included as part of the donation to Toluca.

Daniel Gomez of the Toluca Fire Department will be picking up the donated ambulance and supplies during a brief ceremony on Wednesday, December 2, at 10 a.m. CST in the east parking lot of MedStar’s headquarters at 2900 Alta Mere Drive, Fort Worth.

In attendance will be:

• From the Fort Worth City Council: Mayor Pro Tem Jungus Jordan; District 3 council member and chair of MedStar’s public authority board Dr. Brian Byrd; Fort Worth District 2 council member Carlos Flores.
• From Fort Worth Sister Cities International: Board Chair Becky Renfro Borbolla; Chair-elect Greg Jackson; Toluca Chair Florence Salazar Bruner; and President/CEO Mae Ferguson.
• From the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: President and CEO Anette Soto Landeros.
• From MedStar: Interim CEO Ken Simpson and Support Services Manager Shaun Curtis.

Virtual attendance at the ceremony will be available at https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1493140112.