The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – “I didn’t know what a heart attack was supposed to feel like,” said Waitsburg Presbyterian Church Reverend Bret Moser, who now knows all too well what to expect. Following his own recent heart attack, Moser is loudly singing the praises of the Waitsburg Ambulance Service and strongly encourages all Waitsburg residents to take advantage of the service’s unique donor program which assures swift and free service.

Nothing was out of the ordinary when Moser went to bed the night of Dec. 30. When he awoke at 4:30 a.m. with a tight feeling in his chest he attributed it to indigestion and went to sit in the living room recliner. In fact, he believed himself to be in good health, having recently passed two health exams; a quarterly check-up with his family doctor and a Federal Aviation Administration exam.

“Unless you have an angiogram, you don’t really know – my blood pressure and cholesterol were all fine,” he said.

Moser’s concern heightened when he realized that the pain was radiating into his arms. “It didn’t really hurt – it was more of a tingling, but I decided we’d better call 911,” he said.

Moser said it seemed like only five minutes before WAS responders Sharon Brooks, Dave Laughery and Gerardo Delgado were at his door. Delgado, who lives in Walla Walla, does volunteer shift work for WAS and was at the office when the call came in. Brooks, who led the team, said the men had the ambulance pulled out and ready to go when she arrived just minutes after the call.

Brooks said standard protocol for a cardiac event is to give four chewable baby aspirins and, if blood pressure is high enough and the patient isn’t using enhancement drugs, to administer nitroglycerine under the tongue. Because WAS is equipped with a LifePak 12 defibrillator/monitor Brooks is able to record heart activity and text a photo directly to the hospital awaiting the patient. The patient is loaded, blood is drawn, oxygen is administered to keep the heart from working in overdrive and an IV is started in case the hospital needs to administer drugs.

Moser was transported directly to Walla Walla General Hospital’s new Cardiac Catheterization Lab, where a cardiac team is on standby 24 hours a day, Sunday through Thursday evening, to perform emergency angioplasty and stent procedures. Brooks explained that Dayton General Hospital transfers cardiac patients elsewhere and that Providence St. Mary’s often refers emergency cardiac patients to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland.

Both Moser and his wife Bethany were impressed with the swift, professional and caring service they received from WAS. “Sharon handed the doctor the blood when we arrived and the doors hadn’t even closed before they called it a heart attack,” said Moser. “The critical thing was response time. The doctor said that the aspirin/nitro probably prevented a lot of muscle damage to the heart. We made the 911 call at about 4:30 a.m. and I had a stent in place by 6:30 a.m.”

Waitsburg Ambulance Service, entering its 45th year of service, is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that provides basic to intermediate life support and transportation services to Waitsburg residents. A unique donor program ensures that, for an annual $35 donation, all members of a donor’s household will receive service with no out-of-pocket expense.

Brooks said people often think their insurance will cover service but are surprised to learn that they are still responsible for large co pays and/or deductibles. “The $35 zeroes out what you’re responsible for. Some people who thought they had excellent insurance were surprised when they ended up with some significant charges,” said Brooks. Donor letters with details on how to sign up for the program go in the mail this week.

WAS receives a small portion of Walla Walla EMS tax levy funds but is largely dependent on community and memorial donations. The service is also in need of more volunteers willing to become EMTs.

“If anyone is wondering what they can do for their community, it’s easy – volunteer for the ambulance service!” said Brooks.

“They were right on the spot and these are not strangers from Walla Walla. These are our friends and neighbors who know and care about us,” said Moser. “That’s something to count as well. It would be a terrible loss if we didn’t have an ambulance service here.”

Donate or volunteer:

Donations and memorials may be sent to: Waitsburg Ambulance Service, PO Box 242, Waitsburg, WA 99361. To learn more about volunteering with the WAS stop in at the office at 765 Preston Ave., or call (509) 337-6149.