Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson presented FDNY EMS Station 17 with a $350,000 check for a new bariatric ambulance at their fire station on 1080 Ogden Avenue in the Highbridge section of The Bronx on Monday, Oct. 16.

Bariatric ambulances are modified to carry very large patients. The latest addition is the third of its kind across all five boroughs, and will service The Bronx, and parts of Manhattan and northern Queens.

“I want to thank Deputy Speaker [Diana] Ayala [C.D. 8] for her partnership on this project, and the FDNY for their ongoing commitment to public safety and to providing emergency medical care for our most vulnerable residents,” Gibson said. “This $350,000 capital allocation is an investment in our public health infrastructure and has the potential to save lives.”

The latest findings by the New York State Department of Health show the prevalence of obesity in The Bronx is highest when compared to other boroughs. The two existing bariatric ambulances are already stationed in the Fort Totten section of Queens, and in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn.

According to the FDNY, both ambulances currently service an average of 1,000 residents citywide per year. The funding of $350,000 was a joint allocation between the Bronx borough president and Ayala, who represents parts of northern Manhattan and the South Bronx.