Ballad Health donates 4 heart monitors to Unicoi County EMS
UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Ballad Health donated four new cardiac monitors and defibrillators to Unicoi County EMS on Friday to replace equipment lost during Hurricane Helene.
The Zoll cardiac monitor/defibrillators were valued at almost $200,000.
'When they lost that equipment, it was it was a big loss for them,' Unicoi County Hospital Administrator Jennifer Harrah said. 'And to be able to provide that back, to still be able to provide support in the community for emergency services, can help us make a good impact in this community, and we're happy to be able to do that for them.'
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According to Ballad Health, the monitors help paramedics check a patient's heart rhythm and deliver shocks if needed.
Unicoi County EMA and EMS Director Jimmy Erwin said EMS has been borrowing cardiac monitors from other services since the hurricane.
'We've been working hard to bounce back from the storm, and this donation is a big help,' said Erwin. 'We're very thankful to Ballad Health for understanding how important this equipment is to what we do.'
Helene claimed several pieces of equipment from Unicoi County EMS.
'[We] basically had to start all over with the service,' Erwin said. 'We lost three ambulances and a support vehicle, and that day, not only the vehicles but a lot of personnel were affected by it. So we're rebuilding. The leadership has worked hard, the employees worked hard.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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