As of June 14, 2023, Rescate is officially available by calling 911
The 911 dispatch center dispatches the nearest ambulance, so if you need our help
dial 911 and remember to
ask for a RESCATE ambulance.
In early July 2021, Rescate de San Carlos lost a great friend and a huge supporter with the passing of Betty Lou Hammer.
Betty Lou and her husband, Bill, have had a home in the Bahia in San Carlos for nearly 50 years and have been full time residents for almost 30 years. For most of that time they were huge supporters of Rescate and they are Lifetime Gold Card Members #2 (Bill thinks that Dick and Diane Newlon were #1, but that’s another story.)
While Betty Lou was involved with several charities and organizations here in San Carlos, Rescate held a special spot in her heart. She and Bill brought the very first fishing tournament to San Carlos in 1984 with the Labor Day Invitational Fishing Tournament. It has now become the Hammer Down Tournament in their honor and is held every October. From the very first tournament, money from the jackpot prizes was donated to Rescate. Other San Carlos organizations have also benefited from the tournament prize money over the years but Rescate was the Hammer's priority.
Betty Lou was the President of the Rescate Auxiliary for many years, during which her contributions were immeasurable. As President, she established the President's Cup Golf Tournament, which has continued to be an annual fundraising event until very recently. According to her friends, she was not a great golfer but she loved the game and used it to find another way to raise money for Rescate.
Betty Lou was an exceptional friend and a lovely person. Our recollections of her, and all she did for so many, will always be filled with gratitude, fondness and respect.
May she rest in peace.
Rescate would like to thank the residents of San Carlos for your patience and understanding during our reduction of services necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are now almost back to full staffing levels, have access to PPE (personal protective equipment) and cleaning / sanitizing supplies. We are therefore pleased to announce that we will be returning to full service levels effective immediately.
COVID-19 continues to be present in our community, so we will still screen patients for signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arrival at our facility. If there are symptoms present, we will send the patient to the rear entrance for private triage and treatment.
We request that every person coming to our facility continue to take all normal precautions - wear a mask, use hand sanitizer and maintain appropriate distancing. If there are already patients in the lobby when you arrive please wait outside until it is safe for you to enter.
Again, we thank you for your understanding and we are happy to be back serving our community!
While the opening of beaches and the influx of weekend visitors might suggest that COVID-19 is not a threat in San Carlos, the risk to the public remains high and any social contact may put you at risk. Rescate would like to remind everyone to continue to wash hands frequently, wear a mask in public places, maintain social distance and avoid crowds.
Over the past few weeks, a number of Rescate staff have had to isolate at home as a result of COVID exposure or infection. At times, this has left us with significantly reduced staffing levels and we are prioritizing ambulance calls with the assistance of our medical advisors. This is further complicated by our limited amount of Personal Protective Equipment and the issues with sterilizing a contaminated ambulance. Another problem is that usually there is a shortage of hospital beds locally. That is why, if the person has a Gold Card, we may be occasionally able to take the person to Hermosillo.
These circumstances have created the need to triage ambulance calls. We will respond to any other types of emergencies (heart issues, accidents, etc.) but with respiratory issues the staff will talk with an available doctor and may have to decline. However, the person can still be seen at the infirmary if the family will bring them in and we will assist as much as possible. If the family feels that they don’t want to do this, then we encourage them to contact Cruz Roja to seek their assistance.
The Rescate Board wrestled with this situation but made this difficult decision to avoid ending up with a situation where we'd have to close down due to multiple staff getting sick or needing to isolate.
We sincerely regret that these restrictions in service have become unavoidable. Thank you for your understanding as we all manage our way through this pandemic.
Rescate de San Carlos is joining with Castaway Kids, the San Carlos Community Church and the local Rotary Club to create food boxes for families in our Community that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
Sadly, Rescate lost one of its most dedicated volunteers in his sleep during the night of April 3 / 4, 2020.
Dick and his wife Dianne were active Rescate Auxiliary members. He worked all of the Rescate events including the fish fries, pig roasts, pancake breakfasts, the drinks cart at the annual golf tournament and organized the skills competition. For many years Dick portrayed the villain in the annual Melodrama and he was also often the MC. It was he who was the Voice of all of the Fishing Tournaments for two decades
Click here for the link!
Rescate de San Carlos is working diligently to avoid accidental exposure to COVID-19.
The Federal Government has declared a social-distancing campaign and the Sonoran Governor asks everyone to stay home (quédate en casa).
Non-essential businesses such as bars, clubs, gyms, casinos, and movie theaters are or will soon be closed. All non-essential meetings should be cancelled - essential meetings should have no more than 10 people. Civil and religious associations are asked to suspend all mass gatherings.
This request is supported by the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, Dr. Theresa Tam, who asks people to practice social distancing. President Trump also released new guidelines to slow the corona virus spread, asking people to stay home and avoid non-essential contacts with others and non-essential travel. This includes No social gatherings with more than 10 people.
Please engage in everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
These include (from the CDC):
- Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. No hugs, handshakes or high fives.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily.
Contrary to initial beliefs, more than half a dozen recent studies have shown that people without symptoms are causing substantial amounts of infection (i.e., a Massachusetts corona virus cluster with at least 82 cases was started by people who were not yet showing symptoms) source.
You may tell yourself that you have only a slight chance of catching the virus and if you do catch it, you'll be fine because you're young(ish) and healthy, but think about those who do get the virus, are more vulnerable than you and especially those that will need medical attention. We want to try to avoid overwhelming the medical system, as is happening in Italy and Spain.
Please be part of the solution and stay home.
If you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath or other respiratory symptoms) and need to come to Rescate, PLEASE COME TO THE REAR ENTRANCE where we will assess your condition and keep you isolated from other patients if necessary.
Article credit, with thanks, to What's Up San Carlos
- If you have symptoms like cough, fever, or other respiratory problems, contact your regular doctor by telephone first. Do not initially go to either your doctor's office or an emergency setting unless essential. This will reduce unanticipated exposure of other people.
- Stay home when sick- even if you are not sure of what type of illness you have.
- Practice excellent personal hygiene habits, including handwashing, coughing into tissue or elbow, avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Stay away from people who are ill, especially if you are 60 and older or have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or a weakened immune system, or if you are pregnant.
- Stay informed. Information is changing frequently.
Remember to take every day preventive action such as washing hands, and if you are sick stay home. During an outbreak with a new virus there is a lot of uncertainty. Our guidance and advice is subject to change as we learn more. We will continue to keep you updated.
¿Cómo puede ayudar cuando se trata del Virus Corona (COVID-19)?
- Si tiene síntomas como tos, fiebre u otros problemas respiratorios, comuníquese primero con su médico habitual por teléfono. No vaya inicialmente al consultorio de su médico ni a un entorno de emergencia a menos que sea esencial. Esto reducirá la exposición imprevista de otras personas.
- Quédese en casa cuando esté enfermo, incluso si no está seguro de qué tipo de enfermedad tiene.
- Practique excelentes hábitos de higiene personal, como lavarse las manos, toser en el tejido o el codo, evite tocarse los ojos, la nariz o la boca.
- Manténgase alejado de las personas que están enfermas, especialmente si tiene 60 años de edad o más o tiene afecciones de salud subyacentes como diabetes, enfermedades cardíacas, enfermedades pulmonares o un sistema inmunitario debilitado, o si está embarazada.
- Mantente informado. La información está cambiando con frecuencia.
Recuerde tomar todos los días medidas preventivas como lavarse las manos y, si está enfermo, quédese en casa. Durante un brote con un nuevo virus hay mucha incertidumbre. Nuestra orientación y asesoramiento están sujetos a cambios a medida que aprendemos más. Continuaremos manteniéndolo actualizado.
Rescate is delighted to announce that our two new ambulances arrived yesterday afternoon (September 10, 2019). This morning the board members and staff met with the representatives of the manufacturer and were given training on the new vehicles. We are especially grateful to the two anonymous families who donated the funds to cover the purchase of these ambulances.
The Rescate Board of Directors has been reviewing and revitalizing our operation for several months. As part of that process we decided to change our staffing model from an EMT supervisor to a full-time administrator with first responder team leaders.
We have now hired our new administrator and are very pleased to introduce Veronica Jimenez Castillo, who started working with us in mid-May, 2019. She has jumped in with both feet and has proven herself to be mature, organized and very quick to learn. She has a wonderful sense of humor and has developed a good relationship with the other Rescate staff.
Veronica is bilingual and has a bachelor of Business Administration, Economic and Administrative. She has worked as an administrative assistant and in accounting, import / export and human resources, but you might remember her as the receptionist at American Dental in 2016 - 2017. She now works full time for Rescate and will be in the office from 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday and on Saturday mornings.
Please feel free to drop by to meet and welcome Veronica!
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