WASHINGTON D.C. – A Ross County health care provider received new federal resources for life-saving emergency equipment. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that Adena Health system in Ross County will receive a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to purchase new cardiac equipment, including EKGs and defibrillators.

“Quality health care services—especially in rural communities—are crucial to every Ohioan’s safety,” Brown said. “These new resources will allow Adena Health Systems to respond quickly to medical emergencies and save lives in southern Ohio.”

According to USDA Rural Development, the $143,244 loan will be used to purchase 12 Lead EKGs and 8 LIFEPACK 15 Monitors/Defibrillators for an EMS Telemetry project. This new equipment will allow Emergency Medical Technicians to record an EKG in the patient’s home, view information on-site, and electronically transmit it to the closest emergency health care provider. Because emergency response times in rural areas are significantly higher than state and national averages—and heart disease and heart attack mortality rates are much higher in Ross County than state and national rates—the equipment will be used to improve both delivery and quality of care for cardiac patients in south-central Ohio.

Brown, Chair of the Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth, and Energy Innovation, has held more than 200 roundtables throughout the state and is the first Ohioan to serve on both the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee.