$541,000 for Paramedic Garage in Jackman Secured by Senator Collins in Funding Bill in First Key Step

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $541,000 for Jackman to build a paramedic garage in the draft Fiscal Year 2023 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.  

As the Ranking Member and lead Republican on the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Collins secured funding for this project in the bill, which was officially released by the full Senate Appropriations Committee today and must now be voted upon by the full Senate and House.

“Mainers in every part of the state should be able to receive the vital medical services they need, and I have long advocated for funding to support access to quality rural health care,” said Senator Collins.  “A new garage for Jackman’s paramedicine vehicle and ambulances would help boost emergency response times.  Enhancing this lifesaving service would provide added peace of mind for residents as well as visitors enjoying the many outdoor recreational opportunities that the Moose River Valley has to offer.  As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to champion this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”

The funding would be used to build a climate-controlled three-bay garage that would house a paramedicine vehicle and ambulances for emergency services responses.

The Jackman-Moose River region is a rural location with limited access to health care and emergency services.  Through a unique model of cooperative municipalities, the Jackman-Moose River Fire and Rescue Department, and the Penobscot Community Health Center, residents and tourists alike have access to both paramedical services and transportation to the regional hospitals in Waterville, Bangor, and Skowhegan.  This new garage would provide sufficient space to accommodate a larger ambulance Jackman is in the process of purchasing.

Having a climate-controlled garage would also enable paramedics and EMTs to keep the medicine and equipment they need inside the vehicles at all times, speeding up response times to emergencies.